By this stage in life you know who your real friends are, and the list is short. It's the second marriage for each of us: to repay some of those old favours we offer to treat 20 of our friends to a long weekend in another country. In the event, 15 are able to come.

This is the second half of the trip report which began here. [And yes the driverless bus is a true story.] Now with links to photos and hotel websites.

We have chosen Northen Portugal as the ideal destination for our weekend. We hire all the rooms in a Quinta, a former monastery converted into a sort of hotel owned by a British couple: Piers and Kate Gallie.

The Quinta has 40 acres of vineyards and is located on a hill just south of the town of Barcelos. Piers has made several arrangements for us including a 12-hour bus trip to the Douro district and Winegrowing areas. We will also visit the Mateus Palace with its splendid gardens.

Some of us will also go the 100 miles north to the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela

Or to the church of Steps in nearby Braga.

And of course to the city of Porto at the mouth of the Douro, famous for its Port-wine which is shipped in from the country in boats

But the highlight of the weekend is a garden-party in the courtyard of the Quinta where we are entertained by a Fadista singing Fado, the traditional bluesy Portuguese folk music.

The weekend turns out a huge success. The Douro landscape is stunning, the Douro wines and ports are marevllous, and the Fado singer was fantastic. Above all wherever we go we are treated like visitors, not tourists. That's why we chose Northern Portugal.