Walk along the banks of the upper Douro

Here is the poem, composed as David and I walked down a little hill from our house in Foz do Sabor, towards the flooded river banks. Dedicated to Yves, written on his 35th birthday.
Poem for Yves's birthday

We walk, palm against palm
our footsteps muted by the jubilant birdsong
bursting from trees and bushes
luxuriantly fringing the road,
and are delighted by
the bright wild flowers
showering the verges
red poppies, blue forget-me-nots and golden dandelions.
Quiet in our souls?
Something like that.
We look and listen; no need for words.
Crunch crunch soft over the gravel
This road need never end

(At Foz do Sabor, Upper Douro, April 2018)
And this is what we saw:

In the picture below you see the house where we stayed (red walls and roof, overlooking the water)

And here another view of the floods, and me walking down the road with beside me a flowering hawthorn tree.

 As you see, the sky is still somewhat sombre, but it grew progressively brighter and became a sun-stroked afternoon. We reached Pinhao and shed coats and capes... Up the hill to the same house as where David and I had stayed a year ago, commanding a stunning view of a bend in the Douro. That evening we circled around a log fire in the livingroom, drank our excellent red wine (vinho tinto) from the slopes of the Sabor, and indulged in philosophical discussions of a nihilistic nature (ha ha that was just for the irresistible alliterations!!). There was a couple from South Africa there, our age, very chatty. Much jolliness. In the morning the Three Young Ones set off down the hill to Pinhao, while David made me a (perfect!) boiled egg for breakfast, before we followed down. That was steep. Thank goodness for the Pilates practice. We made it in half an hour (David gallantly carrying my rucksack for me, muito obrigada!) and met our family having brunch in a cafe opposite the lovely Pinhao station with its many azulejos. See last year...
And back to Porto.
On our walk back from the Matosinhos tram stop where we got off, David and I found a Tea Salon close to our marina. And yes: fresh baked scones were on offer. What a delight...
So we didn't need any supper. Our Three found a Vegan place in town and returned after sundown.
The following day: Ecco la Primavera! Oh joy. We walk along the seafront. We dance and sing!
Here is the beach just beside our marina... sun-drenched. It is mid April, after all.

 The sun seems to have returned, finalmente, and we can at last shake out our cotton clothes.
Evening, watching across the still bristling waves... Tomorrow will be fine.