"BRISTOL-OPORTO ASSOCIATION" VISIT TO PORTUGAL : JUNE 2011

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A RECORD NUMBER OF BRISTOL-OPORTO ASSOCIATION MEMBERS VISIT PORTUGAL : JUNE 2011

Such a successful trip ……. how can we keep saying every visit is better than the one before!
Our thanks go to Peter and Anabela Evens who put in an inordinate amount of work to make this tour so enjoyable. We very much appreciated too the warm hospitality shown us by members of our sister association, Associação Porto-Bristol.
Several of our group have written a short diary for each day we were away.


Day 1. SUNDAY 05 JUNE 2011

After an early flight, our happy band of 31 members of the BOA arrived in Lisbon to begin our 2011 visit. Despite fears for the weather conditions, we were greeted by Anabela and Peter in brilliant sunshine and boarded our coach to travel to the banks of the River Tagus for a lunchtime picnic. The location was perfect, as was the food and drink. We feasted on melon, local pate, cheese and smoked salmon all washed down with wine. Afterward we enjoyed delicious chocolate brownies specially made for us by Anabela. Where did she find the time? This was a great start to our visit.

We travelled on to Tomar and first visited the Convento de Cristo perched high above the town. The guide was very knowledgeable on the history and architecture of the Convent and the location gave panoramic views over the surrounding countryside.

Leaving the Convent we returned to Tomar and our comfortable hotel for a relaxing end to our first day in Portugal, interrupted only by the enthusiastic local celebrations following the announcement of the results of the Portuguese General Election!!

Ruth and Harry Smith




Day 2. MONDAY 06 JUNE 2011

After the early start to catch the flight from Bristol on Day 1 we were somewhat reluctant heroes to leave Tomar at 08.00 hrs. However, the journey compensated, as we ascended through pine and eucalyptus woods, and later chestnuts and walnuts, to be welcomed in Viseu, in the Mountain Beiras region, by the wonderful smell of lime blossom in the square below the Se. The road works delays called for a slight change of programme.
After a preliminary wander, we repaired to the snug ambience of the ‘O Cortico’ restaurant for a splendid lunch of Arroz Pato followed by Maca ao Formo - all washed down by chosen drinks including the wonderful Dao wine served in artisan oak jugs (so novel that 3 of us chose to purchase examples).
Following lunch we approached the granite Cathedral through the Praca de Se that was lined with noble stone buildings including the white baroque facade of the Igreja da Misericordia. The lovely proportions of the small Se showed a succession of use from its Romanesque base through its impressive Manueline ceiling to modern additions such as its lectern.


We rejoined the coach after a walk through the jumble of alleys forming the winding medieval streets. These offered examples of 16C Manueline doors and windows, with coats of arms, and many are still occupied by traditional trades such as tinsmiths, ecclesiastical fitments, undertakers as well as modern florists and shoe shops and boutiques. On the way we saw one of the surviving town gates.


Later, we drove to the palatial 19C Quinta, the Casa Viscondes da Varzea at Varzea de Abrunhais set in 180 hectares of gardens, orchards, vines and farmland, 10 km S.E. of Lamego. Soon after arriving we were served with tea and cakes, including our ‘daily fix’ of delicious Pastel de Nata, and were warmly welcomed by our hostess – the Viscondessa. We heard the moving story of how she recovered her family home by sheer determination and hard work before restoring parts of it for the use as a Casa Rural. Our buffet dinner, served in the romantic azulejo lined dining rooms, included the celebrated local sausages and local pork served with chestnuts.

A fascinating day that whetted one’s appetite for a revisit!

Bruce & Margaret Stewart






Day 3. TUESDAY 7 JUNE 2011

Tomar to Regua (museum), Quinta de Panascal (wine tasting and “snack”), S. Leonardo viewpoint and finally Oporto and an evening with our hosts.

Was this a record day for BOA consumption of port?

After a prolonged farewell to the Casa de Viscondes de Varzea we squeezed through the gates and headed for Regua and the Port Wine museum, where our first presentation gave us a thorough introduction to the area. We were particularly impressed by the first navigation map of the Douro, drawn up by Baron Forrester in the 1850s. He arrived from Hull as a young man and spent 30 years studying the region, but sadly was drowned in a boating accident, when the money he carried on him to pay his workers dragged him under, while his female companion was buoyed up by her 7 petticoats and survived… or did the Douro, angry at having its secrets exposed, swallow him in revenge?


Our visit to the Fonseca winery in the Quinta de Panascal started with a steep climb up to the house, where our first port of the day (a white) awaited us, followed by a video presentation and a walk out to the vines in the company of somewhat temperamental individual audio guides with yet more information. Did you know that some vines here have to put roots down 30 feet to reach water? The views of the steep and variously planted slopes appealed to everyone who opted to walk. Hearing the explanations on the spot finally helped me to remember the differences between the different styles of port. The magnificent “snack” lunch with two more glasses of port (ruby and tawny) rounded off the multi-sensory learning experience.


Back in the coach, we woke to find ourselves on top of the world, at S. Leonardo de Garafura, the best viewpoint over the Douro, an uplifting experience as the sun was now out and the distant mountains stood out clearly after the earlier rain. Another two hours brought us into Oporto, with a very quick turnaround before we were off again to meet our hosts and enjoy yet more port, amongst other fine wines and traditional dishes. By midnight, most of us were happy to return to base and digest the experiences of another full day.

Liz & Mervyn Bramley







Day 4. WEDNESDAY 8th JUNE ........ a free day!

Always a challenge! Do you stay with the group or peel off on your own? Explore the town or frequent the pool? For many, including us, the yellow bus beckoned and from its open top the city of Porto revealed its charms.

Aboard the open top bus ........Walking on the Ribeira

Porto, the non identical twin of Bristol still shares a likeness: the gorge, harbour side cafes, protected harbour and throughout it all the deep cut river. So we dipped in and out of its steep streets, waving at our friends across cobbled slopes and eventually slid into a pretty fish restaurant by the harbour side, people watching for the afternoon.

Boats on the Douro ........Group at last night’s Dinner

In the evening we hit the town! Freshly ironed, our necklaces and ties in place, we gathered to hear our leaders’ speeches of thanks. Liz Gamlin gratefully received the much deserved presentation plate kindly given by the city of Porto to Marmaduke Alderson for his 27 years leadership of the twinning association.
Formalities over and much fortified with port wine we entered the restaurant and launched ourselves into the quest for common themes with our Portuguese hosts. The wine flowed, the lettuce leaves quivered, and the mystery man eventually revealed himself as the guitar player! With music playing in our ears we shimmied out into the warm Porto night and giggled our way home.

Judy & Simon Halliday


DAY 5. THURSDAY 9th JUNE …. The Last Day

First to breakfast at 8.30am. It appears the group variously spent the morning packing, walking along the sea front at Foz, taking the bus to Matosinhos, shopping and even one swimmer enjoying the hotel’s roof top pool. We saw vegetables being delivered by horse and cart but no camera to record it.

We assembled in the hotel’s roof top restaurant at 12.15pm and were joined by Peter and Anabela. Tasty soup, followed by turkey and rice plus vegetables, finishing off with a fruit salad or crème caramel and coffee all served very efficiently.

We then boarded a coach (courtesy of the Camara) which whisked us off to the Palacio de Cristal (after a fire in the 20th century the replacement building has no ‘crystals’). We were taken to see the Porto twinning trees and admired the young Sorbus Bristoliensis (Bristol Whitebeam); we had time to wander in the gardens and enjoy the views of the Douro and its bridges as well as the groups of peacocks and their young in the park.
We then visited the Library where there were two exhibitions. Upstairs we admired a special twinning exhibition celebrating Bristol and Porto – even if there was some embarrassment at seeing some of us in the photos; we also enjoyed the rolling DVD promoting Bristol. Carla Fonseca from the Camara introduced the exhibition which had been produced almost totally by Peter and Anabela.

We moved on to the Museo Romantico with its beautiful old furniture, paintings and chandeliers. We were joined at various times by Porto members of the Associacao and we all gathered in the beautiful Garden of the Camara Municipal (Rosario), overlooking the Douro, for a last glass of LBV port, a final chat and photos.

We said goodbye to our Portuguese friends and Mervyn and Liz (two of our party who were staying on) and boarded the bus for the airport. At the Airport, Peter and Anabela rushed in to say a last goodbye and we were very quickly through the baggage drop and security (then farewells to Gordon and Linda also staying on). An easy and uneventful journey home with a coach collecting us at Gatwick; we sped along the motorway to reach Bristol city centre by 2.00am having had a very enjoyable, well organised holiday full of variety, much friendship and stronger twinning links.


Keith and Gill Bonham

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