Douro - Portugal

Douro is one of Margarida's favorite places in Portugal, she already went to grape picking there. She sent me this card back in August, the grape picking was in September and i'm posting this card in October. 

www.touaqui.pt

As you follow the Douro upriver the water becomes clearer and the air fresher. The hills that surround the river banks are hand sculpted with terraces lined with grapevines that produce the famous Port Wine and the other table wines of the region.

The Douro is like a canvas that changes with the seasons as it is painted with splashes of colour from the leaves and flowers of the different species of plants. In the springtime, with the almond trees in blossom, white and violet blend with the green of the trees. In the autumn, the hills and valleys are covered in a carpet of copper and browns.

The leafy green contrasts with the bright clean waters of the various rivers and tributaries that snake through the region. 

The Douro region is dry in the summer and icy cold in the winter; it is a land of contrasts: the beautifully kept vineyards and almond and olive trees that appear in the local cuisine are in direct contrast with the stretches of harsh and wild terrain and the fertile highlands with their varied fruits and vegetables. 

In the Douro region, nature lives in harmony with the farmers who are able to work the land while preserving the scenery and maintaining its beauty intact. - in: http://www.dourovalley.eu/en/landscapes