It is a strange feeling waking up in a different place every day, sometimes a little disorientating but always exciting. Today we woke up to a warm sunny day and the Douro river outside our front door. We decided to take a walk along the path by the shore and get a few thousand steps in early. In honesty, we were looking for a nice little coffee and cake shop but in the end settled for just a coffee. Kimberley got some ace photos of the three bridges that cross the Douro at this point and also some fabby pictures from the three bridges.
Having spent our overnight in Peso de Regua it was time to set off again down the wiggly diggly that is the N2. We skirmish most of the way down with the A24. Sometimes we pass over it, sometimes around it and often alongside it. There is however one point where the roads deviate and genuinely those that have chosen the A24 are missing one of the delights of the journey so far. Lamego has a beautiful tree lined promenade of cafes and shops with a fantastic ornate cathedral dominating one end from high on the hill.
This was a place to stop for coffee and cakes, so we did, and they were lovely. Refreshments demolished, we got back on the road. It is a short journey today down to Viseu and although beautiful, it is not as stunning as yesterday. The valleys are valleys and not ravines however the street signs warning of snow ploughs remain, even here, so I guess the winters might be tough. We make it to Viseu and park up at our campsite for the night. Or rather, municipal car park for the night.
Now this is a very contentious subject for some. There is a large group of people who believe that you should be able to park up where you like in a camper. This was true in Portugal up to January this year when the Government passed a law making it illegal, and insisting you go to designated car parks or stay on campsites. I am not going to pass judgement on this topic other than to say that we have stayed in municipal car parks since getting here except for one night where we stayed on a private campsite.
The municipal sites could not be more different to the UK if you tried. For a start, the sites are all free. Imagine that – free parking. They have all felt very safe. They are clean. Most have had stunning views. Some have had electric for a small fee. In the UK as a campervan owner, it is almost compulsory to stay on a campsite. Often even if you find somewhere you could stop, it is disgusting. I have really stopped enjoying discovering England because of the huge amount of litter that is just discarded irresponsibly. The exception was the NC500 which we toured last year but that’s in Scotland!!!
Viseu is nice but very much a working city. I prefer a quieter place. We do however stroll round the old part of the town and the cathedral and find the most wonderful pizzeria where we decide to treat ourselves and eat out. It was lovely to eat supper out for a change, however, even when we eat supper in, there is normally a fantastic view to go with it.
Night night all.