Gaia

Once we were done cooking and eating, we walked over to Gaia for the Six Bridges River cruise. This was a 50-minute cruise on the Douro River. It starts and ends at the Cais da Ribeira. During the journey, we got to see the city's most iconic landmarks..
Luis I Bridge, Ribeira, mouth of the Duoro River and the Mana Pia Bridge.

On our way to Ferreira Wine Cellars, we walked by a sculpture called "Half Rabbit" Created by Bordale II, known for his "Big Trash Animals" series. This piece is made from recycled materials and trash, including metal, plastic, and street signs. He called it this because it's positioned on the building in such a way that it looks like it's folded in two. His sculptures are to warn about pollution and to highlight endangered species.

Ferreira Wine Cellars was founded in 1751. In the 19th century, Dona Antonia took over the family business, and it reached a unique level, making it the leading Port wine brand. It currently has 4 million litres of wine aging. The quality of the wine depends on the temperatures of the year. Just last week, they sold their oldest bottle from 1863 for $4000 euros, and now their oldest bottle is 1973. We tasted 3 different wines aged 3, 7 & 4 years.

Before heading for supper, we visited a huge interesting cemetery. It had a lot of very old tombs and family vaults. Most vaults can hold 6 caskets, and although they are locked, it appears family members can enter to put flowers, etc in.Read more