From Lisbon to the Vineyards: A Douro River Experience- Day 10

Sunday, August 3rd, 2025

It was another gorgeous but very warm day sailing the Douro River. We departed Pinhão early and went through the Bagaúste Dam lock by 7:00 AM. The difference in the water level was 84 feet.

By 8:15 AM we were docking at the Lamego Pier and headed out for our excursion. We did the Holy Staircase Hike (686 steps) and then Bôlas de Lamego tasting!

Lamego, an ancient city, was located near the south bank of the Douro River. It was a small town in the heart of wine country and known as a pilgrimage town.

Our first stop was the O Escadório, the Holy Staircase and at the top of the staircase was the Santuário Nossa Senhora dos Remédies or the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies. The construction of the staircase was started in 1777 but it wasn’t completed until the 20th century. We reached the church by climbing the 686 awe-inspiring double staircase with 9 terraces. The terraces were a great place to stop for pictures and for us to catch our breath!

The Holy Staircase and the beginning was blocked by the trees!

Looking back at Lamego after crossing a terrace.

The terraces were embellished with azulejos (tiles), panels, chapels, fountains, obelisks and statues. It was amazing. We were so glad we did this hike. Please make sure you go through the slideshow of the terrace pictures. They all were unique.

The last terrace was considered to be the grandest and was called “Patio dos Reis” or the Courtyard of the Kings. It had a fountain of the Giants a little over 72 feet tall. It consisted of a cup with 4 Atlanteans on dolphins supporting an obelisk over 49 feet tall! It was decorated with Marian symbols and finished with a star.

When we reached the top of the staircase was the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies built in 1761 over the site of a ruined 14th-century pilgrim’s chapel. For those who weren’t able to do the stairs, the church could be reached by a road that wound its way up the forested hillside.

In early September pilgrims arrive by the thousands for Lamego’s Romaria de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios (Pilgrimage of Our Lady of Remedies). Many of these pilgrims climb the steps on their knees! Can you imagine doing that for 686 steps?

Once we were back down the hill we visited Casa do Presunto for a snack of ham, cheese and Lamego sparkling wine.

After our wine tasting we had time to explore some more of Lamego.

Some photos of our walk around the town of Lamego.

Outside of Lamego we had lunch at Quinta dos Viscondes Várzea (Viscounts of Várzea Manor. Our hostess was Countess Maria Manuel Cyrne.

When we arrived we were served some of her wine as well as Bôlas de Lamego. Dave was able to try it because it was a culinary tradition from Portugal’s Douro region and was flaky, golden pastry with a savory filling like ham, chicken, seafood, etc… This was not gluten free for Kay.

The Countess grew up on this estate but her family had to sell with the fall of Salazar’s dictatorship. Being a countess was not a job in a socialist state. She became a teacher for 20 years and her husband also was a teacher. Maria was also making her own clothes and scarves and long story short her clothing business took off and she made enough to purchase back her family estate. Also, at the age of 50, she became pregnant through a clinic in Spain and had twin boys! Her husband and sons also help run the estate. She runs the estate as a country home, hotel, restaurant, event space, and cooking school.

The Countess gave us a tour of her country manor. These were just a few pictures from her home.

The Quinta was surrounded by the gardens, vineyards, and outdoor living spaces.

We had a delicious local lunch with state wines that was served by the staff.

We arrived back at the Ama Douro in the late afternoon and then started down the Douro River and we went through the Carrapatelo Dam and lock. This was our last lock and it was 115 feet difference!

Our Captain Pedro, the Hotel Manager Ruben, and Cruise Manager André had a Gala Cocktail in the lounge and we met the entire crew of Ama Douro. We also experienced a Gala Dinner in the Dining room.

After dinner we were treated to a Tuna Show. A tuna was a group of students in traditional dress who played traditional instruments and sang serenades. This tradition was started in Spain and Portugal in the 13th century as a means for the students to earn money or food.

The Tuna that performed was Portuguese University students that sang, played instruments and danced for us. These young men were studying nursing or physical therapy.

We’ve included two short samples of their performance.

It was a great way to end our day!

From Lisbon to the Vineyards: A Douro River Experience- Day 9

Saturday, August 2nd, 2025

This morning we sailed back down the Douro River along the High Douro Wine Region.

We arrived at the Pocinho Dam was just after we started sailing. In this lock we went down 72 feet!

The Ama Douro continued toward the second lock, the Valeira Dam. At this lock we went down 110 feet. Below is a short video of the lock opening once the water level went down!

After we got out of the lock it was time for a Cooking Demo. The Pastry Chef Humrani gave us the recipe and demonstrated how to make Pastéis de Nata! It will be fun to try this with gluten free pastry!

vineyards along the High Douro Wine Region

As we were sitting in the restaurant we watch seaplane after seaplane dip into the river for water and then flying off to the wildfires!

We docked at Pinhão and had several hours to explore the small town. It was a major stop for cruise boats and was a gateway to port country.

One of Portugal’s rail routes passed through Pinhão on its way from Porto. Their train station was decorated with 21 azulejo (tiles) panels. They were blue and white scenes that depicted local life that included the grape harvest.

Pinhão Train Station and the Azulejo panels.

After our free time we had a visit to Quinta da Roêda that included a Port wine tasting. The winery was established in 1588 and was the oldest port company in operation. In 1736, the first Croft family member became a partner in the Port firm. In 1889, the Crofts acquired the famous estate of Quinta da Roêda. This estate remained the same source of wine for the firm’s vintage Ports to this day.

The Visitor’s Center was in the former stables of the estate. We had a guided tour. In about a month it would be harvest time for the port grapes. You could experience treading the grapes in the estate’s granite treading tanks in which the wine is made. Treading was also known as grape stomping! It was a traditional winemaking method where the grapes were crushed underfoot in large vats to release their juice and this began the fermentation process. It would have been a great experience if we had timed it during the harvesting! Even today the grapes were picked by hand.

A lot of grapes almost ready for harvesting!

On our tour we saw the various Port wine making stages.

Then it was time to taste the Croft Port wines. We tasted the Croft Pink Port and the Croft Reserve Port. If you like Port wine these were delicious.

This evening we left the ship and experienced an authentic, homemade Portuguese dinner in Favaios. With 160 years of existence, Quinta da Avessada was situated on the vineyard plateau of Favaios. It was a historic village that was located in the Douro Valley. It was the primary producer of Muscatel wine. Muscatel wine was a fruity fortified wine made from Muscat grapes. It offered stunning views of the terraced vineyards and the Douro Valley.

As we climbed higher in altitude we could see the smoke from some of the wildfires.

The Quinta da Avessada was located at 1968 feet above sea level. The estate had 1000 hectares or a little over 2,471 acres of planted area. When we arrived we were given a glass of the Muscatel Wine.

Amazing views from the Quinta’s terrace.

On our way back to the Ama Douro, the sky was eerie due to the wildfires.

Other than the wildfires, it was a fantastic day in the High Douro Wine region!

From Lisbon to the Vineyards: A Douro River Experience- Day 7

Thursday, July 31st, 2025

This morning we set sail along the UNESCO-listed High Douro Wine Region. Not long after sailing we came to the Bagaúste Dam. The difference in the water level was 84 feet.

The Bagaúste Dam lock is on the far right.

The weather was perfect for sitting on deck to view the beautiful High Douro Wine region. Many of the vineyards had signs with their name.

A couple of hours later we approached the Valeira Dam with a 109 feet change of water level. We had to wait for another riverboat to pass through before out turn. The river was narrow.

These really illustrated how narrow the Douro can get.

It really was beautiful sailing along the High Douro Wine region. It was endless vineyards and quintas (wine estates). In the early 16th century, Manuel I ordered the widening of fishing channels along the Douro river because there was a growing demand for port! The sailors requested barrel after barrel of the fortified wine to get them through the long sea voyages.

Before lunch our three guides “taught” a Portuguese language lesson! They covered basic words and phrases. It was a fun hour. Of course, ask us what we remembered.

This afternoon the Ama Douro stopped at the Pocinho dock to let us disembark for our afternoon tour. A town we passed on our way to the Castelo Rodrigo.

We went to the Castelo Rodrigo which sat on a hilltop. It was a small fortified medieval settlement with great views.

The town had medieval charm with its winding cobblestone streets, old walls, and traditional houses.

We saw the 16th century pillory in the main square where town gatherings and announcements took place. It stood on a five-step pedestal and topped with an octagonal enclosure with eight twisted colonnettes.

We walked around the town on the cobblestone streets. You had to be careful when walking up and down with the uneven stones.

Below was the Parish Church that was founded in the 13th century. It was restored in the 13th century. It had a wooden ceiling painted with scenes of Saints, 18th century blue and white tiles in the chancel and Hispanic-Arab tiles at the high altar.

We walked through the ruins of the castle.

The scenery was beautiful. Spain was in the distance.

We also had a tasting of local specialties: wines, cheese, almonds, olives and bread!

When we returned to our ship it was at the Barca D’alva Pier.

The Ama Douro stayed overnight in Barca D’Alva. Tomorrow we had a visit in Spain!

From Lisbon to the Vineyards: A Douro River Experience- Day 6

Wednesday, July 30th, 2025

A rose was given to all the women on board last evening. A vase was placed in our room so we enjoyed the fragrant rose all week!

Early this morning we left our over night pier. Around 7:30 AM we arrived at our first lock. The sky was really hazy due to the wildfires.

This first lock was Crestuma Lever. It was built finished in 1985. We will go up 46 feet. The lock worked by raising and lowering boats in a device between stretches of water of different levels on the river. The locks made the river more easily navigable. First our ship approached the lock. The first door opens and we entered the lock compartment.

The door closed behind the ship. The lock compartment was filled with water that raised the ship. Then the far door opened and the ship departed at the new higher level.

Close to 10:30 AM we arrived at our second lock called the Carrapatelo Lock. It was the biggest on the river going up 115 feet!

Not long after going through the second lock we went under a very low bridge. We sat in chairs so we didn’t hit our heads!

In between the locks we sailed along the scenic Douro River. At first the sky was filled with wildfire smoke but then it cleared after we passed the area of the fires.

After lunch we arrived at the Lamego Pier. We then left the ship for a tour of the Mateus Palace and Gardens. On our way we passed some of the Sandeman wine vineyards. Their logo was well recognized. It featured a caped man and word a wide traditional Andalusian type hat.

The far bridge was built as a railway but never used. Now it was used by pedestrians.

The Mateus Palace was a baroque style manor house. The house appeared on the labels of the Mateus Rosé wine. It was built in the early 18th century and finished by 1744.

Our tour started in the first floor salon which had a magnificent wooden ceiling that featured family coat of arms.

Looking through one of the first floor windows could see the courtyard.

The Mateus Palace was lived in by 12 successive generations of the same family until the Casa de Mateus Foundation set up in 1970.

The library was remodeled in the mid-20th century. It contained volumes that dated back to the 16th century.

After our tour of the house and chapel, we explored the beautiful gardens. The gardens that we saw today were laid out in the 1930s and 1940s.

There was a vast cedar tunnel that was formed from cedars planted in 1941. It was 115 long and 25 feet high.

When we got back to the riverboat we set sail to Peso da Régua Pier.

We enjoyed trying the wines under the guidance of Gabriel, the sommelier.

After dinner we were treated to a Portuguese Folk Show. It was an authentic and entertaining show.

After the show we walked on deck and saw the lights around town. There was a festival of some kind happening in town. We thought about walking into town but we were too tired.

The temperature today was 98˚ F and that didn’t include the “real feel”! The heat wore us out! Off to bed we went!

From Lisbon to the Vineyards: A Douro River Experience- Day 5

Tuesday, July 29th, 2025

This morning we checked out of our hotel to head toward Porto where we would board our riverboat for our Douro River cruise. We certainly enjoyed our time in Lisbon!

On our way out of town we saw the Memorial to Senhor do Adeus (translated in English as the Lord of Goodbye).

João Manuel Serra for over 30 years greeted everyone in this area by waving to them. His goal was to “scare away loneliness”. His death moved thousands of people who saw him waving. The people in the area convinced the officials to erect this memorial in his memory.

As we continued onward we made a stop in Tomar, Portugal. It was located by the River Nabão. It was founded in 1157 by Gualdim Pais, the first Grand Master of the Order of the Templars in Portugal.

During the 13th century Tomar was a powerful town because it was the seat of the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar was a Catholic military order founded in 1119. Their headquarters stayed in Tomar until they were extinguished by Pope Clement V in 1314. We toured the Convento de Cristo (Convent of Christ). It was an UNESCO World Heritage site. It was a 12th century religious complex built by the Knights Templar.

The Convent was surrounded by the walls of the Castle of Tomar. It was built over 5 centuries with combined architectural elements of Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline, Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque.

The Convent had 8 cloisters built between the 15th and 16th centuries. We saw the Cemetery Cloister. It was where the monks and knights were buried.

The Washing Cloister was used to wash the monks’ clothes.

The Great Cloister, also known as the Cloister of John III was a two-story cloister that connected the dormitory of the monks to the church.

Looking from the Cemetery Cloister to the back side of the Charola

A highlight was the church. The Charola or rotunda was built in the 12th century by the Knights Templar within the convent. It was a private oratory for the Knights. It was inspired by the Holy Sepulchre Rotunda in Jerusalem. It was filled with sculptures, wood carvings, painted leather, murals and plasterwork. The Gothic nave was added to the round church of the Convent. It was built in the shape of a 16-sided drum. It was beautiful.

The Chapter House Window facade was divided by two string courses of sculpted knotted ropes which were a symbol of Portugal. Many of the Manueline motifs could be seen. For example we saw symbols of the Order of Christ and Manuel I, elaborate ropes, coral, and plant motifs.

We walked through where the dining room where meals were eaten.

We also visited the Convent kitchen areas.

Below was a collection of some additional photos from our visit to the Convent of Christ. It was such a fascinating tour.

In 1160 the building of the Castillo de Tomar or Tomar Castle began. It had an outer defensive wall. We walked through the ruins of the former royal quarters. The towers that surrounded the exterior were considered a great innovation at the time and were introduced to Portugal by the Knights Templar.

The Aqueduct of the Convent of Christ was built in the late 16th century. It was designed to supply water to the Convent.

After our visit to the Convent of Christ we had time to explore the town of Tomar and have lunch. We found a historic cafe that was established in 1911 and located in the center of town. It was a favorite of locals, artists and writers. We enjoyed our meal!

Our meeting place was beside Mouchão Park. This garden was located on a small island in the Nabão River. We took a short stroll through the walking paths.

The Mouchão Water wheel was built from pine and oak wood and had been part of Tomar’s landscape since the 16th century. Its historic mechanism was first used as a way to irrigate lands and then used as an energy source to power mills.

Our next stop was Porto where we would board our riverboat for a seven day cruise on the Douro River. Porto was Portugal’s second city. It was a major commercial center. By the time we arrived at our boat we didn’t have time to explore the city but we would at the end of our cruise.

We unpacked and then explored the riverboat before meeting in the lounge for our “Welcome Cocktail” and of course the required safety briefing.

Each night before dinner the cruise sommelier, Gabriel, discussed the white and red wine selection that would be served at dinner. He explained where in Portugal the wine was from, what grapes were used and the flavorings. We enjoyed his explanations. The wines we tried were delicious.

Our dinner menu and wine recommendations. The food and wine was delicious.

Amawaterways had their own postcards that you could send free of cost to family and friends. They had six different options. We thought this was a great idea to offer guests and free advertising for them! Below were 2 examples of the postcards available to send.

From 9-10 PM Captain Pedro took us on an Illumination Cruise. We were on deck for the cruise from Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

It was a warm but beautiful evening for cruising on the Douro River.

Tomorrow we will visit the Mateus Palace and Gardens in the civil parish of Mateus.

From Lisbon to the Vineyards: A Douro River Experience- Days 1 & 2

Friday, July 25th, 2025

We left Columbus’ John Glenn airport around 4:30 PM on Air Canada and arrived in Toronto, Canada a little more than a hour later.

Our second flight with Air Canada departed around 11:30 PM EST and landed in Lisbon on Saturday around 11:00 AM their time. The flight was pretty smooth but sleep was very difficult for us on overnight flights.

Saturday, July 26th, 2025

The big jets have to land out on the tarmac because they are too big for the gates. So we walked down steps and rode a bus that wound around the airport. It was very full and warm! We then entered the airport and went up a flight of stairs or used an escalator and walked to the LONG line for customs. By the time we got our passport stamped and made our way to baggage claim (which also was a hike), our luggage was already on the carousel. We made our way through the long exit line and found our Amawaterways transfer person.

Kay sat up by the driver because she was the last to get in the van that would take us to the airport. The driver pointed out sites as he drove to our hotel, the Intercontinental Lisboa hotel.

We met Andre, our cruise manager, at the hotel and he gave us much needed water. We waited about an hour for our room to be ready. It was wonderful to take a shower and put on fresh clothes. Even though we were exhausted we went for a walk up the street from our hotel and saw the Central Lisbon prison. It was built in 1875 and closed as a prison in 2020. It had a capacity of 887 inmates per cell when it was opened but many times those 9 square meters cells held 2-3 inmates. The prison was in disrepair and also had problems with mistreatment by the guards.

In the middle of a block of buildings was a single pump gas station. One would pull over and a person from the mini gas station would pump your gas! It was an interesting sight to see!

A gas station in the middle of the block!

Lisbon was the capital city with a hilly terrain along the Tagus River. It was founded about 1200 BCE as a trading station and it makes it one of the oldest cities in Europe.

One example of the hilly streets in Lisbon.

When we arrived back at the hotel after our walk we stopped in the lounge for some wine and a small charcuterie board to share with Roseanna who also traveled with us on this adventure. After our “happy hour” we went to the welcome meeting with our cruise manager and other travelers.

We walked to a recommended restaurant that wasn’t far from the hotel. Of course we walked up and down hills to get there. La Trattoria, an authentic Italian restaurant. Our meals were delicious.

We walked back to our hotel and it wasn’t long before we crashed and got some much needed sleep. Tomorrow’s tour would begin at 8:45 AM.

Tag: Amawaterways

From Lisbon to the Vineyards: A Douro River Experience- Day 10

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