‘Bon Dia!’ Portugal, ‘Hola!̶

Salamanca, Castile-León, Spain and Canary Islands
Thursday, June 26, 2014

During breakfast we enjoyed a last look at the beautilful city of Coimbra and then Judy, Maryln and I visited a fascinating theme park called Portugal dos Pequenitos (literally Little Ones’ Portugal) nearby. The park consists of diminutive versions of Portuguese houses and monuments, and has pavilions with artifacts dedicated to the former Portuguese colonies.Those Portuguese seafarers certainly got around in the 14^th to 17^th centuries, and I was interested to study the various sea-routes they explored and the places they established settlements.

A preschool is situated in the theme park and the children were having playtime while we were there. A beautiful porcelain tile mural adorns the entrance to the preschool.

From Coimbra we drove through Viseu, center of the Dao Wine Industry. The Dao refers to an upland plateau shielded by mountain ranges and consisting of tiny vineyards placed between cultivated fields and tucked into unlikely spaces . We found parking near the old historic town center with its beautiful square lined with restaurants.

After lunch, we drove past Guarda, the highest town in Portugal and said to have been a military base for Julius Caesar. We made a quick pitstop outside the I had an interesting sausage roll We crossed the border towards Madrid, overnighting en route at the beautiful old city of Salamanca, founded in pre-Roman times (B.C.) by Celtic tribes. We found the hotel and parking garage without too much difficulty – all these old towns have so many one-ways that one gets completely turned around!

It was a beautiful evening. We strolled to the gorgeous Golden Plaza Major round the corner and joined the throngs for al fresco dinner, wine, coffee and conversation while watching soccer on huge TV screens dotted around the square.