Have I mentioned how well we were fed during the cruise? We were, of course, free to eat on land anytime we were docked, but eating onboard was also wonderful. Lunch aboard our ship one day featured a specially-prepared salmon, which the chef flamed for us. It was delicious!
In Barca d’Alva, we climbed into busses and wound our way up a mountain to the Castelo Rodrigo, near the border with Spain. Castelo Rodrigo is a medieval fortress and tiny town that seems to have stepped right out of a novel!
Just look at the beautiful scenery as we cruised along the Duoro River one day!
In Pinhão, a small town with extremely friendly inhabitants, we were welcomed with enthusiasm. Here we watched women preparing thousands (literally!) of bread loaves for baking before touring a Moscatel winery in Favaios.
Our tour guide had a wonderful sense of humor, as shown on the shirt she modeled for us.
From this winery, we went to the Quinta da Avessada for an absolutely fantastic lunch. The photo shows just the first course, which was followed by several more, as well as music and dancing.
The proprietor of Quinta da Avessada was animated and a real comedian; by the end of the afternoon, we were all shouting, “OH MY GODS!” with him as he told one hilarious story after another.
To be continued … 😉
