From 7 to 14 October, fifty members of the Bel Age Castelnaudais club set out to discover Portugal. Upon their arrival, the visit to Porto began with the Church of São Francisco, whose nave and choir were covered in gold leaf, the Ribeira district and the São Bento station with its magnificent azulejo frescoes. On the second day, the cruise on board the Douro enchanted all participants. They discovered the capitalist role that this river played in the economic development of the region in the eighteenth century, especially in the field of port transportation. The UNESCO-listed cities of Braga and Guimarães, considered the cradle of Portugal, were also included in the program of this stay, as was the Sanctuary of Fatima. The group then visited the monasteries of Batalha and Santa Maria d’Alcobaca. They were able to discover Nazareth, this beautiful little fishing village. One day was entirely dedicated to visiting Lisbon, the famous Jerónimos Monastery, the Belém Tower, the Alfama area and the Chariot Museum, then the National Palace of Sintra was the vacation spot of the Kings. On the final day, Castelnaudais seniors went to the university town of Coimbra, also listed as a UNESCO heritage site with its famous library and botanical park. The trip ended in Aveiro, the Portuguese city of Venice.
As gourmets, in addition to discovering the architectural heritage, the seniors took advantage of their trip to taste port, vinho verde, ginjinha (griot drink), bacalhau and the famous Lisbon pastels. Folk dancing and Fado evenings added a festive touch to this very successful residency. And so full!
