A 'Magnifico' Douro River Boat Tour

Once again, where do I begin to tell you about our trip to Pinhão.

We had been told that a boat trip through the Douro Valley is a must. Monday is a day that museums are closed but boat tours are not, so we decided to drive to the docks in Pinhão, and what a drive that was! Windy, narrow and with steep drops and no guard rails. Chris was acting confident, but I still hung on to the door and tried to peek now and then at the spectacular views of the river way down below.

In the winter, Pinhão is a small, sleepy town that just happens to be in the heart of Port wine country. You only have to look around to see that you are surrounded by vines, as the climate is ideal for the grapes that make Port wine. While the small town is quiet and calm for most of the year, the autumn harvest always brings a lively bunch of workers and tourists to town. People can participate in harvest activities such as grape stomping, wine tasting, and river cruises.

On Sunday, Chris had contacted a river cruise company called Magnifico Douro and made arrangements for a 2 hour cruise, starting at 10:45, up the Douro River, towards Spain, to another town called Tua and then back. As usual, Chris and I were the only two on the boat, besides the captain. How wonderful was that! (Ask Chris about the bet that we made, that I won!)

Individual English audio guides were handed to us so we could identify wineries and hear stories about the people who had come to this area to grow grapes. We learned that the word DOURO which means hard, refers to the hardness of the rocky land and the hard glare of the sun.

We passed under Pinhão’s famous bridge, designed by Gustave Eiffel. We were very fortunate that it was a sunny, calm day and the water was like a mirror. The reflections were perfect.

We could stay in the heated, covered part of the boat or sit outside, which is what we did because we could see better. We had our toques, scarves and mitts so we were all set. Blankets were also provided, if we needed them. The views that surrounded us on all sides were so beautiful - gorgeous green hills covered with terraces with vines, and here and there, a ruin, a rustic country house or a huge manor house could be seen. Noisy cormorants and herons flew over the quiet river.

The Douro Valley is the oldest wine region in the world and has a microclimate perfect for growing grapes for Port wine. Terraced vineyards practically climb straight up the vertical slopes from the river. It is an amazing sight.

The original boats that were used on the Douro were called ‘rabelos’. They are traditional Portuguese wooden cargo boats that were used for centuries to transport people and goods along the Douro River. They are flat-bottomed, with a shallow draught, which was necessary to navigate the often shallow, fast-flowing waters of the upper Douro before the construction of dams and locks (1968). Rabelo means little tail and if you look at the boat you can see that the rudder looks like tail.

A train runs twice a day beside the river. We were thrilled to hear the whistle of the train as it passed us along the narrow gauge railway on the cliff’s edge.

The captain pulled out a bottle of Tawny Port (19%) and proceeded to pour us samples to try out. Nice touch.

When we returned to the dock, we asked the captain if he would recommend a good and economical restaurant to try out. Well, he did - Restaurante Cais da Foz. It was full of regulars and some tourists and river on the river with great views. The steak, rice, chips, salad, dessert and expresso that we had was delicious and filling. In Portugal, portions are big and the common practice is to share the food. One dinner for the two of us and we were pleasantly full.

Then I had to face the crazy, winding road back to Lamego. Mind you, it turned out not being so bad - the Port did a good job at keeping my blood pressure in check.

A magnifico day! Just look at the photos! The reflections! A memory day.Read more