Mooching around the Minho September 2013
For our regular Autumn break we had decided to go to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. However, in order to break up the journey home we stayed a for a few nights in Viana do Castelo and explored up the Lima river to Ponte de Lima. We were very glad we did as both places have much to recommend. In Viana we stayed at the Hotel do Parque , a mid range hotel, not far from the town centre, with quite a nice pool to relax in after a tough day pounding the pavements. I think we were quite fortunate in Viana because we happened upon a festival in the centre of town which featured traditional dancing and singing. Also in the centre there was a recenlty renovated museum which gave a quite a bit of background on the costumes and local traditions. In actual fact this was not the municipal museum which was just as interesting and for an added touch was housed in an 18th century palace. Overlooking the town is the Monte de Santa Luzia. Perched on top of this is basilica of the same name which bears a striking resemblance to the Sacre Coeur in Paris. Not surprisingly there are great views from here right down the coast. And the beaches looked very tempting so taking a break from sightseeing we had a free afternoon which we spent on one of them - the Praia do Cabedelo. Despite it being a wondeful hot sunny day, there were few people there and I have to say the water was freezing! A few days later we went in the water at Figuera de Foz about 200kms south and there was a definite temprerature difference.
Day Two
The previous evening we were swimming in the river but today we woke up to a persistent drizzle. Breakfast was a delicious bacon and eggs at the campsite but it had to be enjoyed in the car to avoid the rain.
The situation hadn’t improved much when we arrived in Braga as can be seen below. We quite liked Braga and despite it being Portugal’s third biggest city, the centre felt very small and quiet. Just like the cathedral:
By the time we came out of the cathedral, the weather had improved no end and we enjoyed a very tasty lunch in the emerging sunshine. Then we headed a few kilometres east of Braga to Bom Jesus do Monte. This is a very famous pilgrimage site in Portugal. The pilgrims don’t come for the church at the top of the hill but to climb the extraordinary baroque staircase. We, however, not being penitent pilgrims took the funicular. We did walk down the stairs though in order to see the sets of fountains on each of the levels, with water coming out of the eyes, ears, nose and mouth of the various sculptures
After Braga we headed for Guimaraes, the European capital of culture for 2012. It is also a world heritage site which is no surprise as the centre is delightful. We parked on the hilltop just next to the castle and near the Paco dos Duques. This is a medieval palace but was renovated in the 20th century as a presidential residence for Salazar. After exploring the palace we headed down into the old quarter, a delightful rabbit warren of narrow streets and sunny squares. After a welcome rest and a coffee we headed into the new city which was almost as pretty and still had plenty of interest. The lady in one of the pictures below was, like us, admiring a procession of horse carriages circulating the gardens around the Nossa Senhora da Consolação e dos Santos Passos Church, also pictured below.
