We’ve gone silent the past three days because we have been so busy with our friends Sue and Cindy from Seattle and new friends we’ve made: Anne (Sue’s sister) and her husband Ed, from Marysville, WA We’ve had great meals together at restaurants and at the home (Casa da Torre) we’re all sharing; we’ve spent the day at the Peneda-Gerês National Park with our guide Pedro on a nine hour tour; we’ve played badminton and pool; and we’ve toured nearby towns and the countryside with Cindy at the helm of the eight passenger van they have leased for their time here. It’s been a fun-filled, non-stop riot full of education and unbridled pleasure. We’ll be sorry to say ciao to them all tomorrow as we head off on our own again to explore more of Portugal.

Before meeting Sue and Cindy at Casa da Torre, we toured Ponte de Lima, a small town in northern Portugal.
Ponte de Lima
Casa da Torre, near Vila Verde, where we would spend the next three nights with Sue, Cindy, Anne, and Ed. Upper left picture shows view from our bedroom window of fog covering the valley below in the mornings. Blue tiles are characteristic of Portuguese decoration and style.
Pedro (upper left) was our tour guide and spent most of Sunday showing us the Peneda-Gerês National Park. He grew up coming here regularly and it is near and dear to him and his tour made us fall in love with it too. Our friends, Sue and Cindy, arranged for this amazing day.
Scenes from the national park – breathtaking!
Peneda-Gerês National Park has a vast array of interesting sights. The park crosses the border shared with Spain and the top picture here shows the Spanish side. We walked across the border to take this photo. We viewed several waterfalls and crystal clear streams during our day spent in the park.
Our traveling buddies: (left to right after us) Cindy, Sue, Ed, and Anne.
Guimaraes, a small city about 45 minutes south of where we were staying was full of medieval architecture and history. It is a place we wouldn’t mind revisiting and spending time discovering more of it.
Colorful buildings in Guimaraes. The charm was on display everywhere we turned.
Outdoor seating and fresh baked foods abounded in Guimaraes. We both had the sandwich (below right) for lunch. It was ribboned with ham, chorizo, and cheese – very tasty!
Tiles decorate the sides of many buildings in Portugal. We have seen them on rural homes as well as churches, government buildings, and historic row homes in cities.
Our last night together, after Ryan had made a delicious BBQ dinner using a wood fired oven outdoors on the property, we were surprised with an early birthday celebration! The traditional Portuguese cake had croissant-like layers of flaky pastry, chocolate flakes, almond paste, and a caramel cream – delicious!