INTERESTING TIMES
(in Spain, Portugal and UK)
Mateus to Madrid
Sunday 2nd June, 2019
Monday 3rd June, 2019
Tuesday 4th June, 2019
Sunday 2nd June, 2019
Casa Mateus
Side View Casa Mateus
oday we went to Palacio Mateus. We were disappointed to learn that the Mateus family had never made the wine but made large royalties from putting the image of their palace on the label.
Nevertheless it was a fascinating place, grown from the manor of wealthy but not noble families, who had been ennobled over the generations.
Salon Casa Mateus
The Library, Casa Mateus
he house was interesting, a baroque exterior and very timbery interior. The timber vaulted ceilings were very unusual. The interior of the house was also interesting, with artifacts sourced from Sri Lanka and Goa, Portuguese colonies back in the day, family portraits and a really lovely library.
Casa Mateus Gardens
Arches at Casa Mateus
he gardens were spectacular, formal box hedges enclosing lovely roses, arches and patterned beds with terraces and the odd fountain and a cypress walk which was pleasantly cool. We strolled around the grounds, really enjoying the morning.
In the Garden Casa Mateus
he day went from 21 degrees in the morning to about 39 this afternoon. There were stables and carriage houses and a wine press (for effect, I suppose) but considering the large number of people we arrived with, it was uncrowded and very pleasant.
Antique Mac-hinery at Quinta da Raeda
fter we left Mateus we had a slight bingle in the bus. A Swiss tourist in a campervan reversed into the bus and broke some of the sidelight surround. The ensuing kerfuffle of exchange of insurance details etc made us half an hour late for lunch at the Quinta da Raeda where all the others were waiting for us.
Terrace at Quinta da Raeda
t was a buffet of mostly overdone meats, croquettes etc as well as salads and stuff. We got platefuls but weren't madly impressed, though to be fair it had been waiting a while. The Quinta da Raeda was a real winery although it had sold out to the large Sandemans group. It was another aerial site, with a far stretching view over vineyards and the river. A pretty terrace shaded with vines made it very attractive.
There are Many Hilltop Quintas on the River
ack to the boat, we realised that today we had just about retraced in the bus the distance we had sailed the day before, and then back again. Seemed a bit pointless really. We are getting much less actual cruising in the boat than driving in the uncomfortable heat in a bus! Not quite what I expected.
Steep Vineyards on the River
e had a siesta then attended a briefing from Janos the Cruise Director about disembarkation, among lots of other topics. I hope we have got it down. We fly out of Madrid on Wednesday.
We had a pleasant dinner in company with Terrance and Helen from NZ who are on a very extensive honeymoon (second time around for both) and had a really easy conversation. Nice people, I hope they enjoyed our company too.
Last day tomorrow - it's supposed to be really special. Hope so, not enough cruising on this cruise!
Monday 3rd June, 2019
Narrow Gorge on the Douro
High Banks along the Douro
ur last day in Portugal. We have been having a lovely leisurely morning watching the scenery, going through a couple of locks and a very narrow and rocky gorge area.
Banks of the Douro
he scenery has been generally more domestic today, lots of quintas and vineyards, little riverside towns and gentle ripples.
Terraced Quinta
e have been given our disembarkation info, red labels for the luggage, transfer details from the Madrid hotel to the airport and even money to buy lunch at Salamanca.
Quinta on the Banks of the Douro
ince tonight is the Captain's Farewell Dinner and we have to pack and change etc, we decided not to go on our excursion this afternoon. It is a long drive to Madrid tomorrow and then the flight to London. My ribs are still giving me a lot more trouble than I think they should be and I don't want to tire myself out.
Riverside Town
e sailed gently from Pinhao to Barca d'Alva, the end of the navigable route of the Douro. It is an attractive area, the Barca (bridge) spans a fairly narrow section which seems to be sparsely inhabited. I think our moorings have been away from residential areas generally.
Twilight on the Douro
e spent most of the afternoon packing and organising what we wanted for Madrid and the flight to London. Mac also spent a fair amount of time and frustration trying to complete the feedback section of the APT app. It doesn't seem to like negative comments and wants you to justify them at length. We do feel that there was not enough actual cruising.
Sunset at Barca D'Alva
e know the Douro is not the Rhine or the Danube but feel there would be more value in a "there and back" cruise - Porto - Barca d'Alva - Porto. I also know I would have enjoyed it more without broken ribs but, as Mac said, I would have enjoyed it more WITH broken ribs had it been more cruising and less bussing.
Water steps Barca d'alva
unset on the river at Barca d'Alva was a lovely sight, not quite as sensational as on the Murray River a few years ago, but peaceful and attractive.
Captain's Farewell Reception and Gala Dinner tonight. The Captain doesn't seem to have had too much to do except the locks of course. He has been seen in the lounge playing duets with Carlos the pianist.
Later:
Barca D'Alva
inner was delicious. Mac and I both had lamb shanks and baked Alaska. Very nice although braised lamb shanks are a bit warm for this weather especially since the aircon does not seem to work.
We had a Flamenco show with dancers and singers and they were lovely, what I think of as Flamenco, castanets and lovely ruffles and fans. Janos gave all the ladies a fan to help with the hot weather and many of us used them. APT giveaways of course.
Tuesday 4th June, 2019
Welcome to Spain!
isembarked today, getting up at crack of dawn for early breakfast and bags out at 0630. We disembarked at a now disused (since European union has freed up borders) border customs post, very grim looking. We were on the road by 0730 and heading for Madrid.
Salamanca Plaza Mayor
t about 1030 we stopped at Salamanca which is a small but lovely medieval city with one of the oldest universities in the world. (We have seen a number who make that claim but this one started in the 1200s.)
Salamanca Decor
Salamanca House of Shells
he Plaza Mayor or main square is a lovely symmetrical area with golden sandstone buildings on all four sides
with arches into and out of the market streets beyond. We had a cup of coffee at one of a multitude of coffee shops then gathered in the lovely square.
Salamanca House of Shells
e had a passionate local guide who was very assiduous about pointing out interesting carvings and statues. One of the more interesting buildings was the "House of Shells", which was an ecclesiastical building with carvings of scallop shells all over it. This is a reference to the Camino di Santiago di Compostella which goes through here. There are stylised scallop shells made of brass set into the pavement pointing the way. We saw these also at Guimarez so we can say we have walked a very short stretch of the Camino!
Salamanca Street
Storks Nesting, Salamanca
he streets in the centre were mainly pedestrianised, full of cafes and souvenir shops which were quite interesting. One of the buildings surrounding the main plaza had a tower in which storks were nesting. Brought back memories of Rothenburg!
Salamanca University Decor
e wandered through the campus of the university, seeing lovely quadrangles and golden limestone buildings.
Cathedral, Salamanca
he university buildings were interesting but sadly crumbling because of being built of sandstone, many centuries turning to dust! As was also the Cathedral, a lovely building which has had to be extensively restored.
Tourmates at Salamanca
e had lunch in the tourist area beside a large group of tourmates and had a very nice pizza and sangrias.. Then back on the bus for Madrid. My rib was beginning to hurt when we stopped for a motorway services break. Wandering around outside Mac saw a strange slinky animal he thought was a cat but I couldn't see well enough to tell. (It was a cat, he has a photo of it)
Later:
Modern Madrid
e came into a very different Madrid from the one we left a few weeks ago, much more modern with extravagant modern buildings among the more traditional 18th C ones, and some very interesting statuary which we could only glimpse from the bus.
Street Art Madrid
t Madrid we arrived at the Gran Melia Fenix Hotel, not the same Gran Melia we were in before in Madrid and more in the commercial city centre rather than in the old town as last time. After rearranging the luggage for the plane (rather than boat and bus) we went out to find dinner. Since there seemed to be a dearth of restaurants around the general area as we walked around the block, we decided for the first time ever to try the Hard Rock Cafe, just behind the hotel, and to my surprise we both enjoyed the experience. Mac had a pulled pork burger and I had a chicken and bacon club sandwich. We shared one serve of fries and had yet another glass of sangria, all very tasty and very filling. We even bought Geoff a souvenir HRC Madrid shotglass.
Home to the hotel for showers and an early start to the airport for London!
Pray God my ribs start easing up!
