Our adventure in the Palaeolithic

I have decided to see the Palaeolithic pictures in the Foz Coa Village. So, my wife, my son and me, we have travelled to that region. Next day I was standing in the big museum waiting for the Land Rover and the guide at half past ten a.m. I gazed to the large window of the museum to see arrows and other material of the Palaeolithic, all very interesting and primitive. I must say that the museum is situated on the top of the mountain. I was waiting and saw the landscape, the wonderful landscape, with the Douro River on the bottom of the mountains. So, I also saw, and was astonished, that the region was very difficult to live because it didn’t have any plains, the bank of the rivers and the hillsides, were very steep, very, very steep indeed with deep ravines. And all this region is in this manner: very steep and very difficult to live and walk. So, it was my first doubt, how could this region have game to the Palaeolithic population if the region was so bent and so difficult to the big game walk and graze. Many and many steep hills and no plains. Also, the vegetation was poor, very dry and not fitted to the Palaeolithic population! The day was very hot, bright and I persisted in the calculation of the difficulties of the life of the ancient Palaeolithic population when one Land Rover, or Nissan Patrol, approached the museum and the guide sought the tourists inscribed in the visit to the pictures of the Palaeolithic. There were only two peoples: an English woman and me. The name of the guide was Daniela and she spoke in Portuguese and English languages immediately we began the trip to the pictures. The land road in the steep hills permitted to observe the landscape of the ravines, the vegetation and the schist rocks of these grounds. The Nissan stopped near little facilities, with one man for safety of the pictures, and the remainder of the trip was on walking. We went downwards and, near the water of the Coa river, I saw the first pictures of the Palaeolithic people. Mostly they were pictures of the wild cattle, the aurochs. Very nice pictures drew in vertical schist rocks. In the bottom of the ravine and near the water I asked the guide if the Palaeolithic people lived in the top or in the bottom of the hills and she answered that it was on the lowest part of the ravines and, always, near water where they could fish and drink. We returned to the museum where I found my wife and son. We lunched in the restaurant of the museum and parted to the other visit at the pictures at half past two p.m. but, in this visit, my wife and son accompanied me and the guide. The trip was made with the Nissan in the traction of the four wheels because the land road was steep, with ravines at the sides, and my wife was so frightened that was at my neck with all the strength of her arms and hands!! At the bottom and near the river we saw the new pictures and they were very nice indeed and, there, there was a new man to guard the pictures.

In this region we had the opportunity to see big and wild eagles.

So, it was very nice to see the pictures and a big adventure on the trips of the Nissan Patrol.