From fado to the highest lock in Europe, passing through the cradle of Portugal, these are the busy 24 hours of our reader-travellers.
The Amalia Rodrigues, if it is so baptized in homage to the queen of Fado, had to share it with its passengers. On Wednesday evening, Matilda Monteiro, accompanied by Juan Carneiro and Alfredo Texeira, gave an overview of the immense repertoire of the Portuguese icon. A calming and emotional evening for the group, which met the next morning for a visit to Guimarães.
Cradle of Portugal
This city of astonishing historical beauty played a very important role in the formation of the country. Extremely well preserved, its historic center has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2001. In 2012, the city was European Capital of Culture.
The city is associated with the foundation and identity of the Portuguese nation. It is for this reason that one of the towers of the old city wall bears the inscription “Aqui nasceu Portugal” (“Here Portugal was born”). Because Guimarães knew at the beginning of the XIIand century, the founding political and military events of the country.
The city continues to grow and organize itself in the Middle Ages, partially surrounded by a defensive wall, behind which religious orders helped shape the city.
Made up of a part inside the walls and another part outside the fortifications, it will end up reducing the wall which separated the two centers of settlement, partially freezing the interior part and allowing the exterior part to open up to the world.
The highest lock in Europe
The navigation thus really began this Thursday at the beginning of the afternoon after the visit of Guimarães for our traveling readers who, having left their boat in Porto, found it at the end of their historic journey and were able to cast off for Well.
Before meeting, shortly after, the highest lock in Europe on the Carrapatelo dam. Impressive by its height of 36 meters and the narrowness of its access, it was passed in record time, given the impressive scale of the work. The destination of this Thursday evening, Regua, should have been reached at the end of the day.