Through the Douro Valley to Salamanca

Thursday, May 7

We spent the morning driving southeast from Porto, through the Douro Valley, the only place in the world where true port can be produced. We drove through just a fraction of the valley, but the terraces we saw went on forever, up and down the hillsides, shored up by rocks, and planted with grape vines.  The construction alone -- so many miles, SO MANY ROCKS -- required effort beyond our imagining.  And the result -- shaping the land to man's purpose -- seemed as much a phenomenal engineering feat as aqueducts or bridges.  And, it was just breathtaking to behold -- terraced vineyards, green hills, some blanketed with yellow or purple flowers, terraced vineyards, red-roofed white buildings and villages, terraced vineyards, the peaceful river, terraced vineyards -- what a ride!  At times, as we switchbacked our way to the valley floor, there were terraces above us, and terraces below; it seemed as if the road was just another in the unending rows of terraces, albeit one without vines.  It was one sweet way to spend a morning.

Once out of the valley, we had a pretty straightforward drive east to the Spanish border and on to Salamanca.  After a brief drive into the pedestrian zone (whoops -- not the first time we've ever done that!), we found our apartment, right in the middle of everything.  We are in the old city and have a small balcony that overlooks the university, the cathedrals (old and new), and numerous other churches, palaces, and historic buildings

We took our first walk through the neighborhood in the early evening.  The Plaza Mayor, the beautiful central square, dominated by the town hall, is ringed on all sides by arched porticoes topped by medallions honoring writers, monarchs, explorers, and other favorite sons of Castile. The center of the square was being prepared for a week-long festival of books, which delighted the librarian, but frustrated the photographer looking for sweeping views.  (Sometimes, you just have to buy a postcard!) 

As we walked on to the University and the Cathedrals, we noticed the celebratory graduation graffiti (written in bull's blood, rust, and olive oil) we'd first seen in Granada.  Many of the commercial establishments in the area use signs similar in hue and lettering style; a small thing, but the effect is quite harmonious, as is the fact that all the buildings in the old center are a lovely golden sandstone.

The night view from our balcony is spectacular; the towers of the University, Cathedrals, and other historic buildings in the neighborhood are beautifully lit -- a sweet scene, indeed.