Heading northwest we passed an abundance of oranges, olives, and grapes being grown. We stopped in Merida, a Unesco World Heritage Site to see some of the many well-preserved Roman ruins.

We’re on our way to Portugal!  We decided we should experience Portugal while we were in the area.  We arrived in Porto during evening rush hour, so there was heavy traffic on narrow streets, but the drivers were very polite.  We eventually found our nice hotel overlooking the river.  We followed the river walk to a great restaurant.  The view across the river was so beautiful with all the lights in the evening.

After breakfast the next morning we were off to explore some of the port wineries.  To get there we had to cross a huge suspension bridge.  From there we had a perfect view of the city.  All along the river bank are the boats from the different wineries which bring in the grapes from the vineyards.  Actually, they are for ambiance since today transportation is provided by stainless steel semis.

Our first stop was at Kopke, the oldest company.  They were very hospitable and treated us to four varieties of their fine port wine accompanied by chocolates.

On to the Sandeman winery.  This is a much larger operation which offers tours.  How interesting to see the huge wooden vats of aging wine and learn about the process of producing port.  More samples.

We got our exercise by walking up, and I do mean up, to the Taylor winery for lunch. Not only were the food and port very good, the view from their patio was quite a sight.

We chose to go to Porto only because it was about the right driving distance to cover in a day.  As it turned out, it was one of our favorite places.

After lunch it was time to head out along the Duoro Valley.  Many of the roads were narrow and winding, but seeing the hillsides covered in vineyards was spectacular.

We arrived at the Marrocos Vineyard for dinner and overnight lodging.  Due to a glitch with the email reservations, they were not expecting us.  Panic!  Not to worry as they graciously prepared dinner and invited us to eat with them in their kitchen.  Caesar took us on a tour of his operation which is much smaller and different from what we experienced in Porto.  They actually stomp the grapes the old-fashion way by having people walk in them for four hours.  He then allowed us to enjoy wandering around their vineyards on our own.

Another great day!  Everyone was so pleasant.  Also, English is more widely used there probably because of a long-standing relationship with Great Britain.