Porto Day 1

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We arrived in Villa Nova de Gaia, across the Douro River from Porto, about 4:30 in the afternoon. Gaia, as the suburb is commonly known, is the base for Douro River cruises, long or short. Viking Cruises has its dock here for its three river vessels and Viking Torgil was waiting for us. Vessels may not navigate the Douro at night, so the cruise could not begin until the following morning. However, the moored position of Viking Torgil afforded spectacular view of Porto illuminated by the late afternoon sun. Port sits on hills rising right up from the river and its historic center was on display. Directly upriver was the Ponte Luís I, a high span across the Douro. The river was busy, but not with freight traffic or pleasure craft. It was all either large cruise vessels or sightseeing vessels made to look like the traditional rabelo wine transport boats. (More on the rabelo and its role in the Douro wine trade later.)

The Douro, or Rio Douro, loosely may mean "Golden River" in Portuguese. (Hence the "Portugal's River of Gold" branding for many Douro cruises.) The river rises in Spain, forms part of the Spanish-Portuguese border and then traverses northern Portugal to its mouth at Porto. Winemaking along the river valley dates back to Roman times, but production of the region's signature Port wines began in the 17th century. The Douro winemaking region was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001.

Dinner in the dining room brought forth a Portuguese soup, Caldo Verde à Minhota (cabbage and potato soup with chorizo), and a main of Roasted Duck Breast. Ready to set out on the Douro on the morrow!

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Photos

Porto Cathedral and Episcopal Palace
Sé do Porto - Porto Cathedral and Paço Episcopal - Archbiop's Palace.
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Church of St. Francis
Igreja Monumento de São Francisco, Porto. Construction began in the 14th century as part of a Franciscan monastery.
"São Francisco (entr. on the W. side), a Gothic basilica of 1383-1410, with a large rose-window".--Baedeker 1913
Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Tour Boat
Douro River tour boat in the form of a traditional rabelo boat.
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Ponte Luís I
Ponte Luís I or Ponte de Dom Luís I. Tram and pedestrian bridge between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia across the Douro River. The double deck metal arched bridge is older than it looks, built in 1881-1886. The upper span is 1,297 feet (395 m) in length. The upper span was rebuilt in 2003 to carry Porto metro light rail trains.
"Ponte de Dom Luiz Primeiro , which crosses the Douro in a single arch of 560 ft. span. The bridge was constructed by a Belgian company in 1881-85. There are two road-ways, one 33 ft. above the river, the other 200 ft. The upper road-way (traversed by tramways Nos. 13 & 14) affords a superb view of the city and the valley of the Douro".--Baedeker 1913
Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Alfândega do Porto
Alfândega Porto Congress Centre, the former customs house.
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Ponte Luís I
Ponte Luís I. Tram bridge between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.
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Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar
Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar. Both the church of 1672 and cloister are circular in design. In back of the round church is the 66 foot (20 m) bell tower. Vila Nova da Gaia.
"On the S. Bank of the Douro, on the height just to the left of the bridge, amid eucalypti and live-oaks, lies the Augustine convent of Nossa Senhora da Serra do Pilar, now used as artillery barracks. ... The Augustinians are said to have founded the convent in 1540, when the hill was named the Monte de Sao Nicolau. It was, however, entirely rebuilt in 1602 and dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Pilar, whose image is still preserved here".--Baedeker 1913
Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Tour Boats
Douro RIiver tour boats at Vila Nova da Gaia.
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Emerald Radiance
Emerald Radiance. Douro River cruise vessel operated by Emerald Cruises.
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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Emerald Cruises
It looks like you had a similar itinerary as us. We traveled with Tauck.