2019 April – Lisbon and a River Cruise on The Douro

At the end of March we set out for a Viking River Cruise along the Douro from Porto towards the Spanish Border.  However, our first couple of days were spent in Lisbon.  The weather was lovely and we enjoyed wandering around.  Praca do Comercio or Commerce Square was beautiful as was the Castle type structure on the coast by the maritime museum. There were quite a few interesting exhibits in the museum and the Royal Barge was quite something.

Down Town Lisbon was a great place to explore on foot and we walked over 11 miles during our day and a half in the city. The Avenida da Liberdade connecting downtown Lisbon and the  Parque Eduardo VII was something special. The  avenue was built in the 19th century in the style of the Champs-Elysees in Paris,.  You can see the width of the road by looking at the distance between buildings in the picture below taken from the top of the park.

After a day and a half in Lisbon we travelled by coach toward Porto to join our boat. En route we stopped at the town of Coimbra where we were impressed with the bank building. By now it was raining and set the scene for the weather for most of the rest of our holiday  – wet, cold or wet and cold! Both the coach and the Boat Viking Helgrim were brand new. Indeed it was to be our boat’s first trip with passengers. Unfortunately, there were several gremlins with the boat which, although quite an issue for many, did not worry us.

Viking Helgrim was moored at Vila Nova de Gaia on the opposite bank of the river from the city of Porto. Porto was quite a sprawling city and we enjoyed an organised sightseeing trip which included the historic railway station with beautiful tiled murals (more of this later).

However, the view of Porto’s river side from a cable car near our boat’s mooring and then the view at night from our boat showed Porto’s riverside at its best.

We  cruised up the Douro enjoying wonderful views of the quite steep river banks. There were terraces of olive trees, vines and occasionally cork trees. The pictures didn’t really show the obvious beauty of the scenery because the weather was quite dull.

We stopped at various points to visit some sights including a Sandeman winery and the beautiful Mateus Estate shown below.

Gerry was happy because there was a railway running beside the river occasionally crossing the river to run along the other side. The fact that the railway was only a few feet above the river demonstrated a confidence that the river levels could be maintained fairly constant over the sections between the locks.

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We navigated through five locks on our journey. Each was quite massive but still meant that vessels could be no longer than 83 Metres (272 Ft) and no wider than 11.4 metres (37 ft). The highest lock at the Carrapatelo Dam has a maximum lift of  35 metres  (115 ft).  There were also restrictions on the height above river level to go under several bridges  (particularly at the locks). The photos below show the tightness of the fit for our boat you can make out the captain’s head as he peered over the top of the wheel house which had been lowered to pass under the bridge.

We cruised  north to Barca d’Alva, not far from the Spanish border. From there we enjoyed a tour to Castelo Rodrigo a small town approximately 2,200 feet above sea level and surrounded by almond trees.  The streets were narrow and steep, and many houses had 16th-century facades and the distinctively Portuguese Manueline-style windows.  We also walked up Sinagoga Street, a remembrance of the Jewish community established by refugees from the Spanish Inquisition.

We also enjoyed a day trip to Salamanca in Spain. Although the weather was dire, between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius and the odd shower of rain or hail stones, we had a good time. The Cathedral was quite stark inside although the High Altar was quite attractive.

The high spot for us was a visit to the Art Noveau and Art Deco Museum. Apart from an amazing collection of art by Picasso, Salvador Dali et al there was a tremendous variety of art deco to enjoy.  Even the café was rather special.

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After Salamanca,  our boat headed back down river towards Porto. We stopped to allow us to  visit the town of Lamego and the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios at the top of a hill reached by road or by climbing 686 steps.

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The bus took us to the top but we then walked down the steps. On the way down we marvelled at the Blue and White tile mural. During our trip we had seen many such beautiful murals including at the railway station in Porto and at Barca d’Alva.  Ironically it was at the latter place where the train was depicted!

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Our trip was over far too soon and we headed back to Porto on the boat and then flew home via Lisbon.  Although Viking Helgrim had quite a few issues probably because it was brand new and on its first passenger carrying voyage, we had a great time. We ate and drank well not just on the boat but also at several places we were taken to on shore. Our conclusion – it was a great holiday.