Hi,
Finally, we had a beautiful, sunny, and warm weekend! Not wanting to waste it, we headed out Saturday morning in search of the northern most piece of land in Portugal (5R32+7QC Cevide, Portugal). It is on the border of Spain, and a little village called Cevide sits there. Cevide is where we met Mario, or Mario de Cevide, as he styles himself. Mario owns a bar in Cevide (called ‘Cevide – Aqui Começa Porugal’) where he proudly serves his own label, ‘Aqui Começa Portugal’. It is an unfiltered Vinho Verde that is bottled by Soalheiro. He is as passionate about his wine as he is about his village. Mario spent over an hour with us, telling us about Cevide and the frontier and the conflicts and the smuggling. His enthusiasm brought us into the past with him and we learned as we walked. For, in addition to running the bar, Mario took the time to walk with us on the trail to the marker point that denotes the northern most part of Portugal. Mario showed us the Portuguese and Spanish markers and helped us over the trail and back around to our car. He was incredibly kind and friendly, a true ambassador for his village. And we are extremely appreciative of his assistance. We could have found the marker stone by ourselves, but we would not have learned about its history and its impact on the people of Cevide to this day.
The trail to the marker stone started in the village, went down to the river, and looped along the river back to the village above. Chris took a video of the walk, and I walked with Mario’s assistance around the loop. Mario was a complete gentleman, helping me over stones and making sure I did not slip into the river. The dogs loved every minute of the walk (well, maybe not the points where I sat down and kept them from moving forward). The scenery was beautiful, and I would highly recommend you visit. Mario’s bar had a no-dog policy, but that didn’t stop him from inviting Opal and Onyx inside while he told us about the wine and its qualities.
I must voice this disclaimer: Mario is not a professional tour guide. He loves Cevide and loves helping tourists understand what happened in the village in years past, but he has a full-time job in the city and may not be present when you stop by to visit. That would be disappointing, but the site is worth seeing even if you must see it on your own. To get you started, you should stand at the information board in front of Mario’s bar. Look to your left, and you should see a cobbled lane leading past the bar. At the end of this lane are stairs that take you down to a wooden walkway that skirts Rio Minho and arrives at the Marker Stone #1 (where Portugal begins). Further along is the bridge that crosses the Rio Troncoso O Barxas, photo-ready with Portugal/Spain markings on it. This is the sought-after photo point.
After this point, the path crosses over into Spain. Now, the northern-most point in Portugal is a ‘site’ and is provided with safe stairs and walkways. However, in Spain, this crossing is just a place. It is nothing special; no government funding is provided for what, from Spain’s point of view, is just another spot on the border. So, the path on the Spanish side is a bit rougher than the path on the Portuguese side. That is not to say it is impossible or even terribly difficult. Afterall, I made it through unscathed. But it is mostly natural (i.e., no wooden walkways) and not clearly marked, so finding the path is a priority. This video can give you all the details you need to safely make your way back up to Cevide. Or you can skip the Spanish side and go back on the Portugal side. But I do recommend taking the time to complete the longer loop and see the Spanish side of the border.
In addition to seeing the sites at the northern-most point of Portugal, we stopped at a memorial for Charles Lindbergh, aka ‘Monumento a Charles Lindbergh’ (2CWR+Q6W Gondomil, Portugal) that we just happened to find enroute to Cevide. It was erected in honor of Charles Lindbergh because, on one of his flights, Lindbergh had to land his plane on a river (I assume that was the Rio Minho) near the city of Gondomil, Portugal. As roadside shrines go, this one is grand. Plus, it is about 40 feet off the N-101, so it is easy to find. If you are in the area, stop and get some pictures. It will add an interesting element to your family photo.
Nola