A top ten road – Hwy 222 into Porto

Monday morning we awoke in the sleepy village of Monsanto, with a population of only about 70, and enjoyed a quiet breakfast overlooking the valley below. We met a Swiss couple the previous night who had said that they had come up by bus. Apparently, there is another, wider, actual road that comes into town! A few minutes of searching and we found it – a wide, paved road that would have been a far easier (and far more boring) route into Monsanto.

We packed up and headed out, knowing that this would be our last day on the road.

We headed north on a combination of larger throughways and country roads through small villages. One thing we observed, which we thought was brilliant, was a system for ensuring traffic proceeded slowly through the small villages. The speed limit was posted as 50 km/h. If you approached the village faster than that, a traffic light turned red and forced you to stop. If you were below the limit, it remained green and you could continue unhindered.

After several hours, we arrived at the eastern end of the Duoro Valley, in which the Duoro river flows west to the ocean. Hwy 222 follows along this river, and this drive is reported by some as one of the 10 most beautiful roads in the world to ride. I’m not sure I’d agree with top 10, but it most certainly was an awesome ride, with a never-ending series of curves winding through the heart of Portugal’s wine region. The slopes on either side of the valley were covered in vineyards, and on those occasions when the scenery opened up, the vineyards stretched as far as the eye could see. Orange trees were de rigueur on each property, with the ripened fruit falling along the roadside.

This region is apparently also known for its cherries, although it was too early in the season for them.

For nearly 200 km we twisted our way through the Duoro Valley along the Romantic Road. As we neared Porto and the end of our epic journey, it began to rain. A quick stop to don our rain wear, and we pushed on, arriving in Porto almost nine hours after departing Monsanto. Now, all we had to do was negotiate the wet, cobblestone streets through the evening traffic and find our special friends who were waiting for us.

Randy and Shevaun had retired and left Victoria last fall, moving to Mauritius for six months. We had planned to meet up with them in Porto at the end of our trip to reconnect, and so were very happy to finally see them again.

And so, Tuesday morning we returned the motorcycles to the rental agency, having logged 5033.9 km, 4 countries and endless memories over 26 days. There are a few more stories to tell, and we are both so very grateful for the experiences, opportunities and interactions that we have enjoyed since the start of this trip, which seems so very long ago.

We will remain in Porto until next Monday, at which point we will have to face reality and return home to work and to prepare to move.

Thank you all for following along with us in our journey. We’ve appreciated your feedback, and are happy to share more with you if you desire.

The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.