Day 26 - Wednesday 17th May 2023

Another beautiful sunny day in Portugal with a temperature of 14C.

Today we had a morning excursion starting at 8:40am and we had to be in the lounge ready to leave at 8:30. The cruise ship moved from Bitetos to Entre-os-Rios at about 7am ready for the tour.

We made sure we were at breakfast when it started at 7:30. We sat with a couple who live north of Brisbane and had been on many river cruises, mainly with Tauck. Tony used to work as an engineer for Thiess. There was also a Scottish couple who had arrived after midnight last night because of missing flight connections.

To get to the bus for our outing, we had to walk through the Tauck cruise ship to get to shore. I was doing the trip to a town called Guimaraes while Suzy and Janet were doing a tour to a garden. Chris was doing the strenuous walking tour.

Our trip to Guimaraes was supposed to take an hour but we were delayed by traffic and arrived at about 10am. Initially we travelled on windy country roads on the side of the hills before joining the motorway.

Along the way, we could admire the scenery including rural houses and vineyards. Renata, our guide, gave us some information. For example, she told us that green wine is not green - it means that it is young. She also talked about the local granite industry.

The main purpose of the trip to Guimaraes was to visit the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza (Paco dos Duques). The original structure was built in the 15th century and was restored in the middle of the 20th century.

It is made with granite blocks and is built around a central rectangular courtyard.

Our guide showed us around the rooms on the second level where we saw furniture, tapestries, paintings, statues, etc.

At about 11:15, we left the palace and walked down the hill towards the centre of the old town along narrow cobblestone streets and through plazas. Renata gave us twenty minutes of free time to explore the town before we had to head back to the bus. It was a pleasant 21C with plenty of sunshine.

Close to where the bus parked, there was a wide avenue with an attractive central garden and memorial.

Everyone was on time and the bus left at 12:15 for the return trip to the ship. We needed to be back by 1:15 because the ship needed to leave at that time.

Once again, we had a light lunch onboard. Each day they prepare a different selection of food and a different cake of the day in addition to the other desserts.

At about 2:40pm, we were approaching the largest lock on the cruise. This lock is 35m tall and is part of a dam holding back the water that comes downstream from Spain. Apparently Porto used to flood before they built the dams and locks.

The approach to the lock has two concrete walls shaped like a funnel leading to the lock. Our captain had stopped the ship near the wall on the right side and about 100m from the lock.

As the lock gate opened, we saw there was a cruise shop inside - just like ours.

After that cruise ship had left the lock, it was our turn. We sailed in, the gate shut behind us, the water level started to rise until we reached the level of the river above the dam. Then the upper gate dropped and we sailed out of the lock.

During this process, we took photos from the front of the ship and from the sun deck. When, I went up to the sun deck, they had lowered the canopy, mast, etc. to ensure that we'd fit under the structure. Everyone on the sun deck had to crouch down as we left the lock.

The cruise ships are made to measure to fit the locks - both in terms of the width and length of the ship. The ship fits width-wise with an inch or two to spare. Someone told me that they use lasers nowadays to guide the ship to avoid damage.

At 4pm, there was a lesson in the lounge on the Portuguese language. The port talk (giving information about the following day's activities) was at 5:15.

Then we left for an outing to the Duoro Museum which was located a short distance away from the wharf. To get ashore, we needed to walk through another cruise ship parked between us and the wharf. Then it was a 100m walk along the cobblestone street to reach the museum.

They split us into two groups for the guided tour of the museum with local guides. They talked about the history of wine and port in the Duoro area and gave us information about the production process over the years. We were back on the ship at about 6:40 ready for a predinner drink.

As usual, dinner was at 7pm in the Crystal Dining Room. All four of us had duck leg for main course. The couple from Perth we were sitting with didn't like the options on the menu and so they asked for lamb cutlets instead. I was very impressed that the restaurant was able to accommodate their request.

On the other hand, the waiter forgot to take Chris's order. He chased it up with the restaurant manager and sorted it out. Both the waiter and the manager apologised repeatedly to Chris during the evening.

It was an excellent meal once again with great service. The river was tranquil and provided attractive reflections of the surrounding hills especially as the sun set.

We retired to the lounge at about 9:15 for decaffeinated coffee and the entertainment for the evening which was a music quiz conducted by Carolina. She had chosen music that we could relate to - most of the guests are a similar age to us. It was a fun evening.

We were in bed by about 10:30 after another great day.