{"id":20439,"date":"2019-08-12T01:04:46","date_gmt":"2019-08-11T15:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelandpamstravels.com\/?p=20439"},"modified":"2020-07-18T11:23:53","modified_gmt":"2020-07-18T01:23:53","slug":"amarante-portugal-%f0%9f%87%b5%f0%9f%87%b9-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michaelandpamstravels.com\/?p=20439","title":{"rendered":"Amarante, Portugal \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf9 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Date: 10th August 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travelled: 58 kms from Guimar\u00e3es in the Province of Minho to Amarante in the Province of Douro<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visited: Amarante<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stayed: River-side car-park, free + B. N41.27333, W08.07358<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budget: 62 days @ \u20ac80 per day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After servicing the Hymer, we roll out of Guimar\u00e3es relatively early, the GPS set for Amarante. We take the freeway to save some time and to hopefully arrive early enough to secure a parking spot. Amarante makes the Lonely Planet \u2018Highlights of the Douro\u2019 and being Saturday, I imagine it will be busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Somehow our GPS decides we should drive across the Ponte de S\u00e3o Gon\u00e7alo with half the town of Amarante walking across it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Map of Amarante, the icon on our parking spot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We find a supermarket for a quick shop, then on continue on to the parking spot adjacent the Rio T\u00e2mega. The traffic is chaos, as it\u2019s market day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It takes some 20 minutes to travel 500m as drivers argue and fight over parking spots. We feel we have no chance, but we turn down just past the market to a lovely shaded car-park big enough for perhaps 20 cars and to our surprise it\u2019s empty. Apparently the Portuguese don\u2019t like walking up 20m to the market. We pick the plum spot, have a coffee before walking up into town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nice spot, this photo was taken later when we were joined by a few other motorhomes, shade and a water view.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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