20111030  Porto and the Douro River

Owen Photos     Dolores Photos

Up, breakfast in the dining room on the lower level. All sorts of good things to eat, so we ate them all.

The savings-time setback confused us all, so we were up an hour early. I went topside (cold) to get a few shots of the buildings with the sun rising behind them.

At 0905 we boarded our “green” bus and headed out on a city tour. We first went across the river to Porto and up to the cathedral. It's nice, and the bishop's palace is next door although we didn't look at it. There's a terrace there that looks back across the river, so we could take distance shots of the MS Douro Cruiser.

Then we wandered around for a bit and stopped at the bird market. I don't lie. There was a market a block long with 50 or so vendors. Some were selling birds, some were selling bulk birdfeed, some were selling both. Customers were coming by and buying supplies (mainly) and birds. Crazy.

We took a few pictures of the tower of a church (I'll look this up later in Rick Steve's book) a block away. We also got a picture or two of the local university students doing their dumb tradional trick. They put on clothes like monks and put the new students into regalia like pilgrims, and read them a script and “baptize” them into the university. It is not mandatory, but you know how that goes. They do get thrown into a pond (it was around 55*) and in the past, some have died of this initiation. But they do it year after year.

Back into downtown to the main square. More students in the middle of it. We parked and walked to the train station. It's famous for all the glazed tiles in the terminal that portray Porto through the ages. Nice station and very interesting tiles. We also pumped up our Euro supply since we'll be in the boons for the next several days.

We drove then back to the Gaia side and to the Graham warehouse and tasting room. Graham is an old name in Port wine and includes several other old labels including Warres, the one I like. Warres began exporting wine in 1690 and is the oldest “house” in Porto.

We were give three levels of port to sample, and enjoyed them all. I picked up four little bottles for sipping on the trip of the one I buy at home. Others also bought port.

Back to the boat for lunch, very nice, with a good selection. I took a hamburger and salad and cheesecake dessert. 

We loafed for ten minutes, then watched the ship get underway. We took pictures of the shores as we progressed but the sun went behind a cloud and It got cool. There was no wind, but our speed of 15 knots or so made for some wind-chill factor.

At about 1400 we reached the dam/lock of Crestuna-Lever. Now I see why the boat is as short as it is and as wide as it is. It just barely fits in the lock at this dam, which was the last one commissioned on the Douro in 1985. Tomorrow we reach the grand-daddy lock.

We dropped down into the lounge to get warm, and a lecture started about Portuguese politics and economics. Very interesting but I'll not go deeply into it.

We kept on, arriving around 1730 at Bitetos, and moored on the north side of the river. Glenn & Lou came to our room for a quick glass of white wine. Then all of us got onto the buses and (in the dark) went up and over some steep hills with narrow roads to the Convent of Alpendurada. This is a former convent purchased by a wealthy person and refurbished to a hotel and restaurant. The refurbishment was well done – it really looks good.

We pulled up a table and the wine (served by our boat's waitstaff) started flowing. We then had a nice vegetable soup, a salad, roast pork with potatoes, and a Portuguese crème brulee, all with wine flowing. We got to telling goofy travel stories between our selves and with the other couple at our table (they're from Orange County, CA). We wound up laughing and having a lot of fun.

Finally we packed up and rode the bus back to the boat. There, we were served a free port. We went into the lounge and sipped the port, Glenn & Lou did a quick dance to the musician's music, and we settled. We settled too well as it turns out, and wandered off to bed.

Tomorrow we sail in the morning and visit wine fields in the afternoon.

20111031  Douro River from Bitetos to Pinhao

Owen Photos       Dolores Photos

Up, get ready, breakfast. The omelet-to-order person attracted me today; ham, cheese, capers. Nice.

Foggy this morning down in the deep valley at Bitetos. Temp in the 40's. We got underway at 0800 anyway. The fog burned away soon to reveal a blue sky with high cirrus clouds.

At 0900 we came to the Carrapatelo Dam and Lock. This is the highest dam on the river. The lock has a lift height of 115 feet in one fell swoop. Quite a lift – and it goes very quickly.

Out then onto the lake above the dam and some high-speed cruising. The boat wants to get to the real Port grape-growing area as quickly as possible.

There was a period in the lounge where Vantage travellers told stories of other Vantage events they'd done that they liked. We fell in with some South Africans who really loved the Norway tour we'd been thinking about. Now we'll have to think some more.

More later. Later.

We docked just before noon at Regua (accent on the first syllable). The coaches came along and took us on our afternoon tours. We tried to get into the closed gift shop on the dock, but couldn't – we'll be back Thursday so we'll try again.

First, we went across the river and up the hill to the Sandeman winery and tasting room. Very narrow road, very steep hill. Spectacular scenery at the winery. We were given a tour of the place (very nice, cute logo) and the lecture on wine (port) making. Then through the barrel room to the tasting room with a huge view of the valley. We tasted a white port and then a ruby port, both good. We looked around the gift shop for a bit but found nothing we wanted.

Down the hill, across the bridge, up the hill, all at about 25mph due to the narrow and winding roads. Down a hill, up another hill. Then into the courtyard of the Castle of the Count of Mateus, yes the same Mateus as the rose' we've all seen.

We had a nice tour through the part of the castle the family doesn't use (they live there in the summer). Very nice set of antiquities, reliqueries, and so forth. Cold sort of place, very distant. Back then to the boat, which had steamed upstream to Pinhao passing through yet another dam and lock (Bagauste). 

We had a glass in Glenn & Lou's room and then went to dinner (quite nice). Lots of laughs at dinner with Glenn & Lou and Jim & Gayle. Then up to the lounge to see a demo of how to open a bottle of wine with a bad cork.

The barman heated a clamp that fits the neck of the bottle until hot. Then he clamped it on the neck and twisted around and back, around and back. Then he poured cold water over the part just clamped. Then he applied a towel and twisted the whole neck off. Beautiful.

We each had a little of it. Then the local musicians got up and played Portuguese folk songs for an hour. The highlight was a duet of the player of an odd 12-string high-pitched circular-body guitar and an ordinary guitar player doing folk songs. The 12-string guy also had a good voice and the six-string guy backed him very nicely.

Finally that ended with a great hullaballoo with participants from the guests dancing with the barmen on the little stage. It was a good show.

But then it was nearing 2300. Now it's 2320, so I'm off to bed.