Northern Portugal

We took a day trip to the northern part of the country and got to see two beautiful cities and Spain all with in one day. The beauty of northern Portugal is it's a mountainous region filled with medieval castles, monuments, churches and every little town has its own story to tell.  Thankfully we were with the Pintos, who navigated us through the country seamlessly and showed us some incredible towns.  Our first stop was Minho, which is bordered by the Douro River in the south and divided from Spain by the Minho River in the north.  We visited a town that was bordered by brick walls but filled with narrow, cobblestone streets lined with shops selling linens, towels, pottery, kids clothes and a variety of Portuguese collectibles.  Within the town there was a magnificent church that was built in 1271.  Yes, 1271, that was so beautiful.  We dinned at a hillside restaurant overlooking the Minho River and Galicia, Spain.

Next stop was Caminha, which is located in the Viana do Castelo region, where we parked along the river in the city center to see the beautiful views.  The kids had fallen asleep so did not want to wake them and make it to the next stop peacefully.

We spent the back half of the afternoon and evening in Viana do Castelo which too was so beautiful.  Viana is located at the mouth of the Lima River, located between the ocean and the mountains.  Being seaside, the city holds so much history as a crucial point of departure during the Age of Discovery.  And yet today is a happening fishing port. Andy had been there before, as they have a plant in Viana, but were able to walk around the city and see one of the most magnificent churches I've ever seen live.  We hiked our way up this huge hill to Sanctuary of Santa Luiza which sits atop of the Santa Luiza hill and overlooks the city.  We loved seeing more of Portugal and so glad we made the trip!

 This was the walkway and driveway to get into the town that we spent the afternoon at.  The road is so narrow our car did not have a centimeter to spare on either side and thought for sure we would not make it through.

 One of the beautiful churches inside.

 Built in 1271.

 After lunch standing hilltop with Galicia, Spain in the background.

 Maria, AB and Afonzo.

There were these shrines all throughout the town and open for the weekend in preparation for Easter.  Typically they are closed, but they open them during Easter weekend as Easter is a very sacred holiday in Portugal.

 Viana do Castelo and Santa Luiza church.

 Looking down from the top of the church stairs.