El Rio de Oro y España (Douro River Cruise)

We took a Viking River Cruise on the Douro River in Portugal and added three days in Madrid, Spain before we boarded our boat, the Viking Helgrim. My mother came with us, it was so nice to spend time traveling with her again. We have often traveled with my parents, but my dad decided to stay home with the dog this time.

The Viking Helgrim

Bridge over the Douro in Porto, Portugal

Russ on our balcony, Mom behind him from her balcony.

As we return from a day trip.

Fishing at the mouth of the Douro River.

My favorite thing about the trip was being able to use my Spanish. I've been studying the language for about four years now, mostly online with Duolingo and Italki (more recently), and I was thrilled to use it. Even though we spent more time in Portugal, I really improved my conversational Spanish. Even my Spanish tutor on Italki noticed! I feel like I leveled up. I find it easier to watch Spanish language programs now, too. Listening comprehension is my weak area, still.

We started the trip with three days in Madrid, with a day trip to Toledo during that stay. I really enjoyed Toledo, but also the tapas in Madrid and the Prado Museum. We were there during the Easter holiday in Spain and Portugal, which made for some interesting interludes. We got stuck because of an Easter procession in Toledo, and some of the cathedrals were closed because of Easter week services. The energy of Madrid was fun, though. Lots of art, lots of people on the streets, street art, good vibes all around.

Madrid from the air.

Closed for the Holiday, but a lovely edifice.

The Plaza Mejor. It felt like St. Mark's Square in Venice to me.

Street art in Madrid.

Dancing shoes for sale.

Toledo.

Santa Maria La Blanca Synagogue built by Muslims.

Narrow passage to a heavenly view.

The Cathedral Primada Santa Maria del Toledo with a heavenly portal.

Gold from the new world protects the holy relic.

Pizza Restaurant in Toledo.

We flew to Lisbon and stayed two nights in a hotel before boarding the boat. That gave us time to see some of the city and enjoy the local food. I particularly liked the Maritime Museum and the Pasteis de Belem pastry - the pastel de nata. My two main impressions of Lisbon, and Portugal overall, was an appreciation for the tiled facades on all the buildings, and an appreciation for the conventual sweets (from the traditional Convent Bakeries). 

The building next to our hotel in Lisbon with the moon.

Belem Tower.

Boats at the Marina.

An armillary sphere. One of these is shown on the Portuguese flag.

The walk in front of the bakery. This type of cobblestone pavement is typical in Portugal.

Cathedral of sweets.

The Pastel de Nata from Pasteis de Belem.

Lovely gardens near the Jeronimos Monastery.

Many buildings have a tile edifice.

Up close view of the tiles.

Cafe and more pastel de nata. Coffee break!

Portugal has wonderful musical traditions. I fell in love with the Fado music and also really enjoyed listening to the university music groups called "tunas" that performed in their traditional black capes. We enjoyed a wonderful Fado music concert at our lunch stop near Coimbra. The Coimbra University Library impressed me, too. They have bats living in the Baroque library to control insects and protect the books.

Music in the park.

They called the Coimbra Univeristy bell tower "the old bitch"

This part Coimbra University is the law school.

The Coimbra University Baroque chapel with stunning tile walls.

The only part the of library that is allowed to be photographed.

Fado singer and guitarist.

Musician playing the Portuguese guitar (12 strings).

Musicians at a wine and cheese tasting.

Musician at a vineyard luncheon.

A Tuna performs on-board the Viking Helgrim near Porto.

We also learned about the wines of the Douro River valley. We saw a lot of ruins, castles, churches, and cats. Not so many dogs for some reason. Just cats. I find the port wine to be too sweet, but I liked the table wines and the Moscatel wines.  The amount of work required to build all those terraces for vines and olive trees along the river is stunning. The harvesting must also be done by hand, still, because the terraces are too steep and narrow for equipment harvesting. Following the Phylloxera epidemic that killed the grape vines in Europe, some of the terraces were left as they were; the Portuguese call them the "mortuaries" because they were never replanted with vines grafted onto American root stock that resists Phylloxera.

Mateus Palace and Gardens.

Sculpture in the pool at Mateus Palace.

Vine terraces and the Sandeman logo.

Port wine aging.

Tasting the gold of the Douro at the Quinta do Seixo Winery.

In town near Castelo Rodrigo.

Cats everywhere. So cute.

The Favaios Cooperative for Moscatel Wines.

Fermentation.

More yeast working hard. Four corners bread in process.

Avessada Wine Estate.

Valley view with terraces visible.

Easter Sunday in Lamego.

Easter Sunday on the Viking Helgrim.

Chocolate bunnies at breakfast on Easter Sunday.

Mom on the stairs at the Nossa Senhora Dos Remedios Sanctuary.

Looking up to the sanctuary. We came down these steps.

The lovely tile murals of the Porto train station.

The Atlantic Ocean meets the Iberian Peninsula.

View from our last hotel room in Porto before our flight.

Flying home.

I do think that flying business class has now ruined me for coach seats. We chose to fly this way because my Mom came with us and she wanted to be comfortable on the long flights. I really think that we will now fly business class anytime we are on an international flight... anything over 7 hours anyway. Overall, we had a lovey trip. I would return to Portugal, and I would definitely like to see more of Spain. Being a tourist like this is fine, but my favorite things to do in a new place are the ones that integrate me into the local culture, like sitting in a cafe or walking in the local park, eating the favorite specialty foods, hiking nearby trails and just talking to people that call the place home. Perhaps our next trip will be more about staying somewhere and living there for awhile rather than taking a tour.