Let's back track just a day or so to a little bit of urban exploration in the Duoro Valley, which I would have forgotton about, except I'd uploaded some pictures because I didn't want to forget to share this cool little place. Jamie loved it and thought it was his favourite ruin so far, but I'm not sure about that. Portugal - and Europe - is full of ruins.

Let's start with the street view. The place was right on the Douro river. It looked like an old hotel or something. The iron work was still intact, but a glimpse into the broken windows showed collapsed plaster rosetted ceilings. Once the roof is gone, the rain comes in and these places quickly decay. Still, she looked very grand.

There was even what appeared to be a chapel attached to it. This was definitely a palace, or a school, or a hotel. A big of googling was definitely required. How long ago had it been abandoned? What did it function as?

There were two clues - the google map location, Capela do Palacete das Caldas do Moledo, and a name in curlecues on the wrought iron gate in the carpark - D. Antonia Adelaide Ferreira. Now I love a story about a woman when there's so many stories about men in the world! She was a prominent businesswoman and philanthropist, best known for her contributions to the development and promotion of the Douro Valley's wine industry and it's her we have to thank for port wine. When her husband died, she took over the family business (something about a relative who squandered away the fortune and didn't care for it), and made it much bigger, buying lots of land and vineyards and modernising wine production techniques. She was also known for her charity work and she was an utter legend in Portuguese history, all told.

In the back to the right next to some stairs was another old building falling apart. I mean it didn't even seem that old in the scheme of things. Those bunk beds don't look too old either. Was it used as a school?

Another building to the rear was obviously an olive press and a big shed. I didn't want to kill myself with a falling rafter so I didn't quite go in. By this time Jamie had left and I didn't want to die without him.

Which meant there was no way I was going to climb in through an open window. Had it been a hotel? I really wanted to know. And it KILLS me how these places get abandoned. There's still so much value in them! I know it costs a bomb to get labour and materials so that's why so many are left to rot. But this is history! We don't have anything like this in Australia and if we did, they would have fixed it up and charged people entry as well I reckon.

I mean, even the open gates would be worth a fortune in Australia.

Anyway, after a bit of sleuthing I find out the whole place is part of a spa town that was a drawcard for tourists not that long ago. The large building, Palacete das Caldas do Moledo, was a residential palace of sorts. As far as I can tell, it was open for tourism til 2010 - there was even a casino in town. So that's only a decade and a bit for it all to fall into total ruin.

I still found it difficult to figure out exactly what the larger building and it's sheds and outhouses were really used for. It's kinda frustrating when you're doing urban exploration in a foreign country.

But perhaps it doesn't even matter. Perhaps it's only just the earthy whiff of mould and rotting wood, and the ghosts of a hey day long gone, that stimulate the imagination for an hour or so as we drive along our way.

With Love,

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