Easy hikes and walks around Vacalar

The parking area for motorhomes directly on the Douro River

Mário Fernandes is the first Director of the Douro Navigation Institute (Institute for the Navigation of the Douros). The inscription on the document reads: "IN RECOGNITION FOR THE CONTRIBUTION MADE TO THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE DOURO IN THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD." It is also written in German: "In Anerkennung des Postrags zur Vergrößerung des Douro vor dem Land und der Welt."

This highlight is located in Peso da Régua and NOT in Lisbon. Please don't be confused by the misleading comment below. The same goes for the numerous photos, none of which belong here.

The station is so run-down that it's almost in working order again. Old railway vehicles (burned-out steam locomotives and old wagons) are scattered around the large grounds. There are also many disused tracks, including turntables. At the end of the station, the former storage sheds have been converted into wine shops and restaurants.

A worthwhile museum, which scores points despite/or because of its very minimalist presentation of the subject matter. At the end, enjoy a port wine on the terrace of the museum's café.

The bridge is really well-made. The view from the bridge is beautiful, even though there's still a lot that could be done with the buildings at the end.

The Casa do Douro was established in 1932 as the Douro Winemakers' Union Federation. Its headquarters, dating from 1944, with its exterior clad in polished granite, was designed by Portuguese architect José Porto. Inside, noteworthy are the stained-glass window by painter Lino António and the grand hall, with three central crystal chandeliers, shaped like clusters and weighing over a ton, as well as the Pombaline marker identified with the number 1. When the Douro region was first demarcated, 331 granite markers were placed. The Pombaline markers (so named because the demarcation was designed by the Marquis of Pombal) are all different and share the word Feitoria (vinho de feitoria, synonymous with better-quality wine) and the year (1758 or 1761). At the time, wines were classified according to their quality and destination. The best wine, known as Vinho de Feitoria, was sent to England; Vinho de Embarque was exported to Brazil; and Vinho de Ramo was sold in Portugal. The stained glass window of the Casa do Douro, by painter Lino António, encapsulates the entire dynamic of the Douro Demarcated Region. It covers an area of 50m2 and forms a triptych. In the center panel, we see three large figures. The central figure represents the Casa do Douro and holds a scroll that reads "... Casa do Douro, decree 21,883, November 1932." This means that the government, through the aforementioned Decree-Law, created the Union Federation of Winegrowers of the Douro Region in November 1932, now known as Casa do Douro.

The monument to Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral in Lisbon was erected in honor of their joint crossing of the South Atlantic route by air. Coutinho and Cabral were the first to complete this journey. They flew from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1922. Gago Coutinho's account of the flight, along with other documents, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. You can see the monument to the two adventurers in the Belém district, just a few meters from Lisbon's landmark, the Torre de Belém. It is a remarkable replica of the aircraft used in the successful Atlantic crossing.