Douro inaugural journey
The Douro Historical Train is leaving. By Teresinha da Cunha Pinto
The sun comes up hot and strong. Everyone is anxious to get on their way. A warm breeze comes in the coach windows. The passengers spread themselves out through the coaches and take their seats as they wait for the whistle to say they are off while women fan themselves looking out the windows. The travellers get ready to see the river Douro as the Historical train prepares to pull out of Régua to see the green, the valleys, the river and the vines, the freedom of the land that calls out to us.
I thought I could hear the green singing outside the window and felt like dancing with the wind. Up and down the slopes from my seat by the window from a train that takes us back through time.
The musicians sing heart-stirring songs from the past accompanied by an accordion, a tambourine and a drum. The journey is filled with age-old traditions like the sweeties from Régua, as glass of Port and the traditional costumes that delight everyone on the train.
See the photos here.
