Lamego
On our last morning onboard the Viking Hemming, we were treated to the (false) promise of improving weather when a rainbow was spotted over the hills surrounding our docking location, upstream from a dam on the upper Douro. Looking downstream to the dam and upstream toward Spain, the Douro looked perfectly navigable: As we started … Continue reading Lamego
Not So Sunny Salamanca
On a typical Viking River cruise on the Douro, the bus trip to Salamanca Spain is anticipated with dread by some travelers because of its duration. Since flooding had kept our ships from actually cruising, for us this trip was just another day on the bus. To help psych us up for our long ride, … Continue reading Not So Sunny Salamanca
Castelo Rodrigo & Flamenca
After a long day of bus travel and multiple outings in Favois, we had a lazy morning on our new ship located roughly 120 miles east of Porto. The program director delivered a talk on the Douro River and its history, followed by a live cooking demonstration, where the ship’s chef had two volunteers try … Continue reading Castelo Rodrigo & Flamenca
Favois: Nativity Scenes & Bread
I suppose it’s about time to dive back into a recap of our December, 2019 trip along the Douro River with Viking. (We explained in an earlier post why we’re calling this a trip and not a cruise.) Our last post from this trip was all about Port wine, with entries from Grahams in Porto, … Continue reading Favois: Nativity Scenes & Bread
Throwback: Terroir
Ahead of our Rhône river cruise through Provence with Viking in 2018, we took an all-day wine tour with Olivier Hickman of Wine Uncovered that we wrote about in our post: Our Wine Tour in the Southern Rhône. We are delighted to learn that Olivier is now also sharing his deep knowledge of wine on … Continue reading Throwback: Terroir
