Miguel, who drove us to our Airbnb from the airport, picked us up at 9 AM to take us on a day trip to the Duoro Valley. It was a beautiful drive. Our first stop was one of the Duoro River lever-dams to view the locks that boats need to pass through.
A highlight of the stop was buying fruit from a little stand there. The apricots were the best I've ever tasted! We also bought cherries and figs. Soooo good!
We made a quick stop at another train station to appreciate the gorgeous tiles. Interesting the train stations are such a hot bed of art. But I suppose they were the primary thoroughfare for many people, so would have ample time to be appreciated.
Our visit included a short river tour...
Corey and I sat on one side, the kids on the other. They had an audio guide you could listen to from your phone. The river was the primary means of transporting grapes. The dams were installed to make it more passable.
After the boat tour we headed to lunch. Such a stunning view!
After the main meal, they served port, and we sampled their local desserts...because why not?!?
A few pics after lunch, time with the cat, and orange picking before heading on to our wine tasting at Quinta de Ventozelo.
This cute little outfit is the one Caden picked out for Lily's birthday :)
Beautiful drive. We stopped at an overlook where Miguel pointed out his grandfather's farm. While we were there, his mom drove by :)
A few more stops along the way...
We arrived at the vineyard about an hour early, so Miguel took us through the vines down to the river's edge. This was definitely a highlight of the trip. We laid there reading, listing to the birds chirping. I think everyone fell asleep! I snuck many cute pics of the crew lounging...when I wasn't napping.
We checked in to the tasting room and waited a bit in their theater. Sleepy kiddos with an early start to the day and their relaxing time at the meadow.
Wine tasting was just for our group, in a beautiful room, with a big window overlooking the vineyard. Even the kids had a chance to try a little wine :)
We left with a few of these bottles! We headed up to the tasting bar afterwards to try their ports, stopping for some photos along the way. The kids opted out of port tasting and explored the property and scavenged for fallen fruits.
Love these pics of me and Corey.
The wine tasting area was equally stunning. The entire property was magical!
Back to the car we went.
We returned back late and the gates to the street-side were locked. We walked the streets for a bit, enjoying the street performers that seem to have mastered the perfect distance between them so as to not spoil the others performance. Corey and I sat at a café and had a Super Bock to balance the wine and port of the day :)
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