A while ago I had lunch with my friends Nancy and Fred. (Regular readers of this blog might remember that a couple of years ago they went with me to Mérida, Mexico.) They mentioned that they were thinking about taking a river cruise next summer along the Duoro River in Portugal. Even though I am not a big fan of cruises or guided tours, I have heard very good things about the European river cruises on Viking Cruise Lines. Although I have taken numerous trips to Spain, I have never been to neighboring Portugal. So, I told them I might be interested in joining them.
Yesterday, Nancy called me and told me that they were going to book the cruise for June, and I told her to sign me up.
It is a ten day trip. It begins in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. Then we head north by motor coach to the city of Oporto at the mouth of the Duoro River. There we board the small cruise ship and sail up the river. We will visit picturesque towns, vineyards, palaces and monasteries along the way. It also includes an excursion across the Spanish border to Salamanca. (I have been to Salamanca. It is a beautiful city filled with impressive Renaissance architecture.)
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| (image taken from the web) |
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| (image taken from the web) |
I, however, would not return home at the end of the cruise. I will take the train from Lisbon to Madrid. Hopefully, my cousin Werner will be at home at that time, and I will have a chance to visit him again. I am also trying to decide upon a couple of places in Spain that I have not yet seen to add to my itinerary.
I have been teaching myself German for this summer's trip to Switzerland. I guess I also need to learn some Portuguese for next year!
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