Viana do Castelo

Viana Do Castelo is a delightful coastal town, which was a great place for an introduction to Portugal.

Viana Do Castelo

After finding somewhere to stay, we visited a little seafood restaurant to sample some of the local cuisine and Portuguese wine. (Portugal is traditionally very big on seafood dishes.) We felt a bit strange we were the only ones in the restaurant, with only the fish in the tanks for company (and a photo of a person who Sara thought looked like Anthony Perkins out of Psycho but turned out to be some famous Portuguese leader - oops!). The dinner was fantastic. We both ordered fish, and when the waiter brought out the first plate I thought it was for both of us, it was huge. But it was just Sara's sea bass with lots of salad and piles of cooked veggies. We couldn't eat all of our meals, even though it was delicious, and so cheap all that for less than 8 (about £5 or $12)!

Templo do Sagrado Coracao de Jesus

The next morning we wandered around shops, which were full of traditional crafts such as pottery and lace work, and it was again all so cheap!

Then we drove up a huge mountain beyond the city, on which stood Santa Luzia, a large church with a round dome at the top. The church itself was nothing special, but for 50 euro cents we were able to climb the claustrophobic spiral staircase to the top for the spectacular 360 degree view of the coast, river and bushland.