Douro Verde a fertile land of stories

A dive into literature

Yet another trip to discover the charms of Portugal, this time to a region that is fertile not only in land but also in many, many stories. The Douro Verde managed to draw sighs and enchant me even more in the country of my ancestors.

It's a region rich in history and full of characters you're sure to know! After all, you've heard of Eça de Queiroz, right? Or the famous Carmem Miranda? And Serpa Pinto or Egas Muniz? Heimmm?

You don't quite understand, do you? Well, then join us now for an INCREDIBLE journey! And I'll tell you where they're going in this story.

This trip happened in an unusual way. I had known Flávia since Brazil. She and Visit With Me and I with Cris pelo Mundo, are part of the same Network of Brazilian Travel Bloggers.

I've been in Portugal for almost a year now and she lives in the Douro Verde region, so I was invited to visit this little piece of Portugal.

We've been through Marco de Canaveses, Cinfães, Baião and Resende, so I'm sure you'll have your jaws dropped!

Flávia, who was very attentive, talked to incredible partners such as the accommodation we stayed in, Casa Senhora da Silva, and the people from the Jacinto's Paths, who have lovingly put together this entire itinerary.

Our meeting point meeting point was at Aregos Station, in Baião, where the headquarters of the Caminhos de Jacinto.

The Paths of Hyacinth

The headquarters are in a huge shed next to the Aregos train line in Baião.

At the headquarters we saw paintings by Eça de Queiróz, Serpa Pinto and Egas de Moniz, were introduced to some of the local history, and were told why the three figures were prominently represented.
Egas de Moniz; the "Aio Fundador", Serpa Pinto, who crossed Africa defending Portuguese interests and bringing invaluable contributions to botany and zoology and, of course, Eça de Queiroz, who was so enchanted and inspired by the region that he immortalized it in one of his books.

Then a table awaited us with Resende's famous cavacas and more stories were told. Are you curious? Then watch the video:
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But what are cavacas? They're like delicious cakes covered in crystallized sugar syrup.
Well, legend has it that during the plague, a couple had to postpone their wedding, so the cake that had already been made would be thrown away. As everything was very expensive back then, they had the great idea of making sugar syrup to preserve the cake and that's how cavacas were invented, lol.

At this point I realized that a lot of cool stuff was to come, the conversation that was supposed to be quick turned into hours and our tour, which was supposed to start at 10, was already delayed by an hour!

We have to visit the Monastery of Santo Andre de Ancede!

Monastery of Santo André de Ancede

We left the Caminhos de Jacinto headquarters and we went straight to the Monastery, where Rita was waiting to surprise us at every door.

The Monastery itself is beautiful, but I confess that what really surprised me was the Chapel of Senhor do Bom Despacho.

A shy octagonal chapel that, if you don't know what's inside, can go unnoticed.
But when Rita opened the doors, WOW! I realized that there was a real TREASURE from Portugal! Very detailed and rich works of Portuguese Baroque. At that moment I was paralyzed and could only stare. The ceiling, the altar, the walls and all the moments of Jesus' life were represented there.

But the surprises didn't end there, more doors would be opened along with our chins, lol.

We continued walking until we reached the ruins of the old 17th century monastery. Emmanuel loved playing among the ruins and seeing the HUGE chimney of the old medieval kitchen.

Hey, but wait a minute, speaking of the kitchen, lunchtime! We ran for two centuries until we reached the Casa do Lavrador, which is also an ethnographic museum.

Huh? Have you had lunch in the past? I'll explain.

Farmer's House

A Lavrado Houser faithfully portrays the homes of peasants in the 19th and early 20th centuries, lunch here goes far beyond a delicious meal.
You really are transported to the past, in a totally cozy atmosphere and without an electric light!
All the food is cooked in a wood-fired oven and all the lights in the room come from oil lamps.

As soon as we arrived at the table there were lots of starters, and I remember as if it were just now the crunch of the fried bread and the taste of the pataniscas! Then came the main courses, Arroz do forno with anho assado, which for us Brazilians is lamb.

You have no idea how succulent and tender the meat was, the quality of the oven certainly makes a difference on this occasion.

I wish I had a "stove" in my house, lol. Although it takes much longer to cook, it tastes much better.
For dessert, we had crème brûlée, I loved it! And we finished off with coffee, which was also served in the traditional way.

Ahhh, don't forget to go to the toilet!
This gastronomic experience is closed to groups, so there's no point in knocking on the door and trying your luck. Check here with Caminhos de Jacintos on how to do this too.

Eça de Queiroz Foundation

Our tour continued and we went to the Eça de Queiroz FoundationI was so looking forward to it.
Who hasn't read one of his books? I'm sure that at some point in school, his words passed through your eyes.
It's really cool to turn something you've only imagined or studied into something physical - I love it!
The funny thing is that when I entered the foundation, I learned a little more about the life of Eça de Queiroz and, in fact, although he was a very important figure in the region, he never even lived there.

Huh? That's right, the house that today houses the Eça de Queiroz Foundation was actually given to his wife Emília through an inheritance, and it was on one of her visits that the author got to know the region.

Many surprises awaited Eça de Queiroz on his visit to the Douro Verde region, which marked him in such a way that he immortalized it in his books.

As soon as he arrived, there wasn't even any food there. His letter notifying him that he was going never arrived, and the staff's surprise when they saw it was tremendous: they didn't even have any food to offer! God, they had prepared something that even Eça didn't like to eat, but he was so hungry that he was surprised when he ate it! When he saw it, he turned up his nose, but it was what he had and wow, did he like it!!!

From there, the surprises never stopped, his chest filled with light and the place gained a huge place in his heart.

It is with great emotion that he describes beautiful lines in his books, of the landscapes he has passed through.

Although he never lived there, you'll find everything that was important in the author's life at the Foundation, sent directly from Paris, where he actually lived.

Watch the video and see how different the bedroom is and why it only has a single bed.

Or even what Eça de Queiroz's passport looked like! The house is beautiful and the author's story is not only mixed up in the Foundation, I'll talk more about other things that bring the author to life in the place, because now there's still one more part of the itinerary to finish the first day.

Quinta da Covela

As soon as we arrived to Quinta da Covela, we came across a table full of glasses waiting for us. As well as some biscuits to go with them, I was really looking forward to getting to know this Avesso wine.

I'd never heard of it, but I got to know it there. The characteristics are unique to the region and mix a fruity aroma with almond and floral notes, a little acidic but refreshing at the same time. You just have to taste it to understand!
Calm down, before I get carried away, talking and talking about the wine, let's introduce the Quinta.

Quinta da Covela is known in the Douro Verde for its beauty. But that's not the only thing that catches the eye: all their production is of high quality and of course there's the Avesso wine on their master list, which made me very curious.

Okay, Cris, but why talk about this wine so much? Well, you can only find this wine in this region of the Douro Verde where the Quinta is located.
For vines to be produced in this format, the soil must be in transition between vinho verde and Douro wine.
This strip of soil is very small and that's why it makes the wine so unique! I loved getting to know this flavor and I want to drink it more often, but I confess that rosé is still my favorite.

We did our tasting late at night, but I had seen the scenery at Quinta da Covela before.

Its huge estate lets us dream far away and gives us a good time. There couldn't have been a better way to end our first day out. In the meantime, I can't wait to get back to the Quinta and see everything it has to offer in this beautiful part of the Douro Verde.

The tour was over and we were very tired, so it was time to go to our accommodation.

Senhora da Silva House

I was super curious, I'd heard a lot of good things about the accommodationbut I hadn't even set foot there yet.

Beforehand, we stopped at a restaurant, bought a pizza and headed back to our little house for more surprises, can the heart take it?

A COMPLETE house, with a suite, another bedroom and another bathroom, as well as a kitchen, living room and another adjoining floor. On this last floor, there was a huge living room with a sofa bed, a dining table, a bathroom, a games room and a delicious Jacuzzi, which I was super sad not to be able to use because of the late hour.

But the surprise wasn't just the beautifully decorated accommodation, but a basket full of treats, knives and even personalized knick-knacks to welcome us.

What's more, the hot tub was ready to use and warm, and the whole room was already heated up waiting for us, it's very sweet, isn't it?

How can there be so much affection in one place? I was amazed and Emmanuel was crazy with his crown, chocolates, soap bubbles and everything else.

I can only say thank you! The affection was so great that the next day the little one didn't even want to leave.

But after a very good night's sleep, with a great shower (there's a bathtub), we had to get to breakfast.

Hotel Porto Antigo

We went for breakfast at Hotel Porto AntigoBut why have coffee in another hotel? Simple, as well as being complete, it used to be Serpa Pinto's father's house! Years later it became the Hotel Porto Antigo.
Remember how I talked about some personalities at the beginning of the video? Well, Serpa Pinto was very important to Portugal. The main purpose of his expeditions was to reconnoiter the lands he had passed through.

Later, through the pink map, Portugal was able to claim a vast region of the African continent for itself.

The story is incredible, but so is the breakfast at the Hotel Porto Antigo and Emmanuel didn't want to stop eating his scrambled eggs.

We talked a lot against the backdrop of the Douro Verde, which was right outside our window. I was delighted with the hotel, but at the moment I can only talk about its delicious breakfast, since we didn't stay there.

All fed up, it's time to start our second day's itinerary, so let's go!

Between curves and climbs, a strategic stop.

Panchorra Bridge

We were driving along in our comfortable Caminos de Jacinto van until... A strategic stop!

We left and WOW, a beautiful bridge over the Cabrum River, in the Resende council.
The noise, the scenery and all that green conveyed a peace that we didn't want to leave.

I was so ecstatic that I didn't even feel the cold, which at the time was around 5 degrees! I ran out to explore all that beauty, to sit down and feel the energy, and when I got back to the van I realized how cold it was.

It's funny that the bridge seems to be a Roman construction, and in fact there was a Roman road there, but studies show that the bridge dates from a later period, with the first historical references dating back to 1258, when it was probably built to connect the trade of neighboring towns.

Pause taken, and the next destination awaits us.

Bestança Interpretive Center

We went to see a little more of the Bestança Valley region, on an interactive tour of all the seasons, fauna and flora.

It's a great place for little ones to get a better understanding of what's out there.

Dynamic rooms with beautiful sayings instigate our curious instinct and make us want to see every second of nature transforming through the seasons.

Emmanuel spent hours between touches and retouches trying to catch each animal that appeared on the huge interactive screens, and I read what each animal described.

It was a very enjoyable trip to gather knowledge and understand everything that was going on there.

Another very nice point is that everyone on a bike or even on the trail can make a more than strategic stop, where there is even a place to fill up your tires or take a drink of water.

Recanto dos Carvalhos

Once again, the conversation is too good and time flies! It was past lunchtime, so let's go up there.
We went to Gralheira, one of the highest villages in Portugal. The restaurant we chose was Recanto dos Carvalhos, a very cozy restaurant with food you can't wait to eat.

The starters once again surprised me, I could spend all day eating just these!

Emmanuel arrived asking for a pizza, the smell of dough was taking over the room and when the pizza arrived I thanked my little one for asking. It was really good, with very thin, crispy dough.

Is there still room for the main course? Two arrived, Roast lamb and Recanto steak

Needless to say that I tasted them both with A LOT of gusto, right?

Difficult to choose one, both falling apart in your mouth! The taste was so good, I wanted to stay the next day eating and eating!

After eating so much, I think the Posta won, it was the dish that I ended up repeated the most times, lol.

The side dishes were seasoned just right, I love garlic and there the flavor incorporated the tastes that seemed unique as if they were made for each other. I salivate just thinking about it.

For dessert, I ordered the house cake, which was just the right amount of sweet and a wonderful way to round off the meal.

Tip: At Christmas time Christmas, Gralheira is all decorated and beautiful. unfortunately we arrived a week early and I didn't make it back for Christmas, but I won't miss it in 2019.

After this beautiful lunch, we continue to a historical site that dates back to the birth of Portugal.

Carquere Monastery

O monastery lies on the northern slopes of the Serra de Montemuro massif, almost within sight of the Douro Verde.
Its architecture is beautiful and there are still some surprises inside the chapel. Behind the beautiful altar, there are paintings that you can only see when you drag the front.

I was delighted and surprised!!! If there's one thing that sums up this trip, it's SURPRISE, every place we went was a new surprise.

Okay, but what does it have to do with the birth of Portugal? That's where the third personality I mentioned at the beginning of the text comes in.

Legend has it that Egas de Moniz took Infante Afonso Henriques, who was still very young, to the place to be cured through the intercession of the Virgin Mary.
Egas de Moniz was Infante Afonso Henriques' tutor, but what is a tutor? Aio is the person in charge of raising the children of wealthy families.
Egas Moniz was the faithful squire of Don Afonso Henriques and whether the legend is true or not, after a visit to the Monastery and the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the little boy was indeed cured and became the first King of Portugal years later.

We saw a beautiful sunset from there and the energy of the place infected and moved me. After so many wonderful moments, it was time to move on to the last activity along the Hyacinth Paths.

We went back to Baião, this time to a spa.

Termas de Aregos

The day had been very full, with incredible activities, but the end of the day would be special!
We went to see the thermal baths and had a massage with thermal waters and a relaxing bath.

In addition to all the relaxation, the thermal baths are also renowned for their medicinal values. Its waters naturally reach a temperature of 62 degrees.

The Termas de Aregos are open all year round, and their history dates back to the Middle Ages.

It was in the 12th century that Queen Dona Mafalda created a hostel for the treatment of various illnesses.
Visitors still have access to the fountain at the entrance to the spa.

Today Termas de Aregos offers various services and I came out floating from the Vichy Shower massage! Warm, relaxing and delicious, there's just one problem... it runs out =(
As soon as I'd finished, I found Igor and Pequeno in the huge pool of naturally heated water.
In the pool you'll find various showers and ways to relax and exercise too.

Time to say goodbye to the Hyacinth Paths

This was our last activity with Caminhos de Jacintos. I loved every place we visited and all the knowledge we gained. If you liked any of them, don't hesitate to contact them, they'll be happy to take you for a walk too.

See here the tours and all the information.

Our adventure in the Douro Verde continues

Of course, I wouldn't leave without first enjoying the Casa Senhora da Silva, which is still an attraction.

We went back to the house and woke up the next day to a beautiful breakfast basket provided by 2To Moments, the house's partners.
Everyone staying at the accommodation gets 20% off at 2To Moments, with fruit, pancakes, jams and other delights.

We had breakfast in bed, with a beautiful view from our room, and we enjoyed our family time!

Ahhhh and before we left, we decided to enjoy a bit more of the Jacuzzi, which by the way also has a BEAUTIFUL VIEW!

We played, we jumped and we didn't want to say goodbye, but it was time!

We went to Pianíssimo in Marco de Canaveses, where we met Flávia to say goodbye.

A true delight and mixture of flavors, where Switzerland and Portugal meet, everything to do with our moment, right? After all, on Tuesday we embark on a great adventure and it will begin with us leaving Portugal and arriving at our first destination, Switzerland!!!

Ahhhh, but what does Carmen Miranda have to do with any of this? Carmem Mirando, contrary to what many people think, is not Brazilian, but Portuguese, born in Marco de Canaveses. It's a shame I didn't have time to go to the museum that tells this story, but I'll definitely be back!

And I'll be back to visit all these places with Flávia, or rather to visit them with her, together with the Visit With Me =)

Another incredible trip! A rush, but super enjoyable with a taste of wanting more, MUCH more and I want to go back yesterday.

Thank you to all the partners involved, thank you for showing me this wonderful Portugal.

Our complete tour of the Douro Verde Region

Day 01

Meeting at Aregos Station and Caminhos de Jacinto headquarters

Ancede Monastery

Lunch at Casa do Lavrador - Ethnographic Museum

Visit to the Eça de Queiroz Foundation

Wine tasting at Quinta da Covela

Day 02

Breakfast at Hotel Porto Antigo

Bestança Interpretive Center

Panchorra Bridge

Lunch at Recantos dos Carvalhos in Gralheira

Visit to the Carquere Monastery

Termas de Aregos

Day 03 2ToMomments breakfast at Casa Senhora da Silva

Free morning to enjoy the accommodation

Lunch at Pianissimo

Go back home.

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