Salamanca, Spain

We were sad to say adeus to the MS AMAVIDA this morning.  A stop in Salamanca-a UNESCO world heritage site.  A walking tour in this lovely city and lunch with a Flamenco show.  A late afternoon arrival in Madrid.

     The city hall of Salamanca near the terrace of the Café Novelty founded in 1905.

    Looks like Paella

Castelo Rodrigo

Portuguese barbecue lunch while cruising down the river.  Afternoon excursion to Castelo Rodrigo a charming town that dates back to 1100 AD.

Vila Real, Pinhao, and the Captain's Cocktail Party

This morning we visited the Mateus Palace and Gardens just outside the city of Vila Real.  In the afternoon we walked to the train station in Pinhao where we are docked to see the beautiful blue tiles. 

Portugal is the premier producer of cork in the world obtained from cork oak trees.

Captain's Cocktail Party

Lamego

We enjoyed a walking tour of the town of Lamego, a small but picturesque town rich in history.  A visit to the "Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies".  We marveled at the view from the top before descending down the 686 stairs that ended below at the town's, narrow winding streets.  See Peter (our favorite cruise director ) with the ladies.

Resende and Regua

This morning we passed through the largest lock of our journey and one of the largest in Europe.  We then traveled to the top of the hill to the "Capital of Cherries", the city of Resende.  The afternoon was spent cruising the lovely Douro Valley after a stop in Regua.  While cruising we were treated to an ice cream party.

Cradle of the Portuguese Nationality - Guimarães

This morning we enjoyed an excursion to Guimarães, one of the most historic towns in Portugal, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city of Guimarães is historically associated with the foundation and identity of the Portuguese nationality. Guimarães, among other settlements, precedes the foundation of Portugal and because of its role in the foundation of the country it is known as the "cradle of the Portuguese nationality". In 1128, major political and military events that would lead to the independence and the birth of a new nation took place in Guimarães. For this reason, in one of the old towers of the city's old wall it is written "Aqui nasceu Portugal" (Portugal was born here).

Porto Region

It was another beautiful day-cool in the mornings and warms up to 70's by mid-day. We joined our local guides to begin a panoramic tour of Porto, which traces it's origins all the way back to pre-Roman times.  The blue tiles are found throughout the city. After the City and Wine tour, we visited Graham port wine cellar for a tasting of Portugal's renowned fortified wine.