Pieces of Portugal – Part 20 – WOW Museum – Chocolate

WOW is the appropriate word for this fabulous set of museums. The WOW museum in Gaia is NOT just 1 museum, but is a compilation of 7 museums. World of Wine (WOW) in Vila Nova de Gaia is a massive cultural district and museum complex on the Douro River, featuring 7 immersive museums, 12+ restaurants/bars, and a wine school. Located in restored Port wine warehouses, it focuses on wine, cork, chocolate, and Portuguese history, offering great views of the Dom Luís I Bridge. Larry didn’t realize this when planning everything, so we didn’t get to see everything. There is always next time though. But we did enjoy the Chocolate Museum and the World Of Wine portions of the complex. If you’re even mildly curious about wine, The World of Wine in Porto is 100% worth a visit. It’s not just another museum with dusty displays — it’s interactive, modern, and surprisingly fun.

First we discovered the world of chocolate through the Chocolate Museum. We knew a lot about the chocolate making process from some of our other chocolate trips and tours. The WOW museum, as with all the other Portuguese museums we visited, did a great job.

Because Easter was coming, there were a lot of chocolate beautiful chocolate Easter eggs on display. There were so many, I didn’t take pictures of all of them. But here is a good representation of the talented creations we saw. I am really torn about pieces like this though, I have to admit. I think they are gorgeous works of art, and I think the artists who create them are extremely talented, but I also think it is excess, and a waste of food. I don’t now what the right answer is, but that being said, I definitely enjoy seeing these beautiful creations.

I think this one was my favorite egg.

There was also a Ginja tasting table as well. We had our first Ginja tasting experience way back in Alfama Pieces of Portugal – Part 7 – Lisboa and Alfama. It seems like so long ago now. We love it. In fact, we brought some home with us too.

There was even a little try-your-luck display. Larry got lucky and pulled up some chocolate. I, however, was not so lucky. That’s OK. I am really trying my best to cut back anyway. 🙂

Once again, we saw and did so much, and we did so much in the wine portion of the museum, I will leave that for a posting on its own. This is a good place to stop for now. But don’t go anywhere. I still have oh so much more to share. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest. It’s not the destination that matters, but the journey. Enjoy the ride. ‘Til next time.