From Lisbon to the Vineyards: A Douro River Experience- Day 11 & Day 12

Monday, August 4th, 2025

This morning we set sail and went through the last lock, Crestuma Lever Lock. We went down 46 feet. We docked in Porto around 9:00 AM.

As soon as the gangplank was lowered we were off the ship of a “City of Bridges” tour of Porto with a local guide. We went through the town’s main districts.

At the Cordoaria’s Garden we saw Giant Sycamore trees with these big bulbous trunks. This lush garden was first established in 1865 and it had been redesigned several times over the years with the latest in 2001.

One of our stops was the São Bento train station. It was Porto’s central railway station and was built between 1900 and 1916.

The high entrance hall was lined with azulejas (tiles). The artist was Jorge Colaco. He used 20,000 tiles that depicted historical life scenes.

North of the railway station was the Igreja de Santo Antonio dos Congregados or the Church of St. Anthony’s Congregation. It was built in the 17th century. It had a Baroque style facade with an image of Saint-Antoine and blue and white azulejas (tiles).

The Casa Horticola also included the Bolhão Market which we had time to explore.

The Bolhão was a covered market that reopened in 2022 after a 4 year, 26 million Euro makeover.

In the Batalha district the Sé Cathedral or Porto Cathedral was a Roman Catholic Church in the historical center of Porto. It was built in the highest part of the city. Construction began in the 12th century but was rebuilt and renovated many times over the centuries.

Across from the cathedral was the bronze equestrian statue on a stone pedestal of Vimara Peres. He was the 9th century nobleman that served as the 1st Count of Portugal.

We saw remnants of the Roman Wall that was built in the 11th-12th century. It was located around the cathedral hill. The rest was buried below houses.

The 14th century Fernandine Walls of Porto once completely surrounded the old city. They were medieval fortifications with rectangular watch towers.

The Fonte dos Leões (Fountain of the Lions) was a 19th century fountain with 4-seated lions that supported two bowls. It was almost identical to the fountain outside Leicester City Hall in the United Kingdom. It was located across from the University of Porto.

Fonte dos Leõs fountain in front of the University of Porto

Located in the historic center of Porto, a UNESCO Heritage site, was the Clérigos Church and its bell tower. The construction of the church began in 1732-1740 and the bell tower and the divided stairway in front of the church were completed in 1763.

A walking tour of Porto was a great way for us to get to know Porto.

We went by a McDonald’s without the “golden arches” in front.

McDonald’s had to keep the historical facade.

At the Sandeman Cellars and Wind shop entrance they had marked the level of flooding and the date it occurred.

We walked across the Dom Luis 1 Bridge that connected Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia across the Douro River. It was a double-decked metal bridge. We crossed on the upper-deck that was also used by the Porto Metro.

The views from the bridge gave a different perspective along the banks of the Douro.

The Gaia Cable car ride was the end of our walking tour. It was about a five minute ride and covered about 2000 feet. We had views of the historic area of Porto and Gaia’s Port wine lodge roofs.

As we walked along the banks of the Douro River we saw a street artist and purchased one of her watercolor paintings.

This evening was out last dinner on the Ama Douro.

Our favorite waitress, Yulianna, from Bali. She was only 21 and her first time away from home.

Tuesday, August 5th, 2025

This morning we were up by 4:00 AM because we had a 9:00 AM flight from Porto to Newark, NJ. The Porto airport was busy at 5:30 AM in the morning. We had to wait for the agents to open so we could check our luggage. It’s the hurry up and wait syndrome!

Leaving Gaia with the former Monastery of Serra do Pilar

We departed from Porto on time! We had plenty of time in Newark, NJ before our flight to Columbus.

We landed in Columbus, OH on time and began the process of unpacking. Portugal was all we had hope for and more. If you haven’t visited Portugal we highly recommend you plan a trip. We also were impressed with Amawaterways. The itinerary was well planned and all of the staff was outstanding!

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 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.