Bizarre mountains and picturesque villages.
Trás-os-Montes, ‘behind the mountains’ – this interesting name describes an area that’s away from the rest of the world and civilization, it’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s burning hot in the summer and ice cold in the winter. The secluded landscapes of the northeast form a new piece of Portuguese reality. Outdated, picturesque villages with old ladies clad in black really do exist. Here, the old times continue but have never been good. Nothing has grown on the sparse, rocky soil aside the river valleys for a long time – many residents were forced to migrate into cities. One thing is guaranteed: Silence. Europe is far away, Bragança seems like a cosmopolitan city. Further to the south, the river Douro runs along lush hills. Vineyards stretch above the waterway and lay the foundation for the port. South of the ‘gold river’ (ouro = gold), the landscape stays sparse and rocky until Serra da Estrela. Nevertheless, there are vineyards and gardens are wherever rock formations don’t make it impossible, olive trees seem to grow on rocks. Vast oak-, chestnut- and pine forests are in the area, where the Vouga, Mondego and Dão run to the west. Here, in one of the most water abundant area of Portugal, a fight for the eucalyptus tree, the ‘green oil of Portugal’, has begun. Influential paper manufacturers have lumbered entire oak forests and planted fast-growing eucalyptus trees. Environmentalists are now concerned about soil, groundwater level and fauna. The many new buildings and motorway from Aveiro to the Spanish boarder show the economical progresses Portugal has made after joining the EU. The most beautiful villages of Serra da Estrela are declared to national heritage by the ‘program for renovation of historical villages’.
