We have been meaning to tour the Douro for quite a while but got sidetracked by Covid. But when Cathy suggested it for her 70th birthday, we decided to just do it! Another reason I had put it off this long was because I am not much of a wine connoisseur. But after this visit to the Douro, I have a new appreciation for the magic elixir and am even searching for a wine refrigerator to keep it at the perfect temperature.
It is a few hours drive from Ericeira to Porto and the Douro River. So to get a full day of drinking and driving (don’t worry, the driver wasn’t drinking) we needed to spend two nights in Porto. Porto never disappoints, though.
Enjoying a Porto Segway Tour
Before we went to our Airbnb we scheduled to take a two-hour Segway tour of Porto. We had previously done a Segway tour of Lisbon, which was fabulous. This one was every bit as good, although there were a few hairier moments in Porto, weaving in and out of pedestrian traffic. But we stopped along the pathways to hear stories of royalty, wars and royal affairs. Always interesting, that’s for sure, and funny how human nature doesn’t seem to change a lot through the centuries.
After the Segway tour, we drove to the Airbnb. Then we took an Uber to the waterfront. Once I park the car in Porto, I don’t like to move it again until we leave, and Uber is cheap here. Our friends, Dave and Sharie, joined us on this trip and we visited with Mary, the founder of our Portland to Portugal group, for a nice reunion.
We met up at a local bar and enjoyed some wine and then were surprised by two Portuguese women in a heated dispute, one of them a worker at the bar. Outward displays of anger are not common in Portugal. We could only speculate as to what it was about because none of us speak Portuguese. A man at the entrance, maybe an employee or bar owner, intervened and broke it up before it got physical. Maybe it was over him, although he remained unscathed.
Strolling Porto’s Riverfront
After that surprising event, we strolled along the riverside to a restaurant. Shrimp, cod, octopus and wine was served to everyone’s satisfaction. The view from the restaurant was superb.
Then we Ubered back to the Airbnb to nibble on Shari’s chocolate chip banana bread along with her homemade Sangria.
Onward to the Douro Valley Wineries
We were up early the next morning to wait for the tour guide to pick us up. It was an hour and a half drive to our first winery. At some point in time, you can see how someone had to chip away at the stone doorway so that the barrels could fit!
We tasted some delicious wines there as well as their own brands of olive oil and honey with delicious Portuguese bread. Many people who are gluten free or suffer from celiac disease have found that they do not have the same adverse reaction to Portuguese breads. I don’t know why that is, but I do know that bread doesn’t last long here. Not just because it is so good, but because it gets moldy after a day or two.
They don’t use preservatives here in bread. The breads here are delicious, though, and whoever said that man cannot live on bread alone might have second thoughts after visiting Portugal! Although, I may be missing the deeper meaning there.
After the winery we drove to Pinhão to enjoy a relaxing, hour-long boat ride along the Douro River. A longer boat ride would be nice sometime, but it gets hot in the Valley and that is also something to consider, so maybe we will attempt that in the fall.
The Great Save on the SS Minnow!
Oh, as I was going down the ramp onto the boat, my brand new, much too expensive phone flew out of my top pocket on a clear trajectory to clear the railing on its way to the depths of the Douro River.
In a move that would have made Willie Mays proud, the beautiful, heavily tattooed deckhand caught my phone with lightning-fast speed in midair. Both of us froze in amazement. Of course I tipped her for that. Much cheaper than replacing the phone.
After the boat ride it was time for lunch. We went to a nice restaurant and enjoyed Cod croquettes, delicious pork (not part of my household growing up and I never tasted pork until adulthood), potatoes, tuna and bean salad along with beer and wine and desserts. Then it was off to the next winery to taste some special port wines. At this point, I was thinking, do I really need to experience another winery? Well, the answer was an absolute YES! Not because any of us needed more wine, but simply because none of us had ever gotten such an education as we got from Tiago Alves de Sousa, the winemaker.
Here is our little group with me and Cathy, David and Jessica (a lovely couple from San Franciso), Sharie and David and Tiago. I think it would be safe to say that half the American guys we have met are named David and half the Portuguese men are named João. Maria, for the women, seems to be at least half.
The Quinta da Gaivosa winery has been in the same family for five generations, and we couldn’t have gotten luckier because our presenter that day was Tiago, the fifth generation winemaker. His passion was contagious. And the port wines that he served us were the best that I have ever tasted. Cheap port can sometimes be a bit too sweet and syrupy for me, but his white and red ports were just perfect.
Tiago described the evolution of winemaking for us, discussing mistakes, experiments and diseases through the decades. The phylloxera epidemic wiped out most of Europe’s vineyards in the 1800s. Now they have ways to mitigate disasters like that. I won’t go into details here because without overlooking the acres and acres of vineyards while sipping port, it wouldn’t have the same affect, but it has a lot to do with planting vines closer together and mixing different varieties in the same field, and so on and so forth.
The history is fascinating, and it reminded me of the book The Winemaker by Noah Gordon. But this isn’t your great-great-great grandpa’s orchard anymore. Even drones are now being used to help in the vineyards. And mechanical feet to stomp the grapes!
Then it was back to Porto to rest our weary bones and clear the cobwebs from our heads. There was a lot of driving on winding roads. I wasn’t crazy about that part, although the scenery was beautiful and our driver was cheerful, almost to a fault. Most importantly, she was an expert driver while we traversed come narrow curvy roads.
We got back to our Airbnb after a ten-hour day and were too tired to go out to dinner, so we munched on cheeses and crackers and whatnot. It was a quite satisfying way to end the day. Maybe if we were a few decades younger we would have ventured out to enjoy some Porto nightlife.
The next day we spent a leisurely morning hanging out before heading back to Ericeira. First, we stopped at Infusion in Óbidos for lunch and to drop Dave and Sharie back home. Porto and Óbidos are must-see towns to visit in Portugal and Infusion is a great place for lunch. They also have inexpensive rooms if you want to spend the night. The host, Tomás, is a hard-working, eager-to-please young man who will always make sure that your stay is a pleasant one.
Back Home to Ericeira
Then we headed back home to Ericeira, arriving safe and sound. Took a nap before waiting for Foxy (aka Sky) to be delivered to start chewing on our fingers and toes. She is getting better, though. We bought her a doggy bell for her to ring for when she wants to go out. I know, lofty expectations. Anyway, she picked it up and carried it to her blankie and started munching on it. Baby steps.
When I say that we arrived back home safe and sound, that is always first and foremost on my mind. We have had a few mishaps in our car, fortunately without bodily injury, so I have become hyper alert to my surroundings. The first mishap was when Cathy sideswiped a curb and ended up with a flat tire at night on the highway. Fortunately, there is a red button to press in the car to summon help. They sent someone to pick her up and bring her home while they towed the car somewhere. Apparently, newer Mercedes don’t carry spare tires. My, how times have changed.
The second mishap was when I sideswiped a low-lying pole while moving out of our apartment. Took that to the shop and had it expertly repaired and painted. Then there was the harrowing drive which I described in my last blog which, miraculously, resulted in nary a scratch.
Big Oops!
The latest mishap was the garage door coming down on my car. This is why I don’t deserve nice things. I took too long to exit the garage after pressing the garage door opener. The sensor, which theoretically stops the garage door when sensing that there is a car in the way, stopped when it was halfway through my back windshield. The entire back hatch had to be replaced. And the garage door as well. Thank God for insurance.
Nothing’s Perfect
Some people expect everything to be perfect when they move to Portugal. Portugal is not perfect. It is better, in my opinion, but not perfect. True, the politics are less contentious. People are friendlier and don’t seem to be wound quite as tight. There is no gun violence and protests don’t seem to get out of control. It’s mellower here and priorities are different.
But accidents still happen, like a garage door coming down on my car. Bureaucracy still happens, like me trying to get a refund from a cellphone company after they sold me a cellphone that wasn’t in their inventory. And the language barrier still happens, like when I try to fill out the proper forms at one of the utility companies. So basically, once the glitz and glamor of a new place wears off, it’s your life that remains, warts and all.
What’s Next?
Well, here it is August already. We might lay low this month while we eagerly await some of our offspring to visit next month (after their disappointing aborted visit last year). Maybe we can get our other kids and grandkids out here eventually as well. Summer in Ericeira is absolutely delightful. The weather is beautiful and the town is vibrant with activity. I don’t mind the crowds as long as I don’t have to find a parking spot. It is nice to have a garage to park in while we walk into town or down to the beach. But now I don’t click the garage door opener until after I pause the car three feet from the garage door!
amazing!!! some of the nicest places in portugal!! love your writing. Sofia xx
Thank you, Sofia! Yes, it was absolutely stunning!
Oh my! To say I am excited to come to Portugal is an understatement! I love your writing and the way you share your experiences. Thanks, as always.
Thanks, Dave! Cathy and I can’t wait to see you and Karen again and have some wonderful, shared experiences here in Portugal!
OMG my friend! Once again you have passionately nailed not only our most current adventure, but conveyed the realities we experience. You’re right my friend, it ain’t perfect…. but it’s pretty damn close!
It is always fun to be with with you and David! You two are so easy to be around and always open to a new adventure!
I always love to read about your adventures, Bob. I’ve wanted to go on the cruise up the Douro for some time; maybe next fall? I’ll be coming to Lisbon to open my bank account in November and look for a place to live. If I have time, I would love to come out to Ericea and visit with you and Cathy. Maybe hope to see Rita Amick and her guy as well. And then there’s Caldas de Rainha. So many friends to see! My hope is to get an appt in SF in early Feb and move permanently in early April. I’m retiring next week and signing up for Medicare today! First steps….
Congratulations on your pending retirement, Jayne! The Silver Coast is a great place to spend your golden years, that’s for sure. See you when you get here.
Porto or Bust! That’s my new mantra!! Loved your tales as usual, and especially the photos. You and Cathy both look so relaxed and happy! Please send us the name of the Douro day trip organizer as there are too many to choose online. BTW, I never knew port could be white.
Yes, the white port is sensational. And you can even mix it with tonic water and a lime for a refreshing cocktail. The tour operator was called The Cooltours. I will email you about that and the potential risks of a Segway tour. 🙂
This blog has the perfect combination of education and comedy! I love reading it. I am very excited to see you and Grandma! Only a month away…
Satya, we are literally counting the days! Love you so much and can’t wait to see you guys! It has been waaaay too long!
Bob: So glad I am on the list to receive your blog. You were such a great help by turning me onto various resources a few months ago. We are on our way for the scouting trip in September. Keeping fingers crossed. We will be there for six weeks, start the process with things that will be easier to get done in person find our initial location and start the new chapter. Again, thanks most grateful to you.
Always happy to help! Just remember, whatever I say, get a second opinion. 🙂
Bob,
I realllllly enjoy your blog posts! Always informative, interesting, and entertaining.
Happy Birthday to Cathy….and mannnnny more!
Thank you, Anita! Good to hear from you!