Leaving Santiago de Compostella in northwest Spain we headed south and crossed the border into Portugal. We stopped along the coast for a picnic and I went charging ahead encouraging Rosemary to follow as I hopped from rock to rock and headed out into the tide pools looking for life. I found life, some minnows, a lot of mussels and just enough sea slime upon a rock, upon which I stepped, upon which I slipped to peals of laughter from the distaff side as THIS life form fell ignobley upon his bum into a small pool of water.

Having injured nothing but my pride, I hid behind a bolder and bared my soul to the Portuguese version of Kahuna, the god of surf and put on dry clothes as the mirth filled sassy lass, the fair Rosamaria, spread a small cloth and set up our feast.

Further on down the road the first impressions of Viano do Costello, our intended refuge, were off putting and we decided to turn inland and came upon Ponte de Lima, where indeed there is a bridge, several in fact and the old bridge, now wisely a foot bridge, is 3/4 medieval and the balance Roman. A charming medieval village on the banks of the river Lima.

Rosemary had been busily reading the guide books and discovered that in Ponte de Lima they had developed a program whereby visitors could make arrangements to stay in local homes. There is a strata of costs and we decided we could go the didge for the "C" level and found the office of "Turihab." It turned out that all the "C" homes were either occupied or being remodeled or closed for the season, but they were able to get us the next level accommodation for the same price.

grape arbor above a driveway

Following the directions for 7 kilometers out of town, we were bewitched and thrilled to discover our abode was a 17th century mill house on the bank of a small river. Fully renovated 15 years ago this stone house was the first home set up in cooperation with the tourist bureau in a program that now includes 30 in the Ponte de Lima area and 90 throughout Portugal. We spent 3 nights here, each night and morning building a fire in the ancient hearth.

While in Ponte de Lima we visited the town and went for a walk about it and the next town of Ponte de Barca where another old bridge was reflected in the still, still waters of the river Lima.

Bom Jesus

Also whilst in this area we visited Bom Jesus do Monte which is one of Portugal’s best known images. We drove to the top and witnessed several weddings in quick succession, entering the cathedral to view at first hand the blushing bride and nervous groom of one of the series. From the site high in the woods we descended the glorious ornamental stairway of granite, festooned with fountains and shrines of the life of Jesus on each landing. At the bottom, unlike the pilgrims who ascend the over 700 steps on their knees, we ascended in the funicular (cable car) close by for 100 escudoes each, to my mind a much preferred route to the altar!