We left Lisbon and headed north to the city of Porto where our ship, the Douro Queen, was waiting. I love when someone else is doing the driving--it’s a great way to see the countryside. Our guide, Pilar, was wonderful and gladly answered a multitude of questions on the political and economic situation in Portugal, as well as questions about health care schools, salaries, etc.For lunch we stopped in Coimbra, a university town halfway between Lisbon and Porto. Coimbra is the home of Coimbra University, the oldest university in Portugal dating back to 1290.
After lunch we toured the university grounds and the Biblioteca Joanina, the jewel of the university. The library holds over 300,000 volumes, including some from the 12th century. Built in the 18th century, the library is a magnificent example of Baroque architecture and is definitely worth the stop.We arrived into Porto in the late afternoon and were welcomed aboard the Douro Queen, our “home” for the next seven days. If you have ever been on a riverboat, you will understand when I say the rooms are well designed but quite compact. Unpacking proved to be somewhat of a challenge, but Carolyn (Groves) and I rose to the occasion and finally managed to find room for everything. After unpacking, it was definitely time to head down to the lounge for a welcome cocktail and orientation.
Porto is Portugal’s second largest city, the city from which port wine derives its name. All the major vineyards have port houses here (Taylor, Graham, Fonseca, etc.), and can easily be spotted by their trademark red roofs, and the vintage signs on the sides of the warehouses. For hundreds of years, the vineyards throughout the Douro Valley have brought their wine to Porto to age in oak barrels before being bottled and sent to marketplaces around the world.
We spent the night aboard ship in Porto and early the next morning crossed the bridge for a walking tour of the city. Located on the northern bank of the Douro River, just in from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, Porto has always been a city of commerce and trade.
The town actually dates back to Roman times (5th century), but like many European cities, there has been a constant battle for dominance and the architecture of the city is predominately Moorish, with a little Gothic and baroque thrown in over the centuries.We spent the morning walking around the city and found some really cute stores, as well as the local marketplace with wonderful displays of fruits and vegetables. Thanks to Carolyn Groves, we had fruit to spare!
We visited the main cathedral, but my favorite church was the Old Carvalhido Church in downtown Porto. The tile work on the front is magnificent.
No trip to Porto would be complete without port tasting. Prior to the trip I knew very little about port wines, except they were too sweet for my taste. After a tour of the warehouse, a tutorial on the different varieties of port wines and then tasting some different types, I discovered a whole new world of wines. Joe and Nancy Mandelbaum agreed.
Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine from the Duoro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, but also comes in dry, semi-dry and white varieties. It is most often served as a dessert wine, but the white port is served chilled as an aperitif. Wines in the style of port are produced around the world in several countries---most notably Australia, South Africa, Canada, India, Argentina and the United States. But under the European Union guidelines, only the port wine from Portugal may be legally labeled as Port.Our first day of sailing. Most of us were on deck as we left Porto, passing under bridges, through locks, by small picturesque villages right out of a tourist brochure.
As we continued upstream it was obvious we were in wine country--port wine country with stone terraces generations old that give the vines a sheltered hold on the steep rocks. It’s an amazing sight, so different from the wine regions in California.
In the early afternoon we docked in Regua, the center for port wine in the upper Douro Valley. The excursion for the day was a visit to the Mateus Palace and Gardens--the same Mateus as in Mateus Rose. The palace became famous worldwide for being featured on the label of Mateus Rose wine.
Built in 1745, the palace is a wonderful example of baroque architecture with an “impressive façade made up of beautiful pinnacles on the roof and an ornate balustraded stairway,” all reflected off the pond in front. Behind the palace is a delightful garden with box hedges, statues and lovely topiary work.
We returned to the ship in time for cocktails and dinner. It had been a wonderful relaxing day along the Douro River. Join me next week as we continue upstream toward Salamanca, Spain.
No comments:
Post a Comment