Our last full day in this wonderland

It was nine degrees in the morning and the sun was shining brightly.

My original plan was to go on a romantic and wild at the same time hike in the Tua Valley (Foz do Tua), but the roads that led there were so winding and we had to drive so slowly that halfway there I decided to skip it, otherwise I would miss out on the highly recommended Cantiflas restaurant AGAIN. So, I turned the car around and we visited a lookout point and chapel that we saw on our way here. For me, this was romantic enough, plus it gave our hearts and leg muscles a good workout. And our eye muscles too, as the view here was also extraordinary, and we tried to breathe in the clean mountain air deeply. From the road leading to the top of the hill, you can take a detour to an unusual little chapel-like building, which may have been a hermitage in the past: IX Capela de Nossa Senora da Penha. Here, you could really meditate, reflect, and relax. At the very top, we found a few buildings in fairly good condition. I don't know if they are still in use, but one of them is a church, at least that's my guess, as there is a cross on top. The view from here is, of course, magnificent.

After this lovely excursion I remembered that my friend Chat GPT had recommended a pleasant walk among the vineyards. I added a detour to a fantastic viewpoint from the hilltop leading to Miradouro de Nossa Senhora das Neves to the vineyards.

Lo and behold, there was a charming chapel on this hill as well, and even a metal lookout tower, which Panka didn't dare to step on, while Zserbo was climbing a rock somewhere. I gathered my courage and went out alone to admire the landscape and take a few photos above the cliffs . We left the car there and took a long walk among the vineyards. I am still completely amazed at how steep the rows are. You can't stagger around while harvesting here, because it could be fatal. Seriously, deadly. I don't even know how they do it. It would be worth coming here to see it. I can't even imagine how they drive tractors on these hair-raisingly narrow and almost vertical "paths." You really need nerves of steel here. But of course, it may be that those who are born here and have lived here since childhood, don't think about it the way I do. I took a lot of photos, but unfortunately I can't convey the sight that I see with my own eyes: this incredible depth with steep terraces. I would need a drone for that, which I don't have. Or I'd have to fly over it in a paraglider. Unfortunately, I don't have one of those either, so all I have are the photos I took and the credibility of my report :o)

From there, we headed to the Cantiflas restaurant. There were lots of cars and motorcycles outside, but I hoped they would find a table just for one person. I left the dogs in the car. The sky was cloudy and the temperature was 12 degrees. I went inside and after a few minutes, I was given a nice table. The waitress told me her recommendation, and I didn't argue with her. She was right! The meat was wonderfully juicy and tender, served with potatoes, a garlic and olive oil sauce, and salad. I ordered a bottle of water and a glass of fine red wine from the Douro Valley. I hadn't even finished half of my lunch when the sun came out. I ran out to the car and brought the dogs to the cool terrace. I tied them up there and went back to my table to finish my heavenly main course, ordering crème brûlée for dessert. Mmmm, that crunchy caramel crust on top! I digested it all for a few minutes, then thanked them for the delicious lunch, paid, and got in the car with the dogs.

The weather was so nice that I parked not far from our accommodation and we took another walk in the area, as we are leaving tomorrow. San Sebastián in Spain is our next stop, 630 kilometers from here. I'll pack up in the morning, it's no big deal, I don't have to carry anything far, I'm parked right outside our door. So, we might as well take advantage of this wonderful weather. On our walk, I saw a beautiful large cork tree and flowering rosemary, so I took some pictures of them. Meanwhile, Zserbo disappeared, so I had to go back to where I parked the car. By then, I was so upset that smoke was coming out of my ears. Then I saw him: he was playing with a village dog. Panka also took a look at the young man. I sat down on a wooden platform with a black "bottle" on it, with a picture of men treading grapes. Suddenly, a pick-up truck appeared with the driver's dog on it. That was all our village friend needed. He ran after the truck and barked wildly at the driver's dog. Gerbeaud joined his friend with a shout of "party time!!!" and Panka and I watched them helplessly. No matter how much I yelled, he didn't stop, he didn't come back. We're too boring for him, that's the truth. And no, not even after countless occasions like this, I haven't managed to see "the light" and I still let this little rascal go free. I could keep quiet about it and not tell you anything about his disappearances, but I decided to be honest. I don't have the heart to keep him on a leash all the time, that's the truth. Then, of course, he ran back panting, as if he had put all his energy and expertise into a busy work day. I put him in the car and told him he was grounded for at least four hours. And he would only get dinner an hour after Panka. What a punishment! I took him out on a strict leash for his evening pee-poo round. I don't let him loose in the dark anyway. A black dog would be hard to find.