We are doing our best to manage the jet lag. It seems to be working well as we had a good sleep until 09:00. We had our breakfast on the terrace overlooking the basilica and the town. Unfortunately, there are wildfires in the distance and water bombers are continually landing on the ocean and filling up with water. The breakfasts here are amazing with an incredible fruit salad, eggs, bacon, cheese and freshly baked whole grain loaves. And with our view below the breakfasts are the more enjoyable. We made a mess on the tablecloth. We packed up and headed southeast in our “fat assed” Renault. A two-lane road winding through groves of trees almost like a green tunnel. There are no large patches of open space but village after village. After this 50 km drive we ended up in our pousada Santa Marinha up in the hills overlooking Guimares. It was a former monastery converted into a luxury hotel. The beds are in on a lower level with a step up to a sitting area with chairs and a table with large wooden planked floors. Large widows look out at the garden and the mountain above. Off the reception area are the cloisters with taped monk chants which you can contemplate while watching water in a most elaborate fountain. The fifth floor resembles a museum with hugged arched ceilings. The sitting room is spectacular and there is a terrace with fountain. After checking in off to the Duke of Bragança Palace in town which is a nobleman’s palace. One of the rooms has an exhibit of all the gifts received by the prime ministers of Portugal. One gift from Canada was a huge Inuit soapstone carving. Returned home for a swim in an immaculately clean swimming pool.
Dinner for all was a rather dry duck. Not on their game tonight.
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