Wed 11 Jun- 'Quinta da Aveleda', Braga and the Pousada S. Vicente

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Wed 11 Jun- after our breakfast snack as part of our Club upgrade, we departed Porto, to visit a garden at 'Quinta da Aveleda'. It is a beautiful garden, part of a 300-year old estate that grows grapes and produces fine wines. For the E2 admission, we really got our money's worth. We were amazed at the beauty and the eminence - the garden had a very rustic, old, established feeling, but not neglect or disrepair. It was a pleasure to wander along the paths, admiring the many blooming flowers and the various garden features, such as the goat tower, Swan Lake, Geese Lake, carp pond, tea house, fountains, etc. After wandering around for almost 2 hours, we returned for the wine tasting. They opened a bottle just for us, and gave us a huge plate of soft and hard cheese. We bought a bottle of 'Aveleda Fonte Vinho Verde' and a 0.64 kg block of 'Queijo Quinta da Aveleda' (cheese) for only E8.52.
From there we headed for Braga and the Pousada S. Vicente. The Pousada is very modern, with lots of modern art and sculpture. The art is not to our taste, but some of the sculpture was nice. It is quite different from the palaces and castles we have stayed in previously, but very nice.
For dinner we went into town to the 'Restaurante Bem-Me-Quer': beer, 'Prato do Dia - Arroz o Bem-Me-Quer c/ Carne Estufada' E8.50; 'Linguado Grelhado' E13.45; for a total of E25.20. The sole was delicious, fresh and tender and cooked just right; and the beef was like pot roast, tender and flavorful, served with fried rice with beef & vegetables. It was a very enjoyable meal.
Walking back, we saw the preparations for the festival, decorative lighting everywhere, crowds out even after 9 pm, huge flat-screen TV showing soccer games (apparently Portugal won, judging from the applause and cheers).