The Douro valley and human sacrifices

At Peso de Regua we stayed on a motorhome parking lot with electricity for 3 euros to investigate boat trips for when Tas arrived to visit us.

We also visited the museum where we learnt about the history of this Douro wine and Port region finishing with a taste of Tawny Port. We both thought it would be disgusting but were pleasantly surprised -  but not converted to being wine drinkers!

There is a railway along the side of the Douro and each station is ornately decorated with tiles. This station was at Pinhao, where we would return later.

This was a very strange place called the Panoias Sanctuary located on the edge of a small village near Vila Real. Here, about 1800 years ago, various cavities of different shapes and sizes, as well as stairs, have been carved out of the rocks. Luckily, several inscriptions were also carved in the rocks in Latin and Greek, describing the rituals to their gods that were carried out and also giving instructions - basically human sacrifices! Apparently, the victims chose to be sacrificed themselves. Their blood was poured into small cavities and their entrails were removed and placed into larger cavities where it was burnt - lovely!

From here we spent three quiet nights in a water park campsite and because the waterpark was closed, we were mostly the only ones here!