Portugal
Entre-os-Rios
Entre-os-Rios: Where the Tâmega Meets the Douro
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Good to know
Where Ships Moor
Douro river cruise ships stop at Entre-os-Rios, a village on the north bank of the Douro in the parish of Eja, municipality of Penafiel; your cruise line will tell you exactly where your ship moors. The Tâmega joins the Douro here, and the Hintze Ribeiro Bridge crosses to Castelo de Paiva on the south bank.
- Eja parish has about 860 inhabitants and has included Entre-os-Rios since 1852; the village is better known than the parish, and the two names are often used for the same place.
- There have been baths here since Roman times, and they still operate.
- The present bridge opened in May 2002, 7 meters upstream of the bridge that collapsed in 2001.
Entre-os-Rios on Your Own
Entre-os-Rios is a small riverside village. The places to know are the church of São Miguel, the meeting of the Tâmega and the Douro, and the memorial angel at the far end of the bridge.
- The church of São Miguel: The church on Largo de São Miguel has been a national monument since 1927 and is part of the Romanesque Route, a trail of 58 Romanesque monuments in the Tâmega and Sousa valleys.
- The memorial angel: At the Castelo de Paiva end of the bridge, across the river, a bronze angel 12 meters tall stands on a crypt carrying the names of the 59 victims of 2001. It was unveiled in January 2003.
- The two rivers: The Tâmega, which rises in Spain and flows 145 km, reaches the Douro near the village.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
- Watch the clock: All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match the local clocks or your phone. Mainland Portugal is on UTC+0, and UTC+1 in summer, which keeps it an hour behind mainland Spain all year; that matters on itineraries that cross the border.
- Carry ID: In Portugal you must show photo ID if a police officer asks for it.
Tipping in Portugal
Portugal uses the euro. A tip is generally not expected, though it is appreciated when service has been especially good.
- For exemplary service in a restaurant, around 8 to 10 percent of the bill is sometimes left.
- Tipping is not usual in bars.
- A taxi fare can be rounded up to the euro.
Culture and Local Life
Entre-os-Rios keeps a Holy Week procession that dates from the 17th century and lights the riverbanks with candles. The families of the 2001 victims also gather each year.
- The procession takes place in the parish of Eja on the Thursday of Holy Week, when thousands of candles light the banks of the Douro and the Tâmega.
- Every year the families of the 2001 victims hold ceremonies, among them the throwing of 59 flowers from the new bridge into the Douro.
- Thermal tourism in the Penafiel municipality centers on the São Vicente spa and the one at Entre-os-Rios.
A Brief History
Entre-os-Rios has had baths since Roman times. Its modern history is dominated by its bridge, built in the 1880s and lost in a disaster in 2001 that led to a government minister's resignation.
- Early settlement: The parish of Eja has archaeological remains of a castro, and its baths date from Roman times.
- A frontier territory: During the Christian reconquest the church of São Miguel stood in an important territory known as the civitas de Anégia.
- The parish: Entre-os-Rios has belonged to the parish of Eja since 1852.
- The bridge of the 1880s: The Hintze Ribeiro Bridge, an iron bridge on granite piers named after the politician who commissioned it, was begun in 1884 by a Belgian company. It was partly blown up in 1919 during a monarchist uprising in the north and later repaired.
- Weakened piers: From the 1970s, sand dredging lowered the riverbed around two of the bridge's piers. Residents demonstrated about its condition in January 2001.
- The collapse, March 4, 2001: After months of floods, a pier gave way at about 9:15 p.m., and a bus and three cars fell into the Douro. All 59 people aboard died.
- The aftermath: The Minister of Social Infrastructure, Jorge Coelho, resigned the next morning, and two days of national mourning were declared. Ferries linked the banks until a new bridge opened in May 2002.
- To learn more ashore: The Penafiel Municipal Museum is on Rua do Paço in the town of Penafiel.
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