Day 58: NP Peneda-Gerês and environs

July 21 - Awaken to a bright morning, so it’s a good day to do a lot of mountain driving. Head up the valley wall on the west side and wind around small mountain roads for a few hours. Visit some viewpoints first.

Cavalo Lake from Mirante Velho.

Miradouro das Pedras.

Then we park and take a trail to what is touted as a fault line. It is about 20 minutes up a boulder-strewn hill (all granite of course).

Odette on the trail just right of the hill on which the Calcedonia Fault sits.

Looks like more of a joint than a fault. This group headed inside, and later I think I saw them emerging from the hill on the opposite side.

Further along the mountain highway, we stop at Cascata da Ribeiro de Gemesura.

From the waterfall it is mostly downhill, on narrow roads with very little traffic, through some tiny towns and into a major river valley at Entre Ambos-os-Rios. Track the valley upstream to another town called Parada. Here, there are some old granaries on the hill (primarily for storing corn). Since Vila Real we had been seeing them in people’s farms, of various ages. Here, there is a whole group of them, called Espigueiros da Eira do Tapado.

It is just as enjoyable to walk through through the small neighborhood nearby. Some streets are covered with grape arbors, and a few old women sit quietly on benches by their homes.

One of the neighborhood streets in Parada.

The granaries. They are elevated to reduce the chances of rats, and the stone walls have small slits to allow wind to pass through and reduce humidity inside.

One built in 1825.

Photo where it is easiest to see the side slits.

Back down the valley and wind our way up to the east, but along a different road. Stop near the town of Barral to see the Quartz Museum.

It was an odd museum, that looks like a store. Well, it does have a large gift shop, but the museum part is really well done.

There were samples of many types of quartz, along with other minerals, and much information on the major rock types.

Odette looks at samples and reads about fluorescent minerals.

One of two over-the-top statues outside the museum.

By the time we are in the highlands again, the search is on for lunch. Stop at Mixões da Serra where there is a large outdoor restaurant full of locals as it is Sunday. Order a plate that I’m not sure about, and regret it instantly.

I did eat most of the cheese and olives.

The meal was a bust but the atmosphere was great. Everyone was out enjoying their Sunday, drinking beer or coffee. Nearby there were a few sights of interest.

Sanctuario do Santo Antonio de Mixões da Serra (first built in 17th C, remodeled in 1952).

The town seen from the viewpoint behind the church.

There are signs talking about the history of this town, placed by the church. I learn about a festival here called The Blessing of the Animals. It started in 1916, when a plague killed many of the large, hooved farm animals. The population of the parish appealed to Santo Antonio (protector of animals) for help and apparently he did, so they thanked him by building the church in his honor.

Now, every June 13th, farmers bring their cows, adorned with ribbons, and pray at the church. They pray that their cows give healthy calves, sheep and goats give milk, dogs guard the houses, and ‘cats fight rats’.

Make one more stop before getting back to the hotel, at Passadiços do Rio Homem.

Walk around here a bit, but the path down the river is hot and without shade.

On the way back to the hotel, note that this hot Sunday has brought droves of people to Cavalo Lake. Now things are getting crowded like I would expect during the European summer holidays.