Friday, 5/17. Another bus drive, but shorter this time. A fun visit to a town that is essentially one big co-op for wine and bread. The wine is largely a table wine of muscatel. Huge production facility using locally grown grapes. Fun place. Bought a t-shirt with “Follow Me! I know where the wine is!” on the back. They traditionally bottle the production in tiny bottles that can be placed in a lady’s purse. Excellent tour.
The bread is called four corner bread. See the photo. We visited one of the eight remaining bakeries. The entire town is at risk of disappearing because of a low birth rate coupled with youth relocation to big cities. Excellent bread. The town has a very modern museum of both wine and bread.
Then a wonderfully entertaining lunch at another local winery. The owner was an Andy Kaufman-type comedian. Food was terrific.
Late afternoon cruise down the Douro was also fun. The evening had a concert by what’s called a tuna band. Looked a lot like a jewish group, but certainly weren’t.
Great day.
It may be hard to grasp, but the lock takes us waaaaaay down. 
View from the bow. 
Our tour guide at the wine production facility. Massive place, which collects grapes from the local area. 
A cork “wall”. 
Four corner bread. Hard outside, soft inside. Stays fresh for 4 days. 
The baker. Famous in her town. 
At the winery for lunch. 
Pool, with vineyards in the background. 
Soup. 
A mechanical representation of grape stomping. Only done by men. A fantasy crushed. 
I want this wine cooler!
What kind of baking pan makes that shape??
A good question. An interesting answer. The shape is created by the baker by hand. Tradition dictates that the bread be made by hand, then broken by hand after baking for eating. Part of the cause for the impending death of the town is that they insist on tradition. There are prayers associated with the baking.