Leaving Régua & the Douro region the views once again are spectacular ! The river snakes along far below us & more beautiful terraced vineyards too !

What goes up, must come down…….Bruce is rudely reminded to “ keep in low gear” by the large red sign ! Of course he knows not to burn out the brakes descending !! Ha !

We explore the charming village of Amarante  & notice the contrast of of housing architecture – modern & old  ( see pic ) . The town has beautiful medieval & Romanesque buildings . Many quaint restaurants jutt out over the river & we enjoy refreshments in one.

Yep, it’s definitely warming up now & when we return to Bruce he is suffering from heat stroke!!……His temperature is 37 Celsius ! We can’t find an ice pack big enough for him so he has to make do with ventilation…..open windows ! !

Bruce recovers & we venture on to Guimaraes , known for its well preserved medieval buildings . The hilltop castle is 10th century  & inside many school children are being entertained by performers re enacting yesteryear.

The Braganca palace is 15th century & in 1959 became the official residence of the Portuguese president ! The museum inside has amazing artefacts … tapestries & we put an order in for one of these gold plated 4 poster beds !? The statuesque, female candle bearer also grabbed our attention !
So much to see, & Mark  in particular, is ravenous ! We return to the now crowded town square & order lunch ! Mark devours this hearty traditional Portuguese specialty of beef steak, sausages , egg , cheese & fries too ! There’s not a lot of Gluten Free options here so it’s olives & cheese again for me ! However, the large drink of refreshing Sangria was icy cold & hit the spot !

Following Mark back to Bruce’s overnight car park spot l admire the creative mosaic footpath & the bright red bougainvillea!
Now what’s this ? ….Anyone hungry for “Breakfast a Portuguesa ??” Always amusing to see these golden arches pop up when you least expect them !!