Douro River Valley Tour 1: Amarante village, Vinho Verde (green wine) and some Travel Agency rant

Although the weather in the Douro River Valley (a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in Portugal) had been unfavourable when I was there in March (2 months ago)—the cruise ships were forced to dock for days and many shops on the river boulevard, and even the boulevard itself were submerged under water, I was quite lucky enough to be able to book a Douro River Valley tour, but by land though, which is what I really wanted anyway.

This is the town of Amarante, our first stop for this Douro River Valley Tour. Do take note that Amarante is not a part of the Douro area, it is a municipality under the Greater Porto District located just before entering the Douro.

I need a travel agency who wants my business

The travel agent (will not name names) in Porto where I booked the tour initially told me resignedly, that there are NO tours to the Douro because of the floods, but moi being a persistent (I am in sales okay) and methodical (I have autistic abilities sometimes) individual  insisted that she calls the tour company to confirm, and I also pressed her to call the other tour companies offering the same service as well. I was her first client that morning and perhaps she hadn’t had coffee yet because it took some pesky nudging to get her butt off her seat. Woman helloooo, this is a sure sale!

My goal that morning: Book the Douro River Valley Tour for Sunday (full day tour). If this woman cannot sell me a tour now, I am going somewhere else. Pronto. I mean, I am the only customer in her office. Does she not want my business?

‘Good news!’ she said as she hanged up the phone, ‘One company is doing a Douro Tour tomorrow Sunday, but by land.’

Voices in my head was tormenting me to tell her off, ‘I told you woman! You just have to pick up the darn phone!’

If I was staying longer in the northern part of Portugal, I would have done this tour myself, but unfortunately that is not the case, so booking a group tour for me was the best option. It is a much more expensive option as well going at 95 Euros p.p. but I really wanted to see the Douro River Valley.

Sunday comes the tour… with Living Tours

So just before 9AM Sunday, a little mini bus from Living Tours picked me up in front of my hotel. The tour guide introduced herself as Maria and she speaks excellent English you’d wonder if she did the student exchange program in England but she told us she learned English by watching Sesame Street on TV. Brilliant.

Inside the car is a Japanese couple with a little girl and a baby. They live in Frankfurt, Germany and are corporate expats. Then we drove to the next hotel to pick up the rest of the participants, a whole family. I thought they were Belgians at first but did noticed that their accent is not quite Belgian except for one guy. I later learned that they were a Dutch family who migrated to Brussels 40+ years ago and the guy who spoke with very thick Flemish accent was a native of Gent.

So Maria told us that we are now complete and we will now begin the tour.

This is our group. Maria our lovely tour guide and driver explaining the history of Amarante. The Japanese expats with their children living in Frankfurt. The Dutch family living in Brussels (see the Dutch guy giving me the eye why I am stealing a shot--ooh, I am scared, lol) and the Belgian guy who seem to (always) go astray...

Our first stop: Amarante Village

Amarante is located in the Grande Porto District just before entering the Douro District. It is known for its green wine cultivation, the Vinho Verde which is a very young type of wine.

Maria also said that Amarante is the last home of the Catholic saint, ‘Blessed Goncalo de Amarante’. The main buildings of interest here are the Sao Gonzalo Church and Monastery and the Sao Gonzalo Bridge built in 1790. Basically, everything is about Sao Gonzalo here.

There was also a fight against the French on this bridge that lasted for many days.

The Sao Gonzalo Bridge built in 1790. Of all my days in my long weekend trip in Porto, this was the day that was gloomy and rainy.

The estate mansion above in ochre yellow is the Relais & Chateaux hotel Casa de Calcada with a 1-star Michelin restaurant, Largo de Paco.

Flowing across town and below the Sao Goncalo Bridge is the Tamega River. On a warm sunny day, the river banks would be a nice place to stroll on, and for those seeking a much more luxurious getaway, there is a 5-star Relais & Chateaux hotel (Casa de Calcada) with a Michelin star restaurant (Largo de Paco) just across the bridge. Ahhhh, I would have loved to lunch at this restaurant. Maybe another time.

A local practice in town that I read is that, during festivities, in the name of the Blessed Goncalo de Amarante, phallic pastries were sold to promote procreation. Quite interesting huh? But here’s more... if someone is searching for love and/or a partner and touches his tomb (located inside the church), the person’s wish will be granted in a year’s time.

So anyone looking for their soul mate? Come here!!! (alright, another one of those... )

Sao Goncalo Church and Monastery

So we checked out the church and monastery of Blessed Gonzalo de Amarante (Gonzalo is also spelled Goncalo in Portuguese). The church and monastery are annexed together (monastery on the left with white tower on the picture below).

The golden interior and altar of the church, a usual sighting at most Catholic churches.

This must be the oldest statue of the blessed saint, Maria says, located inside the room where the priest prepares for the mass. The rest of the pictures are the courtyard and vaulted corridors of the monastery including a confessional corner that is attached to the church.

The beautiful ceiling inside the room of the priest.

And we also checked out the monastery annexed to it. Incidentally, the room where the priests changes their clothes and prepare their stuff before offering a mass was open. Sneaky tourists like us went inside to quickly inspect it (we did not touch anything ok). When we saw the ceiling in wood painted in elegant colours, we went from AHH to WOW. The ceiling reminds me of the Kasbah Taorirt in Ouarzazate, Morocco that I visited in the spring of 2009. They have the same painting style and geometrical construction pattern.

Along the corridors of the monastery, Maria pointed to us a little recessed hole in the wall. She said it is the confessional corner. Very interesting to note that the confessionals in the past in this church is located outside of the church, but still inside the premises but along the corridor.

Vinho Verde at 10AM

Now I remember Maria telling us that the Vinho Verde (green wine/young wine) is produced in the Amarante area and if we wanted to try this wine, then we better try this during our stop. It’s just before 10AM (it was 10:30 when I had the sip) but gastronomic curious moi is not going to let this chance slip away. I am going to try this green wine!

Vinho Verde is not a grape vareital but is a young wine that is supposedly consumed within a year from bottling. It is a Portuguese type of wine produced in the northern part of the country only. See more information here: Vinho Verde (Green Wine)

This too full a glass of vinho verde cost me just 1 Euro. Can you imagine? Yes, I finished this for my morning drink break =)

I should not forget to take a souvenir picture.

My take on Vinho Verde? It is a light fizzy wine. Quite refreshing in fact. They say this is best paired with any Bacalhau recipe and I can understand why because Bacalhau is salty and this would offset the taste and give a refreshing sparkly feel in the mouth.

Hmm, this is beginning to remind me of the Vinales Valley Tour I did last year (2012) with Blondine in Cuba where we had cocktails at every stop starting at 10AM. I don’t say no to spirits you know, but nothing to worry, I drink moderately and responsibly, and moreover, I am not driving the mini bus!

Men and their umbrellas

As with any tour group participant, one must be careful of his/her time. A quick check of the clock revealed I still have 15 more minutes to bum around the little village before going back to the mini bus. I did not have to wander around that far really because my attention got caught up with the men walking around on the square with their umbrellas.

In Amarante, there is a thriving community of retired men who seem to know each other and gather around at the square of the village, and somehow they all seem to sport their umbrellas fashionably. Talk about a cool yet functional fashion accessory. Don’t they all just look so cute?

Now on to our next stop.

Travel Period: March 2013
Destination: Amarante (Grande Porto), Portugal

Where to chill in Tallinn? Answer: Raekoja Square

The main heart of Tallinn’s old town is Raekoja Square (also spelled as Raekoda) ringed with café restaurants and outdoor terraces on all four corners. At first sight I knew right away that Raekoda and I will just get along fine =)

Raekoja Square on the top picture. Below picture is one of the entrances to the square, this is I believe the Saiakang street and the taupe cafe restaurant on the right side is the cellar cafe restaurant chocolaterie where I chilled out, but in their outdoor terrace. 

Trivia: Did you know that before 1912 Tallinn was called REVAL?

Historical fast facts: Tallinn is the oldest city in northern Europe but for centuries, the city and country has been under the Danes, the Germans, the Swedes and most recently, the Russians. Estonia gained its independence from Russia in 1920 but only managed to keep it until World War II when the country was again annexed to Russia (then USSR aka Soviet Union). It became Soviet Estonia (officially Estonian SSR). In 1991, Estonia officially gained back its freedom but the last of Russian troops only left in 1994.

The Eastern bloc has recently spiked an interest on me, so I might be visiting more of these countries and cities in the nearby future.

Anywho, enough of the history lessons! Back to chilling.

One of my happiness during travelling is sitting in a terrace and having a view such as this from my table =)

So my first chill out stop at Raekoda occurred quickly than I have expected. I have just arrived in town and just had my interesting Estonian elk lunch and now I am looking for a place to chill out for a bit. You know, do nothing, enjoy the sunshine, have some bubbly and do my needed dose of people watching. The weather has been lovely so far, the skies are blue which is a luxury this spring, so I need to take advantage of exploiting this chance. Mind you, this square is the best place for it.

I quickly chose a table at this restaurant on the corner of the square called Kehrwieder. Website: Kehrwieder - they are a chain of cafe restaurants and chocolaterie. On their website, click on the Kehrwieder Chocolaterie branch, this is the one on Raekoja square, however, their main entrance is on the side street Saiakang but they have a big outdoor terrace on the square.

Now, my table has a direct view to the Tallinn Old Town Hall. Perfect. I checked out the menu and decided to try the Spanish bubbly, the Cava. Estonia is not famous for wines so the options are foreign brands.

I also use this time to read tourist and travel magazines that I picked up from the airport and hotel. This particular magazine has great tips on what to see, where to shop and where to dine. As you can see on the picture above I went straight to the dining section =)

Also, I was glad that I went to the toilet of the restaurant because I was able to see how charming the interior is. Many buildings here have stone vaulted cellar-like ground floors. What a surprise! I snapped away again.

Is this not cool or what? Because the sun was shining, everyone was outdoors of course. During winter and colder days I am sure the indoors is a hit. The cafe restaurant, Kehrwieder, was voted Best Cafe in Tallinn.

What else did I do? Why of course, I was people watching! And architecture watching slash appreciating as well. See the evidence of the bulk of pictures I took below. It is crazy, I cannot stop from snapping away. Every where I turn to is a photo opportunity.

These pictures of Raekoja Square below were taken during a 3-day span when I was in Tallinn.

I saw many pretty Estonian girls. When I was younger, I used to be as thin as this and I wonder if I just put on effort perhaps I may achieve this size again. On the other hand, I am not that vain enough anymore. I am getting old, and er... wiser? To accept reality I mean.

Here are a few more pictures of Raekoja Square in the evening:

On my last day in the city I chilled out here to have my last hurrah together with Raekoda. I sat down on a different terrace this time. The cafe restaurant is called Vana Toomas and is also facing the Old Town Hall of Tallinn. Website: Vana Toomas 

I ordered the minty coffee shot. It’s peppermint alcohol and espresso. The other day while walking around I discovered the spirits secret of the city,Tallinn’s coffee liquors and cream, so I was interested to try the different combinations, but more on this on a later post.

So that is a coffee shot with mint liquor on top =)

The lovely views from my table.

The Raekoda square is a lovely place that will always be a favourite of everyone. When visiting Tallinn you will not miss this square because anyone coming here will eventually end up in this square. This is the heart of Tallinn.

My advise: Do not forget to take a seat and chill out at one of the outdoor terraces.

Travel Period: May 2013
Destination: Tallinn, Estonia

Perfect medieval lunch in Tallinn: Elk soup, elk dried meat and carrot pie at III Draakon

In Tallinn airport I chatted up a woman manning a tourist services counter for a free city map. I further asked directions on getting to the old town. She said there is a bus but I will have to make a transfer and then walk for 5 minutes, which confirms my earlier research online. Unfortunately the buses and trams do not go into the old town. Another option she said would be to take a cab. I asked her how much it costs. 10 Euros she said and I can buy from her the taxi voucher. Done deal. She told me to hail one of the white cabs outside the taxi lane.

Welcome to Tallinn Old Town!

Next thing I know I am cruising down the cobbled stone streets of Tallinn old town. The trip from the airport is just a 10-15 minute drive depending on the traffic and which part of the old town you are getting off.

It is almost 1PM on the clock and I have just checked in into my hotel, which by the way merits a separate post (more on that later), and the first order of the day for me is to go to the main square called Raekoda and search for III Draakon. I need some lunch.

Medieval III Draakon restaurant

I have read that III Draakon is a medieval dungeon-like cafe restaurant located in the old town hall on Raekoda square. It is the only restaurant of its kind in Europe, they say, or perhaps in the whole world. The women attending the place are dressed in traditional medieval Estonian clothing and are often caught throwing ancient poetry at their customers. Their speciality? Elk soup (podrasupp), elk dried meat, assorted Estonian pies and sausages.

They cooked the elk soup in a steaming cauldron and baked the vegetarian and meat pies themselves in the premises. There were no sausages when I was there though but they had dried elk meat. Now elk is a type of deer animal that roams in northern Europe.

The woman behind the wooden counter spoke impeccable English, which I noticed is quite prevalent all over Estonia. She was a beautiful and entertaining host. She tends to rhyme everything that she says, I was in awe and wondering if I have just been transplanted to the 1500's. The skeptical side of me though was whispering on my ears that she might just be a scheming dark witch trying to cast a spell on me while pretending to be this lovely and enthusiastic medieval wench.

The only thing I didn’t like was when I was about to pay. She commented that a rich woman like me might want to pay 5 Euros instead of 4 Euros.

Hmm, I don’t know, but what is ‘rich’ anyway? I always felt awkward when strangers talk to me about money. It is a subject that I try to avoid. Nevertheless, it left a bad taste on my mouth so I did not pay more than the actual total cost.

Typically Estonian lunch: Elk soup, elk dried meat and carrot pie

For 4 Euros I had an elk soup (this was sooooooooo good) served in a stone bowl, a carrot pie (also very good, they have other choices such as meat) and a dried elk meat (yummy, I wish I ordered more). All of these are typically Estonian fares, I was told.

Verdict: This must have been one of my most fulfilling yet very interesting lunch. The elk soup was gorgeous and the pie was soooooo good. I wanted more of the elk dried meat as well.

OK, to put things into perspective, this is what I have eaten:

Here is the elk soup and the elk dried meat again (with flash):

Then Little Red Reding Hood (with a green hood but red dress) arrived to buy some pies. I am like, what is this place? A fairy tale? Where is Cinderella and Snow White? LOL

With all the Middle Ages costume regalia and poetry mockery thrown around the place, you’d think this is a big tourist trap. But no, the place is actually highly popular amongst the locals! More than half of the people that came in to buy and eat at this dungeon-like cafe restaurant spoke Estonian or Est. And for 4 euros for a bowl of soup, pie and dried meat stick? Where else can I get that? Just an amazing place!

If you are ever in Tallinn, this place is a must visit. I am sure you will be entertained and will totally enjoy the elk soup and the pies.

Nonetheless, it’s just been over an hour since I have landed in Tallinn, Estonia and now with a full stomach from my traditional Estonian fare, I am already grinning from ear to ear. What more surprises are in store for me in this Tallinn trip? I can not wait to further investigate the old medieval town and find out where her other treasures are hidden.

Travel Period: May 2013
Destination: Tallinn, Estonia