This morning right on schedule at 7:00 we felt the engines start as we began our journey on the Douro River. We opened the curtains just in time to see us sail under the bridge. The shore is lined with woods, interrupted by small villages built on the steep banks. It is picturesque and serene.
Next big event of the morning was going through one of the five locks we will transit on our journey. The ships are designed to be as big as possible while still clearing the locks and bridges. In the locks there was less than a foot clearance on each of the sides of the ship.
Once we were in the lock and the doors behind us were closed, the water level began to rise. After the water level in the lock was the same as the river level above, the gate was lowered and we proceeded.
They had to drop the canopy and mast on the top deck in order for us to clear the overpass that is part of the dam and locks. The bridge in front of the pool was partially lowered into the deck. We had about 4 feet of overhead clearance when the ship had reached its highest level.
We found the quintessential seats on the ship, two rocking chairs at the very front of the bow. From here we watched the gorgeous scenery go by.
As we sail through the valley we can hear the birds chirping on land. It doesn't get much better than this.
And then it came time for the next lock to go through. Entering the lock was like entering a castle where the door raised up to let you enter. It was hard to believe that our ship would fit into this opening, but it did (just barely).
Once inside the lock and fully forward we looked up to see the gate where we would depart ... 108 feet (33 meters) higher! This is the deepest lock I ever remember being in. It took over 18 minutes for the lock to fill.
Here we are sitting in our rocking chairs being reflected by the glass that protected us from the strong, oncoming winds at the front of the ship.
As we passed under the bridge that is part of the lock, people stopped and got out of their cars to watch us "squeeze" through. They had to lower the bridge on the ship to fit under the overpass. It barely had 8 inches of clearance on the top. All the people above, I think, were waiting to see the ship scrape the bottom of the roadway.
Once through the lock we went into the lounge for a briefing with Tamara, our Program Director about our activities for today and tomorrow. Then it was time to go down for lunch to have lobster bisque soup, veal scaloppini, and caramel sundaes. The Food and Beverage director stopped at our table to make sure Alice knew of all the beers available to us and to determine what would best meet our tastes. We put the German dunkel and the Leffe amber at the top of our list.
This afternoon we were off the ship and on to our next adventure, a visit to the Palace of Mateus. We toured this palace built in 1750 with its reflection pond in the front (and very loud frogs jumping and croaking in the water).
We toured the rooms and saw many fascinating artifacts. Unlike our tour of Versailles, here we could actually see the things in each room as they controlled the number of people allowed in each room at one time.
If you are looking for a gift for Alice, she has always been drawn to cherubs. There were four of these paintings in one room that she kind of liked.
After touring inside we went out into the garden. It was a massive area with maze like bushes filling the area.
Our last stop at the palace was to the chapel in the palace. Like the alter at the chapel at Coimbra yesterday, this one two had the series of steps that represent the stages in life that are suppose to lead to heaven.
We then drove back toward the river and our final stop of the day. For as far as the eye can see there are steep, terraced hillsides filled with grapes. It is almost mystical the way these hills look with all the deep green colors.
We then visited Sandeman port winery. The winery sits atop a tall hill that required we drive a very narrow, switchback road up to it (the road following the terraces up the side of the hill.) We took a tour of the facility which included their bottle cellar with thousands bottles of port that is decades old.
The tour ended at their tasting room which overlooks the Douro valley and the vineyards. We tried both a 3 year old white port and a 9 year old tawny port.
As we were driving back to the river we saw our ship, the Helgrim, sailing to meet us in the town of Pinhao.
Tomorrow's schedule will be much like today, sailing through the morning and going on tours in the afternoon (the way we like it!).
Dinner Menu: Tomato basil soup, Picanha com Esmagado de Batata e Espinafres (a seared rump steak that was slow cooked for eight hours with broth and herbs), and a cheese plate for dessert.
Daily Step Count: 4,535 steps touring the palace and the winery
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