From Guimaraes to Ponte de Lima (Minho)

Member Name: Praskipark

Product:	Minho
Date:	18/01/09 (231 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A Portuguese region full of beauty and steeped in tradition

Disadvantages: You may need to speak Portuguese here

Having travelled from the top to the most extreme westerly point of Portugal I want to take you on a tour of a region which hasn't really changed over the centuries. After living for years in the sunbaked Algarve it was such a contrast to go north where the region is so green and lush. As soon as the month of July hits the Algarve the land dries up completely, plants become parched and a drive down a dirt track will cover your eyes in choking dust. The Minho offers a verdant antidote to this oppression.

This ancient province, the historic heart of Portugal, lies in the north west of the country and is famed for its greenery - for its green coast, its green landscapes and its green wine (vinho verde). The people enjoy the biggest festivals and markets in the country, good food, the best vineyards and a traditional rural lifestyle. In the far northeast lies the Peneda-Geres National Park with some very old village communities and lonely footpaths.

I am going to start my tour of the region leaving Oporto far behind as this would be the normal route I would take in a car. Some of the roads in the Minho are in poor condition and Portugal can be a trying place for motorists. Many minor roads are narrow, making it difficult to pass slow- moving rural trucks and tractors. Believe me, driving takes skill and concentration as the Portuguese are manic when behind a steering wheel. Portugal's accident rate is high. You will find drivers often pass at the last minute on two lane highways. Be warned.

The first port of call is....

Guimaraes
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This thriving, industrial town lies about 30 miles from Oporto and has a proud history and sometimes described as the 'cradle of Portugal,' being the birthplace of Afonso Henriques who proclaimed the country of Portucale, the land between the Minho and the Douro, as the kingdom of Portugal. Above the town on the 'Holy Hill' stands the turreted castle where Afonso was born in about 1110, and the very simple Sao Miguel chapel where he was later baptised.

Descend from the castle past the Paco dos Duques, the Palace of the Bragancas to the Rua de Santa Maria in the old town with its stored houses of weathered granite, wooden verandas and broken paving slabs, where the town's history lives on. Two museums I would like to mention and are worth a visit are: Museu Martins Sarmento in Rua Paio Galvao. This is open from Tuesday to Sunday - 10am to 5pm with 2 hours closure for lunch. The museum houses some interesting finds from the Celtic -Iberian settlement of Citania de Briteiros: and the Museu Alberto Sampaio which is accommodated in an old cloister, part of a Dominican monastery beside the delightful Largo de Oliveria square in the old town. Many of the fine paintings and sculptures on display here are by Portuguese artists from the 14th - 16th centuries. One of the two pousadas (luxury state owned hotels) in Guimares is situated in an adjoining building. The other pousada is the old Santa Marinha monastery which is 4 miles outside the town by the Monte Penha panorama, offers particularly luxurious accomodation.

Moving on to.........

Braga
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I remember Braga well. It must be the only town I have been to where I have had to wait over 2 hours to be served in a restaurant. Even though I was plied with fresh bread and copious amounts of wine and olives it is still a long time to wait but then it was Sunday lunch time and the restaurant was packed with Portuguese families jabbering 10 to the dozen.

More about the town.....

Braga is a proud city - conservative and loyal to the church. As well as being the seat of the Primate of Portugal, it is also an important industrial centre. Bracara Augusta was a busy crossroads and administrative centre even in Roman times. However, the charmless new town and the almost permanently congested streets have to be negotiated before it is possible to admire the quiet calm of the old town with its 30 or more churches and palaces and the maze of narrow alleys and pretty squares. Originally a Romanesque construction, the cathedral is now a mixture of styles encompassing several centuries. The 14th century Capela dos Reis contains the tomb of Henry of Burgundy and his wife Teresa, the parents of Portugal's founder Afonso Henriques. On the other side of the pedestrianised Rua do Souto stands the Museu dos Biscainhos, a traditional 18th century mansion with a beautiful garden.

Stopping off for a beverage and a bite to eat presents a difficult choice between the Cafe Astoria, with its Art Deco interior, and the Cafe Vianna, dating from 1871. Both are located overlooking the fountains and gardens in the Praca da Republica. About 4 kilometres outside the town along Rua Boavista lies an art historian's dream, the 7th century Visigoth chapel of Sao Frutuoso. It is one of the few churches I know of in Portugal to show a Byzantine influence.

Another famous church in the vicinity and is a beauty is the Bom Jesus do Monte. After Fatima, Bom Jesus is the most important place of pilgrimage in Portugal. An imposing flight of steps built during the 18th century leads up to the church entrance (564 metres). There are a number of ways to make the ascent: an old funicular railway - itself a museum piece; by car or on foot up a winding road; or by the steps - and a true pilgrim will climb the latter on his or her knees. Monte Sameiro, another pilgrims' church, also stands at the top of a long flight of steps and at the end of a lengthy woodland path. Facilities here include a restaurant and the spot also offers a fine panoramic view.

If you travel at Easter you will be in time for Braga's impressive Semana Santa celebrations which is a week packed with festivals to celebrates various Saints.

Barcelos ( the home of the cockerel)
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Barcelos lies some 12 miles from Braga and lies on the banks of the Rio Cavado. This small town is a centre for the manufacture and sale of pottery, jugo or carved yokes and also the galo, the Barcelos cockerel. Plenty of examples of these will be on sale in the huge market - said to be the biggest in Portugal - that takes place here every Thursday. The story behind the cockerel, a medieval legend, concerns a pilrim who had been accused of theft and was sentenced to hang. When the pilgrim appealed to St James for help, the cockerel on the hangman's dinner plate was made to crow as proof of the pilgrim's innocence. The judge set him free and in gratitude the pilgrim constructed a monument which can be seen in Barcelo's Paco dos Duques de Braganca museum.

The municpal park by the pretty river bank is the perfect place to take a rest. The Centro Artesanato at the tourist information office in the Torre de Menagem, Largo Porta Nova, displays a wide range of handicrafts including wickerwork, straw baskets and hats, embroidery, crochet and traditional costumes.

And now to the coast.......

Costa Verde
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Costa Verde is the name given to the stretch of coast between Oporto and the Spanish border. The shoreline is practically one long, unbroken beach bordered by sand dunes and pine trees. Sadly, this coast has in recent years been a target for developers and walls of concrete now overlook the beach. Povoa da Varzim and Vila do Conde, with an attractive old town and a good beach, have now almost merged thanks to the construction of new hotel blocks. Ofir, located by the lagoon at the mouth of the Cavado, is a tourist village with a marvellous beach. Eposende, on the opposite bank, has also been transformed. However, in Sao Bartolomeu do Mar and further north, it is still possible to find a quiet beach. Sun worshippers need to be reminded that they do not always get what they are seeking on the Costa Verde. It can be quite cool and windy. Fog often envelops the coastal towns, even in summer. There is a coastal railway ride that goes from Viano do Castelo and Caminha which is a lot of fun and gives you a chance to get the wind in your hair.

Viano do Castelo
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This impressive town is about 16 miles further north and is the biggest population centre on the coast. The Romans called this port at the mouth of the Rio Lima 'Pulchra' or 'Beautiful.' It may be hard to justify this description after a short drive through the new town, but there is no doubt that the old town is one of the finest in Portugal. Many of the buildings here date from Viana's heyday in the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly those around the attractive Praca da Republica with its Renaissance fountain, the Town Hall and the Casa da Misericordia, an unusual late Renaissance hospice with open loggias supported by grotesque caryatids (architectural supports in the place of pillars usually sculptured females). The part of town between the Praca and the promenade is worth a closer look as there are many Manueline features to identify. In the third week of August, the baroque Nossa Senhora de Agonia chapel in Rua do Rego is the setting for one of Portugal's most popular romarias, for which the women wear bright, colourful, embroidered costumes.

A ferry crosses to the splendid Praia do Cabelo beach during the summer months.

One of Viana's distinctive landmarks is the Monte de Santa Luzia some 5 kilometres north of the town. A neo Byzantine pilgrims' church with a fine view can be reached by car or by an old funicular railway. If you are wealthy enough to stay in the luxury Santa Luzia hotel you will be able to enjoy some marvellous views. I have only stayed here once on business and the views are amazing and it is probably worth paying over the odds for a room with a view. You can see the arc of the bay with waves of azul, turquoise and shades of green bobbing about in front of the opposite side of the ocean which is a backdrop of red topped houses and hotels surrounded by splashes of green from the undulating hills and vineyards beyond.

Moving on - inland........

The recently improved N13 road passes through Vila Nova da Cerveira and vineyards before reaching Valenca do Minho some 27 kilometres further on. This town is the main border crossing into north west Spain. The old town, still, completely ringed by walls, is a fine example of old Portuguese architectural style. On Wednesday, market day, the town is overwhelmed by Spanish shoppers in search of bargains. Early evening is a better time to appreciate the town.

My route now branches of inland along the Minho into the isolated north east corner passing more vineyards and pine forests. The centre of vinho verde country is Moncao and, like most towns on the Minho, it is dominated by a fortress which surveys the border. Its long history consists of mainly skirmishes with the neighbouring Spaniards. Even the grand spectacle that takes place in the town on Ascension Day, in which the inhabitants enact St George's fight against the dragon, probably reflects the conflicts that the townsfolk have had to endure.

Melgaco ( the home of the best vinho verdes)
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Melgaco is situated high above the Minho. It is said that the best vinhos verdes come from this remote corner of the region. In August the carnival spirit takes over with folk groups from all over Portugal descending on the town. In the Solar do Alvarinho in Rua Direita, you can enjoy the famous Alvarinho wine with traditional hams and sausages. There is also a craft show and an exhibition of the production of the wines.

Peneda- Geres National Park
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In Melgaco, the road snakes its way uphill, first after 8 kilometres to the Quinta do Hospital and then on to Lamas de Mouro and Castro Laboreiro where a fine view over Galicia opens out. Lamas de Mouro is the northern entry point for the Peneda-Geres National Park. This mountanous border region with peaks of up to 1, 500 metres covers an area of 72,000 hectares. It has been a protected nature reserve since 1971. The western part is used for the cultivation of maize and rye and also is a grazing pasture, with approximately 15,000 people living in the villages and hamlets scattered over the hillsides. Old thatched stables remain in use as do the unusual espigueiros, little granite grainstores on stilts for drying cereals and maize. Vegetation thrives up to about 1,200 metres but beyond that the skyline is dominated by wild rocky peaks. Megaliths, Roman milestones as well as Romanesque church ruins area testimony to a rich cultural past stretching back thousands of years. The eastern side of the park, the wettest region in the whole of Portugal, has become a haven for some cherished species including golden eagles, wolves and foxes. Some rare plants have gained a foothold here too. Around Pincaes and Sao Lorenco the remians of primeval oak forest can still be found. It is quite a haunting but wonderful sight, to see eagles swooping and gliding over the stony, desolate peaks. It is somethig I certainly never see in Warsaw.

Information for visitors can be obtained from the tourist information offices in Oporto, Braga, Caldas do Geres and the park access points in Lamas de Mouro, Terras de Bouro and Mezio (Geres). However the road maps are sometimes not very accurate.

Ponte de Lima
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Leaving the park we move on to Ponte de Lima which is about 11 miles further on and another attractive town with a Gothic bridge built on Roman foundations. On the second Monday of every month a market is held on the banks of the river under the plane trees. The first market was held here in 1125 and it is thought to be the oldest in Portugal.There are many cafes around the Praca de Camoes near the old bridge. The old town lies behind the riverside watchtower and it is worth taking a stroll through the narrow alleys, up steps and past some fine 16th century townhouses.

Ponte de Lima is the headquarters of Turihab, the agency for accommodation in older, historic premises. There is a wide and interesting range to choose from.

The southern entrance to the National Park is at the spa town of Caldos do Geres which can be reached from Ponte de Barca by taking the road south and then following the north bank of the Rio Cavado. The reservoirs in this region with their fjord-like inlets supply the energy needs ofthe Oporto-Braga region. There is a pousada above the Canicada reservoir. Geres makes a good base from which to explore the National Park along marked footpaths.

From here you can either return to Braga or carry on following the direction of the reservoirs until you come to Chaves which is another wild and wonderful region of Portugal, the Tras-os-Montes. Another review to write so look out for it.

Summary
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Apart from the congestion of traffic on entering some of the towns and the odd hotel block here and there this region of Portugal hasn't really changed at all over the years. It is still very traditional and what I call, 'My Old Portugal.' It is a sedate area steeped in folklore and superstitions. Towns here generally go to sleep at about 10 or 11 pm and you'll find very little to do besides a long, slow dinner or going to a disco.

In my view, it's a very special place to visit if only to drink the vinho verde, take part in one of the colourful festivals, ride in the antiquated funicular railway to the Bom Jesus do Monte or view the golden eagles gliding above the stony granite outcrops.

Summary: A region famous for its wine, greenery, festivals and markets