Porto

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Today is a holiday all over Europe. It is the equivalent of our Labor Day and I assume that this long holiday weekend is the reason for so many tourists in Porto. (BTW I should have pointed out yesterday that I can not readily distinguish Portuguese from Spanish, so it could be that the latter is the most common foreign language that I have been hearing.) Today I hired a car with private driver to take me into the winemaking region of the Douro Valley where the grapes are grown for port wine. It's a bit of a splurge, but I prefer it to the alternatives which are an all day group tour or renting a car and driving myself. It worked out well. I got in a lot of sightseeing and took many scenic pictures (see photos). I only did one port tasting. All of the wineries (called "quintas") have tours and tastings, but there is little difference between a winery that makes port and one that makes other wine. I have seen plenty of wineries, so I was mostly content to enjoy the views and the drive without having to do the actual driving. One high point was visiting the Quinta do Bomfim, a property that produces vintage port that Maggie and I have enjoyed over the years. It was fun to see the actual property where it is made (see photo). I also did a one-hour river cruise on a replica of the boats they used to use to carry port wine down the river (see photo with similar boat on the other side of the river). Altogether it was an scenic and interesting day. I'm glad to have done it, although if I'm being honest, I'm not sure it was worth the expenditure of time (and money).

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