Valença, Portugal

As part of my journey to Galicia, North West Spain, we drove to Portugal just for the sake of it, cause I have never been to Portugal before. We drove from Santiago de Compostela and we chose the city Valença for our destination, as it is very close to the border, and it is a unique town. It was a really nice journey, seeing hills and beaches on the side. The view was awesome!

Hills on the way to Portugal
Hills on the way to Portugal
Hills and beaches
Hills and beaches
Road to Portugal View
Road to Portugal View

On the seaside, we can find a lot of Vatea, sort of like black boxes on the sea to catch clams and oyster. A waiter from a restaurant explained to me how it works, by having ropes underneath where the organizm grows.

vatea
vatea

The drive itself took around 2-3 hours as we were really relaxing, stopping for food etc. Don’t know why, I am always happy seeing countries sign. It is just very easy now to cross borders.

Portugal Sign
Portugal Sign

Valença, Portugal

Valença is surrounded by stone walls from the middle age. The gate to enter the town is just one small lane, fits for just one car, controlled by a traffic light.

Gate to Valença
Gate to Valença
Valença Narrow Gate
Valença Narrow Gate
Valença Stone Walls
Valença Stone Walls

Streets in Valença are narrow and made of stones. Spanish people always have jokes that they go to Portugal just to buy towels because it is so much cheaper there. The street markets are also narrow with lots of people selling stuff on the side. Wine shops are relatively cheaper here, and they have lots of varieties.

Valença Narrow Lanes
Valença Narrow Lanes
Valença Street Markets
Valença Street Markets
Valença Wine Shop
Valença Wine Shop

Food and Wine

While I was in Portugal, I made myself to drink Porto / Port Wine and eat some Bacalhau (codfish), typical fish from Portugal. Every area has its own way of preparing the Bacalhau.

Port Wine in Valença
Port Wine in Valença
Bacalhau
Bacalhau

We didn’t spend much time in Valença. But we did visit a random museum, Núcleo Museológico de Valença, and saw the miniature of Valença. The view from the city walls are not bad as well with a countryside feeling.

Valença Miniature
Valença Miniature
View from Valença
View from Valença

After a little while spending the day in Valença, we headed back to Spain, or should I say Espanha (in Portuguese).

Back to Spain
Back to Spain
Espanha
Espanha

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