Our first stop in Portugal was the beautiful and historic city of Porto. We docked Cloud 9 at the Douro Marina, a new facility on the south side of Porto in Gaia. When we arrived, the area was getting ready for the Festival of S. Pedro da Afurada held by the local fishermen to pay homage to their patron saint. Margarida, our good Portuguese friend in Houston, asked her sister Helena to show us around the city. It was great to have a local guide and we really enjoyed her company as we learned about the town of Porto. After spending several days of touring the town and tasting port wine in the “armazens” (warehouses) in Gaia, we got on a boat to go all the way up the Duoro river to the port vineyards about 50 miles upriver from Porto. A very hot day but a beautiful view through the dry, but lush vineyard’s and a train back to Porto.
For more pictures, click here.