In September we took our FOURTH river cruise with Avalon - this time the Duoro River. As we boarded the Avalon Alegria in Porto, and the crew greeted us with “Welcome Aboard”, it felt like we were home again!
Porto was a great little city, very colorful, with a beautiful waterfront crossed by six bridges. Our first night on the ship the captain did an evening sail under all the bridges, up the river and back to the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean. It sure was beautiful however, unfortunately for us, we experienced the Illumination cruise in Budapest years before. Nothing could ever compare to the shores and bridges on Danube River lit up so beautifully.
Sailing along the Duoro River through the wine regions provided such scenic views. The terraced landscaping was very picturesque with its “organized” planting of grape vines, and olive trees. The hills looked like artwork, with patch work areas of plantings, all impeccably manicured. The most scenic portion of the river was between Pinhao and Barca d’Alva near the Spanish border. We sat out on the upper deck, of course with a cocktail, just taking in all the beauty. We visited several vineyards along the way, but the one we will remember best was hosted by Maria, a very animated host at that, who had tons of stories to tell us.
The entertainment on board was exceptional! Local musicians joined us in the evening, traditional Portuguese Fado musicians, flamenco dancers, and classical musicians. By far our favorite was the violin musician playing “modern” music, who was outstanding. We could have listened to her all night! We were even able to show our artistic abilities one morning when a local tile artist hosted a class where we painted our own Portuguese tiles.
A highlight of our cruise was the full day trip to Salamanca, Spain while were ported in Barca d’Alva. Salamanca, a university town, is known as the “Golden City” because its buildings and cathedrals are carved from glowing sandstone. The architecture of the buildings include carvings of hidden items people search for good luck. One of the most looked for item is a frog carved into one of the university’s facades.
Aveiro was a very unique town, better known as the “little Venice” of Portugal. The buildings in town featured Art Nouveau architecture. We sailed through all the canals in the city in colorful, hand-painted moliceiro boats and ate tons of pastries.
As always, Avalon was perfect! Before the cruise was even over we already talked about booking another one. Now the hard part, where do we go?
