No Clue Between Them

 We left our plush residence in Ávila and headed north east to Aranda de Doera. We passed through further agricultural land on good fun roads all by ourselves. Why are there so many roads with nobody going anywhere?  Aranda is on the Spanish bit of the Douro and also has a glut of bodegas. Apparently there are 8km of underground wine cellars.  We explored the city (but not the wine cellars) which is not touristy. The cafe and outdoor restaurants were inhabited by locals which gave an authentic atmosphere. Our flat is opposite the bull ring which is a very uncomfortable feeling. There is an ambulance outside, hope nobody was hurt😬

 And so on to Avila, another walled city (yawn) in the Madrid direction. We’re not going to Madrid as it might have been washed away in the floods.  On arrival in Avila the satnav has its work cut out trying to take us to the hotel. We slither round the cobbles in ever decreasing circles and ever tightening bends. Morna’s bike is just about to blow up with overheating just as we reach our destination.  We have pushed the boat out and are staying in a rather swanky hotel next to the cathedral for a couple of nights. It’s a bit windy in Avila so we retire indoors for dinner. The next day we do a walking tour of the 2km intact city wall which has been beautifully preserved. We have a bit of rest time and gather later for beer. Dinner is in a locals’ tavern with traditional dishes and vino tinto de casa…. yum. 

 We collected the bikes from just under the Luiz 1 bridge and took our leave of Porto, travelling back along the riverside and heading towards Vila Real ( they have a football team). Heading along the Douro valley took us through vineyards and olive groves, lots of agriculture.  We headed to Miranda do Douro which was high in the hills just at the Spanish border. It was a beautifully kept quiet town with a castle which was regularly blown up in border fights, a cathedral and an old wall requiring some health and safety inspection. Miranda has its own official dialect but it was all gobbledygook to us. Not sure who the 2 dudes in the square are but it looks serious.  We were the first incumbents of a newly refurbished air bnb in which the hot water had just failed, so we took refuge in the local bar while it was sorted. The flat was very tasteful but lacked a kettle. This was where the local bar stepped in again.  The local restaurant raised its game with its best veg...

 There was some rain this morning which abated by about 11. The girls then went out for an exploration of the city, including the cathedral which was hosting weddings, the grand station with amazing tiled walls and a fabulous food market with beautiful produce that we hadn’t seen before.  In the afternoon M, R and C went off on a wine tasting tour while Mgt did some more exploration. We discovered that the city on the other side of the river is actually called Gaia and is completely separate from Porto with quite a lot of competition between the 2. We managed 10 different wines and ports and were well edumacated on the subject. It might have been a good idea to have had lunch first. We got the water taxi back across the river to avoid negotiating the higgelty piggelty cobbles. A jolly fine afternoon…..hic!  Some views of the city Our flat is just over there at the waterside Who drank all the wine?

 After brekkie in a quiet Chaves, we took our leave, heading for Porto. The decision was to take the slow road, not the toll road. This took us through the hills with spectacular scenery and twisty roads, some more challenging than others but very, very quiet. Ross is navigating with google maps instead of the garmin satnav which is working well. The directions for finding the Air bnb were complex and after our previous experience of Porto traffic we were very worried, however we quickly found ourselves driving along the river side. We had to park up and walk the last wee bit, finding ourselves in a pleasant apartment just set back from the river. There is a lively vibe outside and a lot to explore. 

 We left Ponferrada this morning to cover the 80 miles to Chaves. We travelled through empty roads with sweeping bends up and down the hills. The scenery was spectacular in the  fine weather On reaching Chaves we did our customary tour of the centre to find a parking space and amuse the elderly gentlemen who frequent the squares and cafes.  The apartments are beside the river in an idyllic setting. Ross and I did a walking exploration of the old town. Along with an old castle there were some old motos.  On to Porto tomorrow.