Braga

We have officially left the Douro Valley and made our way to Portugal's only national park, Parque Nacional da Peneda-Geres, where we will be until Monday.  On our way to the park, we made a stop in Braga, one of the country's oldest cities.  Braga was built more than 2,000 years ago and is also an important religious center in Portugal.  As one website put it: "Braga has churches by the bucket-load".  This statement is not far off as there are actually 35 churches in the city!

Our first stop was Braga Cathedral, the oldest church in Portugal.  Construction began on the cathedral in 1070 and work was completed the following century.  We also purchased tickets to see the Capela dos Reis (Kings’ Chapel) and Choir.   The Kings' Chapel holds the tombs of the parents of the first king of Portugal.  

Choir

We spent the rest of the morning touring around Braga and enjoying the fall day all while trying to count as many churches as we could find!

Archbishop's Palace

The Convent and Basilica

Our final stop before making our way to the park was to Bom Jesus do Monte, a church sitting on a 381-foot hill, just outside of Braga.  To get to the top, we had to climb 580 steps up the Baroque stairway.