We have arrived - somewhat tired the International train back from Portugal to Spain, and are booked in here for a couple of nights.   Time for food, and a a good sleep.  Explore the town and post more in the morning.  Here are some pictures out of the train window (the ones clear of reflections) and of the train itself.

 
Thanks for posting that update, grahame.

Your photos seem to indicate that there is something of a shortage of natural water in Portugal and Spain?

CfN.

 

Yesterday was brown and dry - comes across as semi-desert.   I would characterise Portugal from what little I know as an Atlantic-facing country with most of its towns and cities close to that edge, and then with a number of river valleys cutting inland from the coast.  But they are not fast flowing torrents.

The most famous is the Douro valley which I have previously visited ... and runs out at Pochino.  A beautiful line along a valley that has steep slopes covered in Vinyards, with cruise ships offering a watery alternative to travel.   The one that crosses the border is the Linha do Leste.   The Linha da Beira Alta does not carry on into Spain, and the Ramal de Cáceras is an abandoned route on the Portugeses side, with (and I may be out of date) trains just three days a week into the core of Spain.

Maps to show some lakes ... not sure how much the water management does for them / how important they are.  The flora that we see looks like it's built for the harsh dryness, so I am somewhat relieved that the whole is not the effect of global warming.

 

Portugese wine is criminally underrated, I hope you get the chance to try some.