We went to a beautiful winery today. It was just a short winding drive down along and over the placid green Douro river.

We walked up the steep road to the winery for a little exercise.

The walls of the buildings are made of thin, stacked Palos Verde stones stacked without mortar. There is a concrete wall behind them, unseen.

The buildings are beautiful and there is a hotel and equestrian center here as well.

The building is not unlike a Frank Lloyd Wright building with low flat roof and blending into the environment around it.

I don’t drink alcohol but do enjoy the tours of wineries and learning about what they do there and how they do it. It is not an improvement on the humble grape as far as I am concerned, but it is interesting none the less.

We climbed down the twisting stairs into the dark innards of the winery where the air is cool and dry. The large stainless steel vats sat filled with wine aging in the quiet darkness. Some bottles were already filled and ready to be shipped as empty bottles sat waiting. This is a tough business and depending on the weather, your fortunes can turn quickly for the worse.

We sat and watched as our fellow travelers drank a little wine and relaxed. We then went back upstairs for a cooking demonstration and lunch of pork sausage soup, pork chops with potatoes and ample crumble for dessert.

It was another fine meal for those who can eat it.

We walked back to the waiting bus down below us and marveled at the wide views out in front of us.

We then headed back to our hotel bunker nestled into the side of a hill for another swim. The hotel is just below the road so unseen by passers by. It is beautiful and surely safe from any attack from below. Only the goats and the determined wine makers can climb these valley walls. and the determined wine makers.

The rooms are on two levels below the lobby which has an intimate bar and pool tables for those inclined to deal in the seeder side of life. Hey, there is always room for one more in hell as far as I can tell. I have been there on field trip once years ago.

We went into the pool again and it was not quite so cold, but it does make you very alert. We swam a little and then retired to our room for my nap as my wife did her photo editing and downloaded them up on our public website for family and friends. Or is that uploaded. I’m not sure.

We want everyone to travel and do all we can to encourage people to take the time do that.

We went to dinner a little later across the river.

The small restaurant had great food and good service. They were very organized.

Guess what we had for dinner. A great salad and pork two ways, shredded and pork sausages. It was great for those of us who love pork. There are usually substitutes available so do ask for them if pork is not your favorite meat.

We had three choices for dessert of course. They were cream brulee, apple crumble or panna cotta.

The night was warm and pleasant with a clear star filled sky.

The tinted windows on the bus only let us see the light of the villages around us as we took our short journey home. It was a memorable affect.

We leave tomorrow for another destination on this journey of discovery in Spain and Portugal.

Notice the beautiful landscape in the background on the right side of the photo.