PT22 “Gerês, Albergaria”

Created in 1971, the Peneda-Gerês National Park (Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês) covers an area of 72 290 hectares. The flora is characterized by oak forests and by endemic species characteristic of the granite subsoil, such as the yellow-bearded iris and the trumpet narcissus. As for the fauna, the students were able to meet a herd of goats and their shepherd. The park has 235 vertebrate species (the deer is the emblem of the park), 204 are protected and 71 are endangered. The visit of the park was done in a jeep circuit. The students made a mini hike that led them to the Arado waterfall at an altitude of 900m, it is characterized by the succession of crystalline waterfalls that face the hard rock creating a clear lake. Then they went to a viewpoint (Pedra Bela) located at 829m. Finally, they crossed the Portuguese border to go to Spain. At the edge of the road through the forest, the students observed stone markers that marked a Roman road connecting two important cities in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula: "Bracara Augusta“, the present-day city of Braga (Portugal) and "Asturica Augusta“, the present-day city of Artorga (Spain). The route is 318 kilometers long. The day ended with a visit to the Sanctuary of Sao Bento da Porta Aberta. The construction of the sanctuary began in 1880 and was completed in 1895. With over 2.5 million pilgrims each year, the church was beginning to outgrow its space. In order to accommodate so many people, a crypt of modernist architecture was built in 1998.

The students were able to understand that the creation of this type of reserve is not intended to prevent the natural enjoyment of nature's beauty. It is only intended to order its use, raising awareness of new forms of contact with nature, so that its values are not damaged and we are not deprived of them in the future.