We're so enjoying Portugal where we've been since leaving Burgos last Sunday. Our first stop was at a small town on a very strategic promontory overlooking a huge dam on the Douro, which forms the frontier between Spain and Portugal at this point. Miranda do Douro was delightful and I enjoyed my first dish of bacalhau or dried cod. A huge portion, easily enough for two, and very nice.
On from there down to Pinhao further down the Douro where we spotted a wonderful wild camp on the river front. We chatted with some local people, one who sold us his 'home made' olive oil and honey, and another who ran a great little restaurant. Her local red wine was a bargain!
The scenery has been incredible: rolling hills (up to and over 1,000m) and river valleys full of vines, olive and apricot trees. Underscoring the vines and trees have been carpets of yellow hawk bit, such that your view is a range of greens interspersed with yellow. What's really hit me are the wild flowers everywhere, and I've only recognised 25 species, but there are many more. Road verges are covered with wild lupin, delphinium, vipers bugloss, cerise and yellow foxgloves, giant mullein, mallow, tall spires of blooming fennel as well as big clumps of lavender stoeca. Autoroute banks, usually so uninteresting, have been carpeted with bushes of white cistus and broom. A swathe of broom under-storied with clumps of bright blue lavender is a very pretty sight.
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