Explore More Autumn 2019

14 VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK |

14 VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK | AUTUMN 2019

TRAVEL PHOTOS: © ISTOCK the Serra do Pilar monastery, with the city’s soaring churches, noble palaces, flitting boats and bustling riverfronts laid out in front of me like an animated painting. Most guests were still asleep when Viking Helgrim glided out of the city in the morning, no doubt due to the super-comfy beds in the staterooms. I awoke to the surprise of a sandy river beach outside my private veranda, a few locals already in place with their towels to catch the morning sun. My first engagement with the Douro’s wine history came on an included tour to Mateus Palace. Its 18th-century Baroque façade adorns the teardrop-shaped bottles of Mateus rosé, but the estate never produced this supermarket favourite. Another wine producer long ago bought the rights to the image, apparently to the chagrin of the palace’s current owners who deal only in fine vintages. These mini-stories continued on our excursions. A Portuguese tour escort joins each Viking coach, and in my case it was Diogo, whose endearingly British accent was adopted from watching the BBC. At the medieval hilltop village of Castelo Rodrigo, he told how the priest adopted a young stork which had hurt itself falling from its nest atop the bell tower. After treatment, the bird became a village mascot until it was savaged by a dog. The stork was stuffed and now has pride of place in the fire station, whose officers helped with its rescue. After returning from Salamanca, I wished to sail again through the striking gorge that makes up the narrowest part of the navigable Douro, so I chose to miss the next excursion and spend the morning on The Sun Deck, my feet dangling in the plunge pool to keep cool. It was a compelling episode. The giant boulders clinging to the side of the canyon yielded to yet more vineyards, their giant signboards echoing those of the rabelo sails I had seen in Porto. However, when a new friend on board raved about the visit to a traditional bakery followed by a fabulous meal at a distinguished quinta, I wondered if I had made the right decision. Never mind. I’d already indulged in a Portuguese feast devised by our ship’s chefs, loading my plate with courses of sardines, shrimp pasties, roast duck and crispy custard tarts. One of my highlights of this Douro cruise was the final excursion to Lamego, an old town just a short drive above the river. The coaches took us up to the sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios. If the twin-towered Rococo shrine is a marvel, its position at the top of a tremendous cascade of 686 zig-zagging steps is even more so. I could not resist walking back down. Emblazoned with beautiful azulejo tile murals, fountains and statues of kings, this must be the most impressive staircase in Europe. If the minutia of facts, legends and historical tales enriched this cruise for me, it was complemented by Viking’s own superb attention to small but valuable matters. I did not expect the company to have a dedicated team, with its own desk at the hotel, in Lisbon. And a flash of your Viking Longship’s card at Salamanca’s New Cathedral and the Museum of Lamego, gets you free entry because Viking generously sponsors their upkeep. I witnessed a demonstration of the opening of a bottle of port using hot tongs in the ship’s lounge but, needing a pre-dinner shower, missed the sharing of its decanted contents. Not to worry – bar tender Gergana had saved me a glass. On our final full day of the cruise, I reluctantly missed dessert to watch Viking Helgrim sail back into Porto, this time the iron bridge framing the delightful city. Once we had docked, I listened to a local folk band performing live in the lounge, gazing out of the picture windows to watch the sun setting over the city, its golden light picking out the delicate details. A 10-day Portugal’s River of Gold journey from Lisbon to Porto starts at £2,145pp Clockwise, from far left: A colourful street in Coimbra; Mateus Palace; relax in the pool while enjoying scenic views; traditional rabelo boats rest along the banks of the Douro in Porto AUTUMN 2019 | VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK 15