A common destination for the cruise/train combo trip I'd hoped for is Peso da Régua, but I'd heard Pinhão upriver was nicer. My ticket was flexible enough for me to visit both. It amused me to notice that we went by a factory that processed wood, rock, and brick. I realized that I'd lose my undeclared game of Settlers of Catan against them and was about to give up until I spotted fields of sheep and wheat for me to claim. Otherwise I was disappointed with the journey: not nearly as scenic as I'd hoped. It could have been the hazy morning light, perhaps due to the smoke from the many fires we passed (??) or the simple fact that the grapes were no longer on the vines.
Arriving at Pinhão, I was one of the many disembarking with a clueless look. After a brief fruitless search for tourist information up and down the deserted main street, a fellow train passenger spotted me and asked if I knew where to go. Nope! No plan at all. (My research the previous night turned up nothing. I now understood why.) She at least had a printout of destinations and notes, and graciously allowed me to tag along. I wasn't entirely sure whether we were aiming for a vineyard, winery, viewpoint, or some combination of these. We asked for directions and got the answer "that way, 4 kilometers, uphill." Hm. Farther than we'd hoped but we had no better plan.
As we climbed, the valley opened up beneath us. This really was a beautiful place. Terraced vineyards in every direction, the Douro below. Soon, far below. Faraway signs touting Quintas (vineyards/wineries) or the port houses they supplied. My favorites advertized the ubiquitous Sandeman, usually accompanied by their logo, a vaguely menacing cloaked figure holding a glass. I wonder what the workers think with that image constantly looming over them.
About halfway to
I'm in luck! Lunch is good, filling, and cheap, even in this ghost town. Some time remains, so I wander down to the river to find ... people! Restaurants! Even the damn tourist information booth. I guess they're expecting everyone to come by boat. Oh well. I find my new friend again and we compare notes on what to do next. Two basic options: directly back to Porto, or take another stab at this day by visiting Régua on the way back. We both pick Régua, her choice for a cathedral, and mine for wandering off at random again. Régua's a good deal bigger, so this idea seems vaguely plausible to me.
Lesson learned from Pinhão, I walk directly to the docks. A cruise director points me to tourist info across town. They are open! And have map handouts! With wineries on them! However, most are many km away. One that looks walkable is back by the train station, where I need to get to anyway, so my choice is made. Ah, but it seems to be deserted as well. I can just walk right in to a room full of vats. Olá? No response. I finally find human contact at the shop. There's no tour available, which I didn't understand at first, but I did stick around for a super-cheesy short film and a tasting.
...and then I missed my train. Curses! There was even a shortcut back from the winery that would have saved me, but it only became apparent once I was already in the station. But you know what? The sun was setting and there's an infinite number of less beautiful places I could have been. My unintended extra hour went to good use by buying a snack for a walk across a few bridges, including the wonderfully named Ponte Metálica. From there I saw that the Sandeman casts his shadow over Régua too.
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