We set off for our next stop - a night at a port winery in the Douro valley. Along the way we passed through the Marão Tunnel - the longest one we've ever travelled at 3.5 miles. After driving about an hour and a half we reached the town of Peso da Régua and the start of a stretch of the N-222 that has earned the reputation as "the road that offers the best driving experience in the world". It did not disappoint as it wound its way along the bank of the Douro river and offered amazing views of mountains in the background, rolling hills dotted with red-tiled roof villages that hug the hilltops, and carefully terraced vineyards that ripple down the hillsides. Finally we reached our destination - Quinta do Tedo - a port winery situated at the confluence of the Douro and Tedo rivers in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Alto Douro. Nancy was immediately taken with their logo that features a black bird - a special McCabe family symbol. We checked into the nicely-appointed "Ruby" room overlooking the Tedo river, made arrangements for a Port Wine tasting in the late afternoon and, at the hostess' recommendation, headed back to Peso da Régua to enjoy lunch at Limonete, much more than a pizzeria. We were for sure the only tourists in this local favorite - one table had at least ten guys sampling a collection of local ports - talk about a liquid lunch. Nancy had a grilled salmon filet that was moist and crispy in all the right places. Richard had an enormous lamb chop accompanied by freshly fried potato chips and topped with an egg, sunny-side-up.
For dinner we decided to have one of our "Duvet Picnics"...a nice bottle of wine with some local cheeses and olives, with some fresh fruit and GF crackers or bread, spread out on a towel on the bed while we watched an episode of "Silent Witness" - our new favorite British crime drama - on Richard's laptop. Traveller tip: you'll likely need to invest in a VPN app, like ExpressVPN, when outside the US. Streaming services will often detect that you are out of the country and won't allow you to use them. The VPN software allows you to choose where you are "virtually" located.
1 Comment
Cary Bullock
3/27/2023 12:49:22 pm
Love it.
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