Announcer: Welcome to "Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope," where you join us as we accept the world's invitation to visit.

Sante!

Sante!

[Cheering] Rosendo: Today on "Travelscope," I explore Portugal and discover the history, food, wine, amazing people... [Speaks Portuguese] Rosendo: and World Heritage scenery of the Douro River Valley.

Announcer: "Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope" is made possible by Emerald Waterways.

It's been said that if experience is the best teacher, then travel is the best experience.

River cruising seeks to immerse travelers deep within a culture while moving gently through it.

With Emerald Plus, in-depth cultural experiences are included on every European cruise.

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And No-Jet-Lag jet lag prevention.

For 557 miles, the Rio Douro, the golden river, flows from its source in Spain to where it empties into the Atlantic in Porto, Portugal.

As it makes its way through Portugal, it offers a scenic feast of mountains and canyons, towns and villages, and the terraced vineyards of the Douro Valley, the world's oldest demarcated wine region and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Following its course is one of the world's great river journeys.

I begin my journey at the river's mouth in Porto, Portugal's second largest city.

Strolling through Porto's UNESCO Heritage old town is like walking through history from the 18th-century Torre dos Clerigos through the narrow streets of it's walled, 12th-century medieval village to the Douro River, where it's second-century Roman settlements, Portus and Cale, give Portugal its name.

Portugal's Age of Discovery, which spanned the 15th and 16th century, all began in Porto with its favorite son Henry the Navigator.

With colonies in Africa, India, Asia, and the New World, the country prospered, and a walk around town reveals signs of Porto's former glory, from its gold-leaf-laden churches, stunning azulejos tiles gracing its buildings, busy port warehouses, and bustling riverside.

Although Porto's yesterdays were glorious, its todays have their own special grandeur.

First seen in Portugal during the more than 500 years of Moorish dominance, azulejos became popular during the reign of Portuguese king Manuel I in the 16th century.

He had seen the work on a visit to Seville, Spain.

Now, the word "tile" in Arabic means polished stone because the Arab artists' original intent was to create something to imitate Roman mosaics.

Now, the royal blue azulejos was used extensively to decorate the homes of the nobility and the wealthy and on churches and in public buildings such as Porto's São Bento train station.

As opposed to the Moorish work, Portuguese azullejos depicted human figures, which was not allowed during the Moorish times.

Today, using glazes and designs that honor the original Arabic masters, Portuguese artists are still creating azulejos in co-op workshops throughout Porto.

Obrigado, Maria.

Obrigado.

And there you have it, the Portuguese art of azulejo.

Though the Moors were expelled from Portugal in the 13th century, there were more struggles ahead.

To get back to the beginnings of the Portuguese state, I visited Guimarães, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ancient Portucale's original capital and the birthplace of the country's first king.

This is the 12th-century castle of Dom Alfonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal.

It being here is one of the reasons why the town of Guimarães, 30 miles from Porto, claims to be the birthplace of Portugal.

One, the first king of Portugal was born here.

Second, this is where the first battle of many, many battles over hundreds of years took place with Spain in order for Portugal to keep its independence from Spain.

In the 16th century, Spain finally did rule Portugal for 67 years, but in 1640, Portugal fought once again to regain its independence and has been independent ever since then.

There is hardly a better place to end a busy day of touring than from the terrace of the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar looking back across the Douro River to beautiful Porto.

Before there was a Portugal, there were fish, and, lucky for us, there still are as well as authentic fishing villages to visit... [Shouts in Portuguese] Rosendo, voice-over: where life is lived for itself, not for tourists.

[Women singing] They're singing, and I'm washing.

Harkens back to the old days when people came together to wash their clothes together.

All these ladies are here washing, singing, and, it turns out, dancing at the same time, as well.

São Pedro da Afurada, west and just across the Douro from Porto, nourishes an essential part of the Portuguese spirit.

All Portuguese, and especially those that live in Porto, have a special, romantic relationship with the sea.

Stories of Portuguese fishermen bravely traveling long distances--they can travel as far as Canada for their catch--and suffering nature's wrath are legendary.

Everyone loves a superhero, and the humble fisherpeople of Afurada graciously accept the role.

[Speaking Portuguese] [Woman speaks Portuguese] Rosendo: Are these generations of fishermen?

Father and grandfathers are also fishermen?

Woman: In general, yes.

What's he gonna do with his fish?

Well, as you can see, the peoples here, uh, buy it directly.

Hmm.

The rest of them sell the rest to the local restaurants.

We've seen the fish.

We've seen the fishermen.

Now we need to taste it.

Rosendo: Bom apetite.

Rosendo, voice-over: The cultural complement to Portuguese food is wine.

While Port wine is the most famous, it's just the beginning.

Portugal boasts a heritage of more than 250 native grapes, and there are 26 demarcated wine regions, or DOCs.

The oldest is Douro, and the largest is Vinho Verde, and the Douro River runs through them.

Portugal's quintas, wine-producing estates, offer wine lovers up-close and personal experiences with their favorite beverage.

[Bottles clattering] This is one of the largest quintas, or wineries, in Portugal, and the largest in the Vinho Verde region, 17 million bottles a year, and it sounds like it.

[Clattering] Thought I'd lend a hand, anything to get these bottles filled.

And this is a blend of Loureiro and Alvarinho.

The Alvarinho and the Loureiro, how do they come together here?

Well, this is actually a very happy marriage because Loureiro is the most plenteous variety in the region, and it's very aromatic, lots of floral notes, tropical fruit, and then we blend it with the Alvarinho.

This Alvarinho will complement the mid palate Mm-hmm.

of--of the wine.

Well, saúde.

Sparkly.

Fizzy.

Fizzy.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Frizzante.

It's really fresh.

That's the essence of Vinho Verde.

Pedro, I love doing this, walking with a vintner in the vine.

This is fabulous.

Portugal is famous for having the oldest demarked wine region in the world, and that's the Douro, and this region is called Vinho Verde.

Yes.

They are right next to each other.

The differences are huge Really?

because here, we are very close to the Atlantic, so it's never too hot, never too cold, OK. and also we get all the rain.

If you keep going east, then you'll cross the mountains, and these mountains work as a natural barrier.

The Douro region is much hotter and drier, so here, we have great conditions to produce white wines, whereas in the Douro, they have great conditions to produce red wines-- dense, concentrated, bold, uh, dark fruits.

That's the basis of Port.

OK. What kind of soil do you have here?

The base of the soil is granite stone which then decomposes into sand.

Good drainage.

How about in the Douro?

They have lack of water, but fortunately, the soil in the Douro is quite rich in stones.

These stones work as a water-retention device because the water stays under the stone.

Beautiful.

The roots can go down and sip from that water.

How smart nature is, huh?

Yeah, definitely.

You know, another thing that's unusual is how high the canopy is here.

Why do you keep it so high?

If you have more leaves, then you have more production of micronutrients that will then migrate to the grapes.

So you're telling me your wine is healthy to drink.

Yes, absolutely.

Ha ha ha!

Rosendo, voice-over: While fine wines are taking root in the vineyard, Portuguese culinary specialties are cooking in the kitchen.

Here at the quinta, they offer their guests a traditional Portuguese petiscos, which are basically small plates featuring Portuguese specialties such as Portuguese sausage, cod fish croquettes, or bolinhos.

We have slow-cooked pork, and these chorizo sausages being grilled here are for the iconic caldo verde.

Now, this coupled with the local white wine makes for a beautiful lunch.

Oh, bom apetite.

Rosendo, voice-over: While the tradition of fine wine and food sustains the Portuguese, Portugal's spiritual heritage nurtures their soul.

Since medieval times, pilgrims have taken the Camino Portugués on the Way of Saint James to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

They cross through fields and vineyards, stopping in cities like Porto and towns like Barcelos, which is particularly famous due to a 13th-century pilgrim who was accused of theft, sentenced to hang, but spared when he proved his innocence by predicting that a roasted rooster would get up and crow.

It did, and since then, the cockerel has become a national symbol of Portugal.

You can pick one up at Barcelos' Thursday market, one of Europe's largest and a cultural icon in its own right.

Oy, the Barcelos market is a market to end all markets.

This market has everything, including history.

It was first established by the king in 1412.

There's so many different things here-- plants, fruit and vegetables, clothing.

Here.

Come on.

Let's go look at it.

The heart of any market like this--the produce, lettuces, and the greens-- and here's something very unique--oak skin melon.

Doesn't happen all the time.

It depends on the weather whether they get it or not.

These, too, pica.

Pica.

Pica?

Oh, she says they're a little spicy, too.

Well, look at these.

Look at these--corazón... Corazón.

cow's heart tomatoes.

Obrigado.

Obrigado.

Those are beautiful.

There's over 200 vendors that are just small producers that come in every Thursday, bring their things to sell at the market.

One of the major highlights of coming to the Barcelos market is ceramics.

Portugal has been creating ceramics since medieval times.

I've got something that I think is really cool that I'm gonna buy.

These things are for azeitonas-- Oliva.

olives, olives.

Ah, oliva, oui, and this is where you put the pits.

What a great idea.

Olives, pits, and it's also very pretty.

Hacerlo y aquí.

Aquí.

Sí.

So a little bit of Spanish will work here.

OK. Barcelos.

Barcelos.

I want one, OK?

Obrigado.

Rosendo: Portugal is completely associated with salted cod, and the reason it became salted originally was to preserve it.

There are about a thousand different recipes they use here in Portugal.

You'll certainly eat it when you come to Portugal.

If you don't, then you're not eating.

They have all sort of things here in the market, including traditional meats.

Traditional meat it is.

Is this chorizo?

Blood sausage, blood chorizo.

Blood sausage because I know they put the chorizo in the caldo verde.

In caldo verde, but is--is this one.

What is that?

It's meat chorizo.

What are these, pig ears?

Yes.

Is the nose.

OK.

Pig nose.

[Snorts] How long have you been coming to this market?

Uh, 20 years.

It is a nice market and the oldest, uh, one of the country.

Since 1412.

[Whistles] You're part of a long tradition, my friend.

I'm a baby from that, eh?

Thank you so much.

Obrigado.

Obrigado.

Thank you for speaking with us.

What do you suggest for traditional?

Both: Pastel de nata.

This is from Portugal.

Yeah.

OK. [Speaking Portuguese] She's the baker?

Yes.

[Speaks Portuguese] Ha ha ha!

[Speaking Portuguese] Ah...

I don't know what you're saying, but I love you.

Ha ha ha!

This good?

Sim.

Um?

Um.

Um.

This one.

Don't understand what she's saying.

[Speaks Portuguese] Um--um-- Um.

Um, dois, trés, quatro.

Uh, no.

Oh, no.

Ha ha!

I don't know what she's saying, but I sure feel what she's saying.

[Speaks Portuguese] [Speaks Portuguese] All right.

Obrigado.

Obrigado.

Obrigado.

[Speaking Portuguese] Mwah!

Mwah!

Ha ha!

Mwah!

[Speaks Portuguese] Rosendo: Heart and soul of the market?

That's the heart and soul of a market.

Mm, this is pretty good, too.

Rosendo, voice-over: From Barcelos in the province of Minho with its lush valleys and forested hillsides, I follow the wine trail across the mountains into the Douro River Valley to the historic town of Lamego, one of the first recaptured from the Moors during the 12th-century Reconquista and celebrated for its Spumante.

The town of Lamego is famous for being on the Way of Saint James, the Camino Portugués to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, famous for its beautiful church and 600 stairs, heavenly.

It's also pretty heavenly that they produce a wonderful, sparkling wine here.

There's only two wineries of the hundreds producing wine in the Douro Valley that produce Spumante, or sparkling wine, and Raposeira is one of them.

They've been producing sparkling wine since 1898, and now they're producing 3 million bottles a year.

Once it gets into the bottle, it's laid down for at least 2 1/2 years, and then it goes through the riddling process to remove the dead yeast from the second fermentation, and then all that's left is the bottling, the corking... [Pop] and he enjoying.

Saúde.

Ahh...

Established in 1756, the Douro Valley is the world's oldest demarcated wine region and the birthplace of Port.

The valley is awe-inspiring, much of it designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Best ways to take in its natural and manmade beauty is via the riverside N-222 roadway, considered one of the world's most scenic drives... by passenger train, or from the water, where you float past 18th-century quintas, layer upon layer of impossibly terraced vineyards, under bridges, and through locks and gorges to picturesque river towns and quaint, hillside villages.

Bom dia.

Bom dia.

Rosendo, voice-over: In the medieval hamlet of Provesende near Pinhão, you can enjoy the handiwork of traditional artisans.

Quente.

Yes, yes.

Oh, quente.

Ow, ow, ow, ow.

It is hot.

Ha ha ha!

Rosendo: Opportunities abound for Port tours and tastings in the Douro Valley, including in most of the more than 200 quintas in the region.

The Quinta Do Bomfim's wine country roots go back to 1882.

Man: This is touriga nacional, one of the many varieties in the Douro Valley.

What is the terroir here?

So the terroir is mainly the combination of 3 factors.

The first one is the grape varieties that you can plant here, 115 different varieties of grapes, all national ones.

Then the second you are feeling is the weather... Yeah.

Yeah.

A little bit warm.

minus two degrees Celsius in the winter to 43 degrees Celsius in the summer.

That's extreme, Little bit.

so these guys have to suffer.

A lot, and it's totally forbidden to water these vines, Really?

OK?

What about this stuff?

This that you can see here is our soil, and it's the third factor of our terroir.

Is mostly slate that was broken over the last centuries with the strength of the arms of our mens, so allows the roots of the vines to break the slate and reach 6, 8 meters into the ground just to get the humidity that they need to survive, so in front of you is the new-technology lagars to make the treading of the grapes as close as possible with the traditional method.

You mean the old-fashioned place where people used to dance and stomp around?

Yes, dancing with plenty of music, the most important of all, OK. so in the traditional lagar, we would need here 30 persons working during 4 hours, then two hours of freedom, the dancing, drink some wine.

With this machine, it will work the 4 hours that will be needed with 30 persons inside.

From here, we send our wines to our barrels, where we stop alcoholical fermentation.

This is our old lodge from 1896.

In the first floor, we would have our old lagars.

By gravity the wine will fall down from the top floor to the bottom of these barrels.

How much would these barrels hold?

These ones have about 40,000 liters, and the first one 63,000 liters.

That's a lot of wine.

A little bit.

How many bottles of wine do you produce each year in the Douro Valley?

In the Douro, we don't talk about bottles.

We talk about barrels, and last year, for example, it was 111,000 barrels.

OK. Now, this is where Port is made.

The magic takes place here.

It takes place inside of these barrels.

You add the grape spirit and stop the fermentation.

Yes.

What is the grape spirit?

The grape spirit is distilled wines without color, aroma, and flavors, and it has about 77% of volume of alcohol.

So what does the grape spirit do?

It will kill all the yeast, but it will keep the natural sugar and also the primary aromas and flavors from the wine.

This is a tawny.

Ah, how old is that?

This is Dow's 10 years old.

Wine's blended with 10 years old, ages inside of the small barrels, excellent, to be enjoyed with a creme brulee.

Is the idea to lay down Ports or-- These rubies and tawnies, they are wines to be drinked, OK?

The ones that you are talking about is the vintage Ports.

Mm.

Those, yes, have the capacity of aging inside of the bottle for several decades, uh, or even centuries.

Rosendo, voice-over: Port dates from the 17th century, when British wine merchants, deprived of French vintages due to war, added grape spirit to the intense wine of the Douro Valley, which improved taste and kept it from souring in transit.

The tawny, ruby, and white Port wines were transported aboard flat-bottom boats, rabelos, to the wine lodges of Villa Nova de Gaia, across the Douro from Porto, to age and await exportation.

The best part of every wine cellar tour of Villa Nova de Gaia-- the Port tasting.

Saúde.

[Portuguese guitar and 6-string guitar playing] 30 riverfront lodges welcome visitors for tours, tastings, and exclusive evenings that embrace Portuguese specialties of wine, food, and fado, Portugal's distinctive musical happening, declared a World Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO and brimming with saudade... [Singing in Portuguese] Rosendo, voice-over: which translates as fate, is an integral part of the Portuguese psyche and best described as a yearning for past glories, lost loves, and missed opportunities with a glimmer of hope.

Rosendo: What made you want to sing fado?

I love music, and I love poetry.

When I sing fado, I can mix both.

[Singing in Portuguese] I feel happiness.

I feel sad sometimes, and I need to sing fado to give you my soul.

[Applause] Rosendo, voice-over: Portugal has much to discover-- history, food, wine, breathtaking scenery, and exceptional people.

From royal castles, golden churches, and port warehouses to World Heritage vineyards, bustling markets, and farm- and sea-to-table cuisine, it offers travelers a world of well-known and unexpected pleasures, and the paths to their discovery are many and often intersect.

You can explore by boat, by train, by car, or on foot.

Bom dia.

Rosendo, voice-over: On my way, I crossed the Way of Saint James and learned a lesson from the saint's symbolic, scalloped shell, whose lines converge at its root that likewise in Portugal, all joys spring from a single source-- the Portuguese, whose passion, warmth, love, and laughter open all doors to those with a spirit to enter.

As the Portuguese say, the best and the most beautiful cannot be seen or even touched.

It must be felt with the heart.

Until next time, this is Joseph Rosendo reminding you of the words of Mark Twain-- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

Happy traveling.

Announcer: "Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope" is made possible by Emerald Waterways.

It's been said that if experience is the best teacher, then travel is the best experience.

River cruising seeks to immerse travelers deep within a culture while moving gently through it.

With Emerald Plus, in-depth cultural experiences are included on every European cruise.

Emerald Waterways.

And No-Jet-Lag jet lag prevention.

For a DVD of today's show, or any of Joseph's "Travelscope" adventures, call 888-876-3399 or order online at Travelscope.net.

You can also e-mail us at TV@Travelscope.net.

Rosendo: Now that we've explored Portugal's Douro River Valley, learn more at Travelscope.net, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my e-magazine, blog, podcast, and on Facebook.

Stay in touch--888-876-3399 or TV@Travelscope.net.

Although my recent heritage is Cuban, my ancestry is Spanish, and I can't get this close to Spain without dropping in for a visit.

Salamanca's Plaza Mayor was built in the 18th century to host a market, bullfights, hence the viewing balconies that surround the plaza.

In 2005, it was named Europe's Main Square.

[Bell tolling] It's 11:30 at night, and that's not surprising because the Spaniards are night owls and not just the wild and wooly Spaniards, but families.