Duoro Valley, Portugal - 21 to 27 May 2017

Tour of Lisboa, Obidos, Fatima, Porto & Pinhao in Portugal

The Duoro Valley is a major wine growing region of Portugal.  The Rio (River) Duoro which runs from the mountains in Spain to Porto in Portugal, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean.  Portugal is also the largest producer of wine corks in the world.

The river orginates from the Picos de Urbion, or 'Urbion Peaks', in the Sistema Iberico mountain range, Spain.  Its course cuts through the mountains of Spain and Portugal.  The steep slopes on both sides of the river is serious evidence of the severe cutting power of the ancient slow-moving glaciers.

Traditional rabelo boat transporting barrels of port wines from Duoro valley to the Porto cellars.

The Duoro valley has a micro-climate ideally suited for cultivation of almonds, olives and grapes for making port wines.  The wine growing area, which follows the course of the Rio Duoro, is subdivided into three zones - the Baixo (lower), Cima (higher) and the Duoro Superior.  Qinta do Crasto and Qinta de la Rosa which we visited are both near Pinhao, and are in the Cima zone.

Porto's claim to fame is fortified wine which is called port wine, or simply port.  Port wines is ideally suited to withstand the long sea journeys in those pre-refrigeration days, unlike the normal wines which would go bad.   Port wine is popular as a dessert wine or as an appertif, to be enjoyed after meals.

So popular and successful was the port wine trade that many of the oldest Port firms were founded by British merchant families, an are owned by their successors to this day. For example, the Scottish Symington family owns Dow's, Graham's, Warre's, Cockburn's, Smith Woodhouse, etc.

The port and wine produced in the Duoro valley can can be conveniently transported by river to Porto and from there, loaded onto to larger boats for England and elsewhere.  These days, transportation by road is more common now.

 Over the Rio Duoro from Porto to the Vila Nova de Gaia.

Port producers' warehouse and other icon buildings on both sides of the Duoro.

View of Qinta de la Rosa across the river. This part of the Duoro is nearer Spain than Porto.

Course of the Rio Duoro (courtesy of Google)

Was asked how did Portugal get its name?  After a quick Google search, it was noted that the Romans first colonized the area near the mouth of the Duoro river around 200 BC, calling the settlement Portus Cale, or Port of Cale. Cale was derived from the names of the dominant tribes in the area.  It's likely that the nearby city of Porto, and Portugal derived its name from this Portus Cale.

Vines growing on the terraced slopes

Port is produced from grapes grown and processed from the demarcated Duoro region. The wine processed is then fortified by the addition of neutral grape spirit in order to stop the fermentation, leaving more sugar content in the wine, and boosting the alcohol content. The wine is then stored and aged in metal or wooden casks, before being bottled.

The Duoro valley where port wine is produced is define and established as a protected region, or appellation in 1756, making it the third oldest, after Chianti (1716) and Tokaj (1730).

Top down view of Duoro from Qinta de La Rosa

The Duoro river "accompanied" us from the vineyards of Pinhao - Quinta do Crasto and Quinta de la Rosa, from Porto.   Pinhao is about 130-km east of Porto, which places it closer to Spain than it is to Porto.

This trip of ours was a tour of Michelin restaurants in Portugal - Alma and Feitoria in Lisboa, and Antiqvvm, Yeatman and DOP Rui Paola in Porto, plus Neige d'ete in Paris, where we transited. That's 6 Michelin restaurants in all. 

Never before had we dined at so many Michelin stars in such a short time - 6 days!

Restaurant DOP Porto

Michelin Chef Rui has 3 restaurants in Portugal and 1 in Recife, Brazil.  We were indeed fortunate to meet him at DOP Porto, located at the Palacio Das Artes (Palace of Arts).  Chef Rui explained that the original DOC name for his Duoro restaurant is a play on the appellation controllee label. DOP is a derivation of DOC by inserting the "P" for Porto.  

Chef Rui Paula

Some of our party met Chef Rui at a Michelin starred event earlier, and he was helpful in designing a special menu for us today......

Our Porto Hotel A.S. 1829 (below) is directly outside the window.

Our hotel

Salmon sushi on lemon halves

Mini starters' hamburgers

Octopus carpaccio

Beef tartare

Iberico ham on fish

Savoury suckling pig with potato gratin

Porto Kopke Colheita white port recommended by chef 1967 is his birth year.

Pre-dessert - feast for the eyes....

A lemony dessert.

Dessert disguised as a lemon.

Vertice Spumante Brute NV, Cottas Duoro White Grand Reserva 2011, Quinta do Portal Tinta Roriz 2006, and Ribeiro Santo 2005, plus the Kopke White Port to finish off the lunch.

Restaurant Feitoria

Michelin chef Joao Rodriques is the helm at Restaurant Feitoria, located at the Hotel Altis Belem in Belem, Lisboa.

The hotel is located a stone's throw away from the Age of Discovery monument on the banks of the Tagus river. The monument, erected in 1960 is to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Portuguese explorers departing from this point into uncharted waters.  Belem is Portuguese for Bethlehem.

Chinese lacquered screen facing restaurant entrance

The olive oil was delicious

Himalayan pink salt and butter spread.

Vertice Spumante Millesime NV

Sauteed Algarve scarlet shrimp

The food press to squeeze the juices from the prawn head.

The gustatory sensations from the prawn head is amazing!

"Poco do Lobo" Colheita Arinto White Port 1995

Stone sea bass with peas, and bivalves and iodized herbal cream

Our first red - a 1996 Quinta dos Carvalhais.

Our second red - 2005 Gloria Reynolds of Alentejo.

Veal, roasted celery puree and wild mushrooms

The veal

Pre-dessert - elaborately dressed as bald branches in deep winter.

Another pre-dessert - meringue

The "leaf" is actually a kind of cracker or kropok

Our actual dessert - deceptively simple!

This is what makes the Michelin star shine -- a simple and yet elaborate meal that surprises, and tantalizes the senses!

Restaurant Antiqvvm, Porto

Antiqvvm is a Romanesque named restaurant perched high over the Douro river.   Michelin chef Vitor Matos is the helm at Antiqvvm at Rua de Entre-Quintas 220.   It's the last house at the end of a long internal access road.  

The courtyard and carpark.  Reminder of a grand home from the past.

The Douro sunset. Pointe Luis I bridge in silhouette.

The outdoor dining area outside the restaurant, overlooking the Duoro valley.

We were offered these 3 dry white port wines to compare and contrast, as starters.....

Porto Niepoort Dry White (Rabbit) Port

Churchill's Dry White Port

The Ferreira Dona Antonia, was Pat's favorite white port.  We visited the Ferreira Wine Makers in Porto later.

Restaurant branded butter.

Our dining table

Gate into the gardens

Our two very helpful waitresses

Early advise on the desserts to choose.

Meringue desserts

These are the pre-starters..............

Casa de Santar 2015 White wine from Dao.

Our red wine - Quinta de Cidro Pinot Noir

The Michelin star uniform of the chef.

Cod liver & port wine Dashi, beet and caviar

Blue loafer and scallop

Tuffle and wagyu consomme

Scallops shrimp ravioli and squids

Atlantic seabass with algae

Veggies all dressed up

Bisaro port & scarlet shrimp with vegetable barley

Citrus, mousse with lime and yuzu

Quinta do Noval LBV Red 2011

Raspburry & rhubarb

Chocolate and banana from Madiera

Matcha green tea & lemon

Black tea

Yeatman restaurant, Porto

It is located inside the grand Porto hotel of the same name.    The hotel and restaurant is at Rua Do Choupelo (Santa Marinha), on the Vila Nova de Gaia side of the Douro valley.

The Yeatman is the only restaurant in Porto to carry 2 Michelin stars which was awarded in November 2016.

  

Our sommelier

Aged 50 year-old vintage port from Taylor's Chip Dry Port

Because the bottle was quite aged,our sommelier recommended that we use heated tongs to take the neck off instead of risking to open the bottle by unscrewing the cork.

Opening the aged port wine bottle using heated tongs.

The cork is still intact with the cut bottle neck.

Salmon with caviar, and the very savory cube of iberico composition, serve on a petri-dish of sea sand and sea shells.

Vino Espumante de Qualidade Murganheira Grand Reserva from Tavora-Varosa

Another savory pre-starter's treat

A tasty cracker morsel "camouflaged" on block of wood.

Telhas White wine 2014 from Alentejo

Yeatman Vintage Port 1985

Yeatman started as a port wine producer and this was one of theirs.

Menu orator - explaining to us each dish that's served.

2-star Michelin chef Ricardo Costa

Chef Ricardo Costa's eclectic blend of Asian tastes and flavors is all the more surprising, given that he told us he has not spend any time in Asia restaurants.  A great treat for us, missing home food already!

Photo with Chef Ricardo Costa

Alma restaurant, Lisboa

Michelin chef Henrique Sa Pessoa helms the Alma restaurant.  Alma is located round the corner from the Basilica dos Martires (Basilica of the Martyrs).

Alma restaurant

Antonio the captain / sommelier who attended to us very well.

View of the kitchen through the serving window from the restaurant.

"Bread feast" - crackers with tomato-based juice

Our white - Guru 2015 from Duoro.

Clams with tempura

Pepper tempura with tomato chilli sauce

Our English waitress 

The red wine - Dona Louise de Lemos 2005 from Dao, like a Rhone hermitage.

The magnum ruby red - "Explicit" from Jorge Rosa Santos from Alentejo.

Seared foie gras

Roasted octopus

Tuna loin

Confit suckling pork

Beef Entrecote

Chocolate "bomb"

Casa Madiera, Alfama district, Lisboa

Alfama is the oldest district of Lisboa.  Also called "Old Town".  It spreads from the slope between San Jorge Castle and the Tejo river.  It's an area of steep hills and narrow streets, paved with cobbled stones.    Prior to the 13th century, Alfama was the district outside the city walls.   So it naturally was the home to its poorest communities and the buildings are small and simple.  

We were on our way down from Lisboa castle walls, when we had lunch at the Casa Madiera.  It's al fresco style dining.

The restaurant which serves the al fresco lunch across the street

The narrow cobbled street in front of the restaurant.

These trams run on tracks and electric cable from above.

Clams with olive oil - so good, it was swiped up before photo!

Mussels with olive, butter and lime sauteed

Sausages

Grilled sardines - we had two orders.

Grilled prawns

Tuna steak

Parma ham and grilled pork 

Squid rissotto

"Nelson" our friendly waiter and his colleague

Our lunch fare - focus on food.

Trip Advisor gave the Casa Madiera a 2 / 5.  At first we walked away, but hunger decided us to discount the bad Trip Advisor rating!   We were very happy with the food, especially the grilled sardines, sauteed clams and mussels, and the overall freshness of the sea food. Al fresco.  Thumbs up for this scenic and quick lunch place.

Alfama overlooking the Tagus (or Tejo) river.

Alfama has gone through much urban renewal and is now home to many of the hottest bars and restaurants in Lisboa.

Cafe A Brasileira, Lisboa

Cafe A Brasileira is also known as the 'The Lady Brazilian'.  It's in the historic Chiado district, an old quarter  of Lisboa.   The cafe has been the popular meeting point for intellectuals, artists, writers and free-thinkers, weathering financial difficulties and was probably a place to be seen and network. It has come full circle, and is now a tourist attraction, albeit a coffee shop or cafe.

We were looking for a quick late lunch on our arrival into Lisboa, and was attracted to head into this restaurant.  The art deco ambience is from the early 1900s....

Local beer

Restaurant has studded leather chairs

The cafe is very pretty. In fact extravagant is a better description. It opened in 1905 with an art-deco interior and pavement tables (al fresco).  However the food and service was uninspiring.

Other restaurants and cafes we enjoyed but not covered here: dinner @ Art'e da Baixa (Portuguese food) in Porto, breakfast @ Restavrante o Conqvistador cafe in Lisboa,  tea @ Rainha D'Ameilia Confectionary in Alfama Lisboa, lunch @ Restaurant Arcos in Fatima, and tea @ Aprazivel restaurant in Chiado, Lisboa.....where we had some thirst quenching reprieve from the sun!

Sparkling wine Blanc de blanc - we had two of these, very refreshing in the hot afternoon heat.

Quinta do Carmo Arinto (white wine) from Alentejo.

Paris, France

Because we had to spend one night in Paris, we had the privilege of dining at a Paris Michelin one star restaurant.  The flight from Porto to Orly in Paris, we found ourselves the only ones with check-in baggage in a 100% full capacity flight!

Neige d'ete restaurant, Paris

Chef Hideki Nishi helms Neige d'ete.  The cuisine is very light and not creamy or heavy on taste.  

The vary understated front of restaurant

Only on closer examination, can we see the name Neige d'ete

The kitchen

The air-conditioning in the restaurant was a bit stressed by the heat from the kitchen. A little cooler would have been ideal.

Appetite teasers

White Puligny Montrachet 2013 from J.M.Boillot, and red NSG Les Cailles 2009 from Alain Michelot

The butter

Asparagas with puree and mustard. There is a caviar option but we did not think it necessary.

Turbot fish

Veal

The duck presented to us before slicing 

Chef Hideki Nishii

Sliced duck

Morning walk around Paris - from Blvd Haussmann, Paris Opera House, to Place de la Madeleine.

Duoro DOC wine producers

Ferreira, Duoro

Ferreira Port is more than 250 years old.  It was founded in 1751.   Today,  Ferreira continues as one of the more famous Portuguese brands, as port and wine producers.

The Ferreira warehouse and production facility are in Vila Nova de Gaia, across the Duoro from Porto.

Anna explaining that the big casks stores the ruby red port.

Tawny port barrel

The port that is aged in small oak casks, loses its ruby red color and gains that beautifully rich amber color is classified as "tawny".   The port also gains in flavor and consistency with a taste that is both deep and complex. There are rich and mature fruit flavor here that go with strong tasting foods like cheese or dark chocolate.

There are also the deep red ruby port, with the premium offering called reserve ports; the late bottled vintage (LBV) port which are full-bodied port like reserve ports which are complex and textured flavors; and the white port made from white grapes.

The stork is the Ferreira symbol.

Dona Antonia tawny (red) port, and the white port. Pat's favorite port.

Morning walk around Porto (and by the Duoro)

Qinta do Crasto, Gouvinhas, Sabrosa

Qinta do Crasto is situated on the right bank of the Duoro river between Regua and Pinhao.  It is on a 130-hectares estate. Crasto is about 130-km from Porto, and after the initial highways, a considerable of the journey was on winding mountain roads.  These were hugging the sides of the hills, and it was quite intimidating merely looking down the sides!  All along the way, were were wondering there should be a better way of getting to our destination.  So, we were a bit delayed on our appointed time.

Before the current owner-family, the de Almeida's bought the property, it was in the family of Leonor and Jorge Roquette for more than a century.   However Qinta do Crasto dates back to ancient times, and the name Crasto come the Latin castrum meaning 'Roman fort'.

The Duoro river

The wine makers prepared some finger foods for our tasting.

Anna was our very hospitable guide and presenter.

Anna explaining do Crasto wines

Wild vines providing shade on walkways

These were the Crasto wines we tasted

After harvest, the grapes are stepped on in these tanks to break them out.

The vertical steel racks can be rotated manually to turn the wines regularly.

Outdoor fermentation tanks.

The people at Qinta do Crasto were truly friendly and hospitable.  They have a 120-year old plot of old vines, called the Marie Teresa.  The vines were planted by the founder of the present owners,  Constantine de Almeida.   The plot had several grape varietals, and it is periodically blended into their riservo wines.  A powerful wine with nice perfumes and silky tannins.

Qinta de la Rosa, Pinhao, Vila Real

Qinta de la Rosa is a small estate in the heart of the Port wine-growing region in Alto Duoro, near Pinhao.   In its corporate website it states that "La Rosa is unusual as we are able to show the whole port and wine making process from the vineyard to the final bottle.  Most port houses make their port in the Duoro but store and bottle it in Vila Nova da Gaia, in Porto.  We do everything in the Duoro. Not only that, but we are able to show both wine and port making processes side by side."

Because of our late morning visit to Crasto, we were hungry and had a late lunch at the Vintage House hotel in Pinhao.   Therefore when we arrived at de la Rosa, we decided to order a bottle or two and sit in the balcony restaurant, high up on the Duoro river to "cool", instead of our original plan of tasting a selection of their wines.

Sofa comforts looking out into the Rio Duoro.

De la Rosa makes beers.  So we ordered that first.

Their white wine.

It was not just all about food and wines, we enjoyed the history as well....

Castelo de Sao Jorge (St George's Castle)

The castle is perched on a hilltop with a commanding view of the Portuguese city of Lisboa and the Tagus (or Tejo) river.    The first fortifications began in the 2nd century BC when the Roman built a fort on the site.  Subsequent occupiers of the fort included Suebic, Visigoths and Moorish invaders.   The Moorish occupiers made significant improvements in the fortifications and had their elites lived within the walls.

Main entrance

In 1147, the castle was captured from the Moors by Afonso Henriques, who later became the first king of Portugal.  

We pause here for a bit of perspectives from history....

Afonso Henriques (1106-1185) hailed from the Portuguese House of Burgundy. His grandfather was Henry of Burgundy (1035-1074), eldest son of Robert I, Duke of Burgundy (1011-1076), but had died before his father. Afonso Henriques' father, also named Henry, was the youngest son, and without prospects of any significant inheritance, decided to seek his fortune together with his cousin Raymond of Burgundy (1070-1107), by serving King Alfonso VI of Castile & Leon (1037-1109). Castile & Leon had been fighting series of wars against the Moors to regain control over the rest of Iberian peninsula - the Reconquisita (718-1492) till the fall of the Ahlambra in Granada.

Henry (1066-1112) married Teresa of Leon (1080-1130), and his father in law, King Alfonso carved out the county of Portugal for him, from the kingdom of Galicia (1096) which had been given earlier to his cousin Raymond, who had married Urraca of Leon (1079-1126), the future queen of Leon. Count Henry continued the Reconquista, and expanded his county's dominions. Henry died in 1112, and his widow Teresa took control of the young Afonso Henriques, but could not get Portugal out of feudal subservience to the Leonese state.   

In 1128, Afonso and his supporters, took control of the county of Portugal from his mother. In 1129 he proclaimed himself Prince of Portugal. His military successes against the Moors (and Castilian) forces continued, and in 1139 his forces obtained an overwhelming victory in the Battle of Ourique, and was immediately proclaimed King of the Portuguese. There are some disputes on the actual battle accounts, and sequence of events leading to his kingship.

King Afonso I of Portugal

It should be noted that the Pope in 1147 authorized the expansion of the Second Crusade into the Iberian peninsula, helping with the Reconquista.  In May that year, first contingent of the crusaders left from Dartmouth in England for the Holy Land, but were forced by bad weather to stop on the Portuguese coast, in Porto in June. By October, a combined European force of 13,000 joined the smaller Portuguese army of 7,000, and Lisboa was captured under the banner of King Afonso of Portugal.  In fact, King Afonso also had help from some passing crusaders when he captured Santerem.  This was strategically important as a staging point for the eventual capture of Lisboa.
(Courtesy: Google).

Santerum is 80-km northeast of Lisboa.

During the Iberian Union from 1580 to 1640 when the Spanish Hapsburg kings also became kings of Portugal, the Castelo de Sao Jorge was turned into military barracks and prison.

St George as depicted in recess at castle entrance

Engraving of St George slaying the dragon from a Venetian house -  now in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London

Artists group working on the scenery

Walking route in Lisboa, from Chiado to the Tagus (or Tejo) river.

Map showing relative locations of Lisboa, Obidos, Fatima and Porto

Obidos

This is a castle within a walled township, which is dated back to Roman times. It was also occupied by the Moors, and eventually captured by the Afonso of Portugal.

Obidos is a popular tourist town, as can be seen from the many shops lining its streets. It even hosts "Medieval Market" with costumes and displays from that age in July each year.

The walled town's access gate comprises of two low-rise entrances that are angled to prevent mounted attackers charging into the town.

School children's tours

Masked assassin lurking in a corner

The Azulejo is the 16th century white and blue tiled chapel overlooking the gate, depicting the passion of Christ while the ceiling represents the crown of thorns.

Map and directions for the walled town.

Inside the walls, shops lined both sides of the houses. This is the town's main street - the Rua Direita.

Church of Santa Maria in the town square 

Stalls under the trees in the town square

The stones are so unevenly cut.

Close up of stall extended into street

Walls of Obidos in the background.

We visited the town for breakfast on our way to Porto.

Our breakfast restaurant

Obidos Aqueduct (it's across the carpark)

The aqueduct was constructed in 16th century to transport water to the town. It was built by Queen Catherine. This is one of the last fully intact aqueduct in Portugal. 

Fatima

Fatima is a town that is home to the Sanctuary of Fatima, a favorite Catholic pilgrimage site.  The civil parish has been permanently associated with the visions of a woman known as Our Lady of Fatima, since believed to be the Virgin Mary, that were witnessed by three shepherd children in 1917.  2017 is the 100 year anniversary.

A week before we came, on 13 May 2017, Pope John Paul II canonised two of the children, Francisco and Jacinta Marto.  The third child Lucia Santos died in 2005 at the age 97, will be beautified later.

Vasco Da Gama tomb - in Jeronimos Monastery, Lisboa

Vasco Da Gama was a famous Portuguese explorer who charted and sailed to India. By doing this, he opened up Portuguese sailors and traders to the lucrative Indian spice trade and brought much riches to the country, and probably help establish Portugal as a major colonial power then.

The carved marble tomb of Vasco Da Gama (1460s - 1524). 

Da Gama died in India and his remains interred here.  The monastery, official name Monastery da Santa Maria de Belem, is in Belem, facing the spot where the Portuguese sailors set of from the Tagus river, on their world journeys.

The ceiling of the monastery looked to me like an inspiration for Lord of the Rings' caves of Moria??

The rich opulence of medieval Portugal can be seen from the Monastery's solid gold docorations.

Park in front of Jeronimos Monastery

Knights Templar's legacy

It was interesting that when I researched the origin of a familiar looking cross seen in some of the Lisboa churches....

This cross was in a church inside The Portal de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao Velha, in Lisboa

....it belonged to the Order of Christ (Portugal) or Ordem de Cristo.  The first time I came across the Knights Templar was in the stone effigies of knights on the church floor of the Temple Church in London. This is the same order we are referring to.

The portal in front of the church. Church built in 15th century, and destroyed in 1755 earthquake, and probably rebuilt?

Below is an interesting tale of how remnants of the Templars survived as the Order of Christ in Portugal:

"The Military Order of Christ (Ordem Militar de Cristo) ......was the former Knights Templar order as it was reconstituted in Portugal after the Templars were abolished on 22 March 1312 by the papal bull, Vox in excelso, issued by Pope Clement V.  The Order of Christ was found in 1319, with the protection of the Portuguese king, Denis I, who refused to pursue and persecute the former knights as had occured in all other sovereign states under the political influence of the Catholic Church.

Heavily swayed by Philip IV of France, Pope Clement had the Knights Templar annihilated throughout France and most of Europe on charges of heresy, but Denis (1261-1325) revived the Templars of Tomar as the Order of Christ, largely for the aid during the Reconquista and in the reconstruction of Portugal after the wars. Denis negotiated with Clement's successor, John XXII, for recognition of the new order and its right to inherit the Templar assets and property. (courtesy of Google)

Cross emblem of the Knights Templar

Courtesy of Wikipedia images

A Templar knight in a contemporary movie (Courtesy of Google)

By way of background, The Knights Templar (1119 - 1312) led the early Crusades to Jerusalem and had mission of protecting pilgrims journeying into the Holy Land (which were fraught with danger in those times).  It is strange that the Templars of Jerusalem survived in Portugal, and they were lucky to have been sent there by the then Grandmaster in 1147!

The Lello bookstore, Porto

The Lello bookstore was inaugurated in 1906. It's considered by Lonely Planet as third most beautiful library in the world.  It has a neo-gothic fascade.

However, its now also famous for the rumor that the staircase in the bookstore inspired J.K.Rowling to write Harry Porter.  Rowling lived in Porto for 10 years working as an English teacher in the 1990s and used to enjoy her coffee on the second floor of the Lello's bookstore.

The iconic staircase from the entrance of the bookstore

The back of the staircase - richly carved with ornate design.

A long history in the making....

Portugal as a country born in the aftermath of the Christian Reconquista against the Moors who had invaded the Iberian Peninsular in 711.

It was one of the largest and longest-lived empires in world history, and the first colonial empire of the Renaissance. At its height, the Portuguese empire were masters of Brazil (till 1822), parts of Africa and India (till 1961), East Timor (till 1975), Malacca (captured by the Dutch and Malay allies in 1641) and Macau (till 1999) in China. In fact in 1821 its defacto capital was located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.   Portugal was a huge colonial power, and has maintained strong economic and cultural links of many of its former territories, with the largest being Brazil.

We have only scratched the surface of Portugal with our Lisboa and Porto visits. There are lots more to see, learn and appreciate!  

Obrigado!