Sunday, September 1, 2024
We docked in Porto, Portugal on Sunday. Jon had found a tour company that was accessible – and private – to take us into the Douro Valley for some wine tasting.
Márcio was both our driver and our guide – he had been in communication with Jon before we left the USA – so we knew we were in good hands.
Marcio explained that in Portugal it was more common that the wine be paired with food. He was super mindful about all of my food preferences (no red meat or pork – also, hoping that there weren’t any faces attached to the fish, etc…) Our first stop was in a quaint little town, Amarante.
Amarante is a charming town in northern Portugal, nestled along the Tâmega River. It is a stop on the famous Camino de Santiago hiking trail, offering a picturesque stop for hikers. However, we were not hiking – we were there to eat and drink! They had some famous pastries, I’ll let you take a look at the picture and determine what you think they were supposed to be shaped like.
Márcio stopped at a local tavern that had plenty of smoked meats, and some local wines for us to try. It was a great way to kick off the start of our day.
From there, we started our drive to the first winery. The Douro Valley is stunning – it was absolutely beautiful. We’ve been to quite a few different wine regions in the world, and this was definitely one of the most beautiful as it followed along the river.
The Douro Valley in Portugal is an absolute dream for wine lovers and nature enthusiasts. With the rolling hills covered in terraced vineyards, the scenery is straight out of a postcard. This region is famous for producing Port wine, and visiting the local wineries for a tasting is a must. (This trip made me a convert! I think I’ve just been drinking the wrong Port wine!)
Our first winery was called Quinta Do Val Moreira, which had a stunning view overlooking the river and the valley. We enjoyed our tasting there – and the pastries that Márcio had picked out for us.
The next stop was lunch, it was a beautiful outdoor setting. I’m not sure about the others, but I was already starting to feel full. The staff walked us through the traditional kitchen, and oh my goodness – the smells were heavenly! I suppose you can always find room for more when you’re on vacation.
We were seated outside under a beautiful tree, where we had another tasting and a lovely meal. They had prepared fish for me – and the others had their choice of lamb or pork dishes.
We moved onto the last winery, Quinta Seara Dordens. Where we were greeted by some lazy dogs, Typhoon, Ruby, and Tawny. Our host there was very friendly, and we enjoyed our time there. We bought a bottle of Tawny Port before heading back to Porto to hop back on the ship.
At the beginning of the day, I had asked if we could swing by a bookstore in Porto. It’s supposed to be Harry Potter related, but we realized we were short on time and wouldn’t be able to go. So instead he brought us around on a very quick city tour, which was pretty cool to see.
We will definitely have to come back at some point, because we didn’t even scratch the surface of Porto!
After dinner, we went to another show on board the ship. It was poorly marketed, but actually ended up being a great experience with plenty of songs and acrobatics.
Up Next:
– At sea
Scribbles and Snapshots 