I didn’t post yesterday, so this is a combo blog.
First, the weather has been spectacular; more than we could have hoped for. It’s been in the mid-80’s, sunny, and often with a nice breeze. The mornings have been in the high 50’s. The Portuguese think this is too hot, but I’ve been walking 1 hour/day on the sun deck in full sun, and it’s fine for me. There is very little humidity, and that is the biggest difference.
Yesterday we awoke to temperatures in the 50’s. That’s winter in FL. There were 2 offerings. You could do a 4×4 tour which visited the old drawings that were found carved in the rock over 10,000 years ago. During the excavation of the new dam, these were uncovered, and it stopped the project. Instead, a large museum was built in the area – the Coa Valley Museum, but this is in the middle of nowhere. There are no large towns nearby, so it’s amazing to find this here. I am not a museum person, so touring the site and sitting through a workshop for 2 hours was too much for me. It was fascinating to some in our group.
Most of the afternoon, was free time on the ship. Of course, we ate a great lunch with beer & wine included. I’ve been drinking iced tea, as I know there will be lots of wine with dinner. Then I walked for an hour, and Carl went to a Port Wine Cocktail lesson. You’re in for a treat when you come to visit.
Matt Bailey presented a lecture on the Portuguese monarchy, which was all new to me, and we relaxed with a Port Tonic cocktail before our departure for dinner at Quinta da Pacheca. What a delightful evening. We had an elegant dinner in the wine cave. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the Pacheca wines were tasty. Music was provided by a violinist and keyboardist who entertained us through dinner. I knew every song they played, and before we left, several in the group, including us, were dancing. My knee didn’t bother me at all, so I’m good for Pickleball. Before we left, we bought a case of White Port that is being shipped so we can make those Port Tonics. It was one of the nicest groups excursions we’ve had in our foreign travels.
Aug. 17, we had two choices: a visit to the Baroque village of Lamego or a tour of the Mateus Manor House. We chose the tour of the Manor house, where some of the Mateus family still lives. It was beautiful, and the area is very scenic.
After lunch, I took a tile painting class, and the tiles are being fired overnight, then we can take our tile home.
I walked an hour on the sun deck; there was a very strong wind, and it felt good.
We are headed to our disembarkation briefing, Captain’s Farewell reception, then some local entertainers will be coming on board to sing for us.
It’s been a great day. If you are reading this, please write a comment to let me know if I’m on the right track. I hope so.