Trip Day 10 - arriving Porto

Wednesday July 1

First of all I want to say "thank you" to my friends who leave a comment at the bottom of a blog. Even if I can't answer I want you to know how much I appreciate it, especially if the comment is about something specific. And to get praised by my niece Maren (a professional Photagraper) about my photos is the icing on a cake. 

This morning we are leaving Lisbon and are taken by bus to Porto where our ship is waiting for us. We are told that it takes about 4 hours. It is a large bus and we are not filling all seats. 

I find it very interesting to see the view change. Not boring at all. We have one stop to visit toilettes and have a cup of coffee "Americano com leite".

At 1 pm we reached Vila Nova de Gaia, the other side of Porto. We visited a winery. Actually I think it was called "The Wine Experience Museum" and also has a restaurant. We had reservations and actually had to tell our trip leader Sara what we wanted (3 options) to eat.

First we had to visit the toilets again. The walls were decorated with this art.

I had chosen the fish pie (Cod).

James had the "heartattack on a plate". That's what Sarah called it. A sandwich with meat, covered with cheese and gravy and even had a sunny-side-up egg on top. He liked it.

The whole building was incredible and also the view onto the Duoro River and Porto on the other side.

After the meal we went into the Wine Museum. I had not expected it but it was really very interesting. Information about everything from the different kind of grapes including difference between table and wine grapes. The dirt and effect it has on the grape plant, weather, temperature, slope of the field. angel to the sun, and and, and.

Oh yes, it also talked about the history of wine bottle and measuring containers. 

This area had little rooms with mannequins in costumes of different regions of wineries. Ha-ha, what else might you want to know?

Next was the wine testing. The explanation/lesson was different from what we know but it also worked and might sense. We started with the white, then with the red Duoro region wine and then with the Port. All very good. 

And then it was time to drive to our ship. We could not believe what our bus driver had to do. He was incredible. The streets were incredible narrow, first up and then down, and very zigzag. Eventually we came to a place from which we could see the ship and walk down. 

Check-in was fast and simple and we were shown to our room 323. The rooms were a little smaller than on the ships OAT or GCCT own and we are used to but perfectly ok. I was a bit worried about the TV hanging from the ceiling at the footend of the bed. James would walk there in the middle of the night to the bathroom. That spelled "danger" to me. I found out very quickly that there is a button when pushed makes the TV fold up neetly into the ceiling.  Yeah!

Dinner at 7 pm. 

Dessert was sinfully good. Chocolate cake made to perfection. 

A little after 9 pm the sunset cruise started. We went to the "mouth" of the river where it flows into the ocean and than turned around again. There was a nice warm breeze and it just was lovely. 

And then it was time to go to bed. Amazing how time flies when you enjoy yourself. 

Trip Day 9 - another Day in Lisbon

Tuesday June 30

Ha-ha, this is serious now. Our "real trip" is starting with the Lisbon city tour. Follow the leader! We are the green group. We are assembling in the lobby. I thought the furnitures were quite interesting. 

It saw a lot and were told what we were seeing but it was not easy to take photos. I just took photos of things I really liked and when I could from the moving bus. I must say that there was a lot of architecture and also murals which I thought were really special.

The bus stopped in Belem and we got out. This is the Monumento aos Cambatentes do Ultramar, a tribute honoring the Portuguese soldiers who served and fell during the Overseas War (1961-1974).

Just when we stood there and our local guide was explaining something more soldiers came marching and performed the changing of the guards. One of the new ones was a female. It was a very, very hot day.

We walked further to the Belém Tower which is from the 16th century and quite a landmark in Lisbon.

Our guide told us a story which we had not heard before. King Manuel I sent a rhino and an elephant as a gift to the Pope, but the ship sank in a storm off the coast of Italy. Before the voyage a sketch of the animal was sent to Germany, which inspired Albrecht Dürer's famous 1515 woodcut "Rhinoceros".

A stone carving of the rhino was included in the making of the tower. It is a bit difficult to find.

The bus took us a little further to the Monument of the Discoveries. 

Unfortunately the mosaic is experiencing some problem right now which looks like a sinking of the ground underneath at one point. It is a shame because the mosaic is truly amazing. We had seen it 2 years ago as you maybe saw in a blog then.

The Monument of the Discoveries is really very interesting.and celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries. There are a total of 33 figures shown on both sides together.

And we were "surprised" with the famous tarts which originated in the monustary across the street. Pastéis de Belém are made mainly with egg yolks.

Flaky on the outside, creamy and sweet and on the inside, the “pastéis de Belém” is a must-try for anyone visiting the city of tiles. But what is the secret behind the long line going out the door of the little shop close to Jerónimos Monastery? 

Back in the seventeenth century, some Catholic monks of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Belém, were the first to produce the egg tarts, by using yolks leftovers from the starching of clothes. The monastery was also selling them before getting shut down in 1834, as a result of the religious orders being expelled during the Liberal Revolution.
To continue their production, the former clerics from the monastery sold the recipe to a confeitaria close by, which quickly became the most famous bakery of Lisbon and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

And again we keep driving along the mayor street with beautiful trees in the middle.

The location of our hotel could not be better. A bit younger and less hot weather we could easily walk to the center of the town. But we have another stop in a pedestrian area.

This sign over the little liquor store says "Loja com Historia" (Shop with a History). The city of Lisbon developed the program to recognise trade as a distinctive element of the city. Our trip leader Sara said that it might save this little store to be forcefully bought and torn down.

The store was selling the famous cherry liqueur and we all got a little taste right there. The little glass had a cherry with a pit in it. It all was very nice.

Another photo opportunity stop of the castle on top of the mountain. 

Of course we had to walk past the statues of the workers laying the cobble stones. Truly amazing work all over the town. 

That concluded the tour and we are back at the hotel. We were on our own meaning we had free time. We were not really hungry but thought a little something would be good. It was now after 2 pm and we ended up on the 12th floor again. The Rooftop Bar does not open before 5 pm. What a shame.

At 5 pm we were playing our card game in our hotel room. I happened to be quite a funny one.

At 7 pm the bus brought our group back into town. When we were let out and were walking we past public toilettes and thought this door and signs was funny. A coin 0,10 Euros (10 cents) is what you need.

The restaurant we were going to have dinner was quite special, very old. The door into the building does not give you any idea aboout it. 

Two years ago we had also dinner in this restaurant but in a different room because we were only a few in a post trip group. This time all three main groups were together. The menu was very local/traditional food.

The surprise were these musicians who sang a capella a few songs for us at the end. They are trying to keep the tradition alive when the farm workers would sing while they were working in the fields. The songs had usually been stories of their hard life. They were amazing.

We really enjoyed their singing, even if it was a very short performance. VIDEO! 

We walked a short way to the large department store Mango where our busses were picking us up.

A very nice day. We are tired. Time to set the alarm clock for the next day and go to bed quickly.