June 1st ~ Bragança – rural campsite

Reasonably cool over night, but early indications that it would be another scorcher today. After breakfast, we headed off to Celorico da Beira, as they had a regular Tuesday market. Parked up outside the village and walked up to the castle and square, but no sign of Market. Instead we “did” the Castle, partly renovated walls and tower. Bizarrely, the top floor of the Tower had been modernised into a Library, with computer and internet facilities. We walked round the castle walls, and saw the market in another part of the village. Walked over to see, but it was not very busy, probably having started @ 7 am, and we had arrived @ 11 am.

Locals friendly and anxious to sell their home produced cheeses from the surrounding Serra (Mountains). Brought ½ kilo of delicious local cherrys for 1 euro, and then some eggs from a man who turned out to speak good English. The eggs were expensive (6 for 1.25 euro), but he insisted they were “ecological” and from his own smallholding. He then introduced us to his Chinese wife, who suggested we buy some of their homemade marmalade, which we did @ 2.50 euros. He then went on to try and sell us his home produced olive oil @ 25 euros for 2 litres – much too expensive, and then asked if we were interested in buying a house with some land near a river, although the house needed “fixing” – a snip @ 2,500 euros which was his first price, but laughed when we queried the amount yes @ 25,000 euros. Also got caught buying some bread rolls – asked for 2 but got 8, as sold in batches of 4 !

Set off to drive nearly 200 km to Bragança about 11.30 am, stopping for lunch in a layby high over the Douro valley, with its hundreds of hectares of grapevines ripening in the 33C sun, quite a bit cooler than yesterday. Arrived in Bragança just after 3 pm, and eventually found the Tourismo. “Did the castle and walked the city walls, but our hearts were not in it – “Castled out” Is the phrase that came to mind. I’m afraid we did not do justice to the Cidadela,” one of the most memorable sights in Portugal” according to the guidebook, and the home of the Braganças, the last line of the Portuguese kings ruling from 1640 until 1910.

We walked back through the old quarter and decided to pop into the Sé (Cathedral). We followed 2 old women in, but they went into a large ornate sideroom, and we did’nt like to go in. However, a man invited us in and showed us some old statues and the carved panelled ceiling, and some large drawers. He then ushered us into the Cathedral, but to our horror, it was at the front near the altar, and the Cathedral was packed with people attending 5pm Mass, all muttering away with their prayers. Unable to go back, or squeeze down a side aisle, we had to walk down the main aisle, both of us attracting astonished looks as not properly dressed for the occasion, and one started talking to Jackie, trying to show her a statue, we think! We made our way out as best we could, missing some beautiful cloisters we would have liked to have walked round.

Back to the van and drove to our rural campsite in the middle of National Park here 12km out of town, where we found a lovely spot to camp with views overlooking the Montesinho National Park. There are only 1 lot of other campers here who we haven’t seen. Weather much cooler ie 25c and cloud has set in. Jackie cooked a delicious ham and mushroom omelette from the eggs we had bought in the market, and we had a relaxing evening catching upon the blog and watching the birds and listening to the cuckoos.