Viking Torgil sailed from Pinhão for Barca d'Alva early in the morning, again before breakfast. The morning was a leisurely one as we cruised along the Douro. The riverside landscape was changing as the terraced hillsides gave way to rocky cliffs. Valeria Lock was reached after breakfast. At Valeria Dam, Tamara told us to be on the lookout for an inscription on the rock face. Cachão da Valeira, named for a former waterfall, is a narrow rocky reach in the Douro just above Valeria Dam. Here, the river bends sharply and rocky escarpments reach down to the water's edge forming a narrow and darkened gorge. This section of the Douro was once full of rocks and not open to navigation. Under Queen Maria I, an engineering project to widen and deepen the river was carried out ... read more

Viking Torgil sailed from Vila Nova de Gaia at 6:30 a.m. Heading east from Porto along the Douro River, the scene was one of verdant forests and riverside villas and villages. There was some industry associated with the river, mainly sand and gravel wharves. But mostly it was a tranquil landscape with green hills rising up from the river. During breakfast, we traversed the first lock, Crestuma, 14 miles (23 km) from Porto. The Douro River has five dam and lock systems along its length in Portugal. They were built between 1965 and 1985. River vessels have reservations for each lock passage, so they have to keep to a schedule to arrive at the proper time. (Thus the captain could tell passengers the time each lock would be reached.) The dams have a dual purpose. They ... read more

The Lisbon to Porto transfer was by motorcoach. We would board our Viking river vessel, Viking Torgil, in Porto. The standard transfer is via Coimbra with a stop to see the university. However, Susan and I opted for the transfer with stops at Fatima and the monastery at Batalha. This choice proved to be a fascinating journey into Portuguese history. The courier and guide who accompanied our coach group introduced himself as a professor of travel and tourism at a private Lisbon university. He was very knowledgeable bout Portuguese history and narrated most of our journey. His first topic concerned the forests we were traversing. I had taken note of the fact that they highway to Batalha was though a heavily forested landscape, not what I had expected to see. (I had expected farmland, or arid ... read more

Two days in Lisbon marked the start of our “Portugal’s River of Gold“ trip with Viking Cruises. Our overnight flight from Washington Dulles Airport touched down at 10:14 a.m. Viking representatives met us outside customs and baggage claim and directed us to our hotel transfer. Lisbon airport is surprisingly close to the city center. The ride in from the airport took us through several traffic circles with monuments and past houses decorated with the famous Portuguese tiles. We would learn more abut the tiles tomorrow. We stayed at the Hotel Tivoli on Avenida da Liberdade (It was the assigned hotel for our Viking Douro river cruise.) It is a very nice hotel on the main upscale shopping street. Viking greeted everyone with a serving of Pastéis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts). Just the thing to get ... read more

Carnival Legend called at Bermuda for a day and a half. The morning before departure allowed for a stroll around the Royal Navel Dockyard. (Some passengers opted for a half day at the beach.) The Dockyard was the principal installation of the Royal Navy in the Atlantic region from the end to the 18th century to after World War II. It was a fortress as well as a repair base and naval supply depot. Construction of new facilities continued through the period of use, so that many solid structures were left behind. Bermuda has utilized the extensive Dockyard fortifications and buildings and repurposed them as museum, retail, restaurant and residential space. The repurposing continues as we noted that spaces vacant in 2010 now have new uses while others still remain empty and unsued. After breakfast on ... read more