I have to warn you up front, this is long.
Recently returned from a glorious 10-day trip to Portugal. A little background; while veterans of more than 20 Ocean cruises, this was only our third river cruise, 2nd time on Viking, and 4th trip to Europe together. I am 54, DH is 58 and we love to travel.
We had utilized Viking Air, and on paper our flights didn't look so bad. Our trip over had us leaving from Dulles to Newark and from Newark to Lisbon. We had plenty of time in-between flights. However, first our flight from Dulles (On United) delayed boarding by over half an hour because of a mechanical issue with the PA system. After boarding we sat on a taxi way for another half hour because the air traffic over Newark was backed up. By time we landed and taxied to a gate I knew it would be close. Naturally, the gate we landed at, and where we needed to go were about as far apart as one could get at Newark. When we finally made it to the gate for the Lisbon leg, boarding had already started. I am going on the record that United did not impress me at all. The plane used for a transatlantic flight was small. The same size we fly from BWI to FLL. Even in premium economy there was no leg room. Thank goodness it was only a 6-hour flight. The meal was awful (I mean, I know that airplane food is not gourmet, but I wouldn't have fed what we were served to a prison inmate). And finally we had turbulence the entire way. Again, I realize the airline can't control that, but it just added to what was a miserable flight over. We did land on time (8 am local time), and the Lisbon airport is very easy to get around. Passport control was a breeze. The official scanned our passports, looked at us to see if we matched our ugly passport photos, asked no questions, and waved us through. Our luggage was quickly retrieved, and we walked through customs and straight to the Viking representative waiting just past customs. There were 16 of us, and in no time we were loaded into 3 vans, that carried 6 people each, and it was off to the hotel.
Our hotel was the Trivoli Lisboa, and I really liked it. I thought the location was rather good as it was near two HOHO tour companies, and the street was one of the main shopping districts in Lisbon. The front desk personnel all spoke excellent English, and were very helpful. Our luggage was collected from us, and we sat down in the hotel lobby, drinking tea and nibbling on cookies provided by the hotel while the Program Director for Viking had us fill out the paperwork for our hotel stay. Since we were on our own the first day she also gave us suggestions on what to do and where to eat. Best of all, even though normal check-in time was 3 PM, she managed to get the hotel to let us check in sooner, and by 10:20 we were in our room! (Some couples got in even sooner than us). Better yet, our luggage had already been delivered to our room. The room, which is a standard room, wasn't large, but had been recently decorated and was comfortable. The bathroom had a shower, but no tub. It was modern and had everything we required. I was fairly tired and my husband looked exhausted, so I suggested a quick shower and a nap. Lisbon would have to wait.
We woke up around 2:30 local time and decided to head towards one of the HOHO companies. I got directions and off we went, stopping at stores that peaked our interest along the way. Coming out of a store I noticed a strange looking, 3-wheeled vehicle that had a single passenger front seat and a two passenger back seat. Standing next to it was a man holding up a placard that looked like tour descriptions. I pointed it out to my husband, and at the same time the man noticed my interest and came over. The vehicle was a Tuk Tuk, and the man was an independent tour operator. I asked "How much?" and was quoted 35-40 euro's for the two of us, depending on how long our tour. We selected the old town, and off we went. I have to say even though later we were hear our Viking tour guide speak rather dismissively about the Tuk Tuk tour drivers, we loved it. Yes, I did have a momentary pause about getting into this Tuk Tuk with a stranger, in a strange city, and yes I took photos before our tour of the Tuk Tuk and our driver "Just in Case", but he turned out to be so friendly and a great guide. He spoke excellent English, and told us so many fascinating facts about Lisbon. Mainly we went to the Alfama Quarter, but he also took us past the Se, to a wonderful vantage point where we had breathtaking views of the city, and on my request, past the ruins of a convent destroyed by the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. He also gave me ample time to take as many photos as I wanted, and even offered to take photos of DH and I together. It was a wonderful afternoon. In the end he charged us 35 euros and I tipped him well.
Back at the hotel we went to a Viking briefing on the next day tours, and the logistics of going from Lisbon to Porto, and when we would meet our boat. As we walked into the meeting room for the briefing the hotel served us white port. I had never had white port before, I don't know what brand they served us, but it was delicious. We were on our own for dinner, so walking around we found a restaurant that had an interesting looking menu (Most restaurants in the area have menus posted outside) and as it was in English as well as Portuguese we knew what we would be eating.
Saturday morning after eating breakfast provided by the hotel, we were off on our morning tour of Lisbon. We went first to the Belem district where we saw the Tower of Belem, a monument to Portuguese explorers, and another in memory of soldiers lost during a war in the 70's. Then it was off to a former monastery that was very impressive. We were given about 45-minutes free time, and our guide suggested that we try a Pastry de Belem. We decided to take the short walk to the pastry shop, and fortunately the line was short, got our pastries, and found a bench to enjoy them. They were good. I can only describe them as a custard filled pastry tart that one sprinkles powdered sugar and cinnamon on top (If you take them to go they give you little packets of sugar & cinnamon). Then it was off to the Alfama Quarter for a short, and I mean very short, walking tour, before we headed back to the hotel. Lunch was on our own, and after lunch we went on the optional tour to the Tile Museum. The cost was 44 euro each. I loved the museum, and I learned so much about how tiles were made and decorated. After the tour we got to go to a tile decorating work shop where we painted a tile under the guidance of an artist. Later the tiles would be fired and given to us on the last day of our cruise. Based on our results I would say that my husband and I better stay with our day jobs.
Sunday morning we checked out of the hotel and boarded our buses at 8:30 for the drive to Porto. A few more things about our hotel stay. Viking picked up the tab for wifi (Hotel normally charges 15 euro per day), we also had bottled water provided in our rooms free of charge as well as some coffee and teas. Breakfast was provided Saturday & Sunday morning, lunch and dinner was on our own. The hotel does have a small room with 4 computers that guests may use free of charge, and you can get pizza delivered to the hotel, the front desk will call your order in for you, but you must meet the delivery driver outside as they cannot come into the hotel.
The highway to Porto was very good, and light on traffic. We did make a comfort stop at a rest area that had restrooms, a small cafeteria, and a shop that sold snacks and trinkets. Around Noon we arrived at the University town of Coimbra to visit the historic University of Coimbra and to see the magnificent library there. Of interest to Harry Potter fans is the robes worn by the students. Apparently J.K. Rowling lived in Portugal at one time and was influenced by things she saw in Portugal when describing Hogwarts and the student robes. After our tour we went to a local restaurant for lunch. I thought the food was just okay (You had a choice between codfish or chicken), but we did had a Faldo performance which was very good. Back on the road by 2:30 or so, we finally arrived to Porto and our ship around 4:30.
As all passengers were arriving at the same time, I thought it might create a bit of a log jam as far as getting everyone their room key. However, Viking handled it quite well. They had us all go to the lounge, and called our names, a few at a time. We were handed our key and escorted to our cabin. It went really fast, and in no time we were in our cabin. Luggage was delivered probably 10-minutes later. Our cabin was small, but had everything we required. There was a safety drill, and we were required to take our life jackets. They were a little different from what I am use to, and I think many of our fellow passengers were just as confused as we were on the correct way to put them on.
A few notes about the ship. Unlike the Viking Odin (My other Viking experience), the Hemming has an elevator that went to all three passenger decks. Dinner was served at 7:00 PM most nights (Two nights it was at 7:15). There are a few tables for two in the dining room, but most are for 4 and 6. I think there was one table that could seat 8. The Viking ships on the Douro are a little smaller than their ships on other European rivers. The passenger capacity is 106 (Compared to 190 for one of the longships), and on the top deck they had a small pool. I was told when booking this cruise a year earlier that the pool was heated, and the front desk also said it was heated. It's not. I don't believe there was a casual dining option offered like there is on the longships (If there was I never heard any mention of it). I thought the food for the most part was very good. Most evenings the menu would have a Meat/Seafood/Vegetarian option, as well as always available Salmon/Chicken/Strip Steak option. Usually they offered 2 or 3 Portuguese inspired options.
After dinner our first night the captain took the ship on a short harbor cruise. Porto reminded me a little of Budapest, the way some of the important buildings are illuminated at night, and the bridges are lit up as well. No quite on the grand scale of Budapest, but very beautiful in its own right. We remained docked overnight in Porto, and the next morning we set out on tour. A word about the buses. Viking used their own buses (There were 3 of them) and we were all assigned a bus. While probably standard bus size, each bus seated only 36. That allowed for the seats to be spread out a little more, giving everyone ample leg room. Even my 6'8" husband could easily fit in any seat. These buses followed our boat the entire cruise, and we would stay with the same bus, driver, and tour guide the entire week.
Back to Porto. Beautiful city. Our bus took us across the river, and up a hill to the Se (Cathedral), which we toured, then we walked to the train station to view the beautiful tile murals inside the building. This was a good place to use the ATM, exchange currency, grab a soda, or use the restroom (Need a 50 cent euro piece). Back on the bus, we were taken to another part of the city where you could have free time, or go with the guide to a famous bookstore (The bookstore charges 3 euro to go inside, but you get it back if you purchase something that costs al least 3 euro). We took the free time. I just looked up the bookstore, Lello, on the internet, and it looks beautiful. Oh well, next time. Finally we went to a port wine facility where they actually make port, and of course have a sample. In the afternoon one had three options; stay on board & enjoy scenic cruising to Entre-os-Rios, take the bus back to Porto for more free time and later take the bus to Entre-os-Rios, or take the optional excursion to Guimaraes. Because we had $200 OBC to burn through, we took the optional excursion. Guimaraes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we had an excellent guide, and after our walking tour more than enough free time to brose shops, or have coffee in a café. That night we had dinner off the ship (Provided by Viking) at the 11th-century Alpendurada Monastery that is now a hotel. This included a Fado concert. It was a nice evening.
The following day we had scenic cruising in the morning, and after lunch we arrived in Regua. We went on our shore excursion to Mateus Palace, and then to a wine tasting at Quinta do Seixo vineyards, while the ship sailed on to Pinhao. I thought the Mateus Palace to be lovely, but don't expect grandeur on the scale of palaces in St. Petersburg, or even a grand stately house in England. The gardens are very beautiful, and even though mid-December, there were still a few roses in bloom. The winery offered magnificent vistas, but I must admit the ride to and from was hair-raising. I am terrified of heights, and the twists and turns in the road had me weak in the knees.
The next day we had scenic cruising in the morning again, and in the afternoon we went to Castelo Rodrigo, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a very picturesque medieval village, perched high on a hill. We were first taken to a vantage point below the hill so we could get a view of the hilltop fortress, and then the buses took us up. There were 3 options for a walking tour; levels 1, 2, or 3 level of difficulty, and again plenty of free time to explore on our own. There is a café that was giving sample of port (Naturally), in the hopes you might linger to enjoy the café (Great views) or buy something from the shop. Besides wine they had olive and almond products as well. There were a few other shops to browse, and it appeared that a number of people came back to the ship with purchases in hand.
Thursday found us traveling (By bus) to Salamanca, Spain. The bus ride was the longest we experienced, a little over 1.5 hours each way. We spent the entire day in Salamanca (Lunch was included). In the morning we had free time (Check out the beautiful Art Deco museum-Its free on Thursdays, and has free bathrooms), and made our way to Plaza Mayor, stopping at sites and shops along the way, where we met up with the rest of the group to walk the short distance to the hotel where we had lunch. They served paella that was out-of-this-world delicious, and after lunch some talented dancers performed Spanish folk dances. In the afternoon we had a walking tour of Salamanca, and once again we had an excellent guide (They did offer a slower paced tour, which we took, we saw everything everyone else did).
Friday, we were taken to a Portuguese village to visit a wine cooperative and then we walked to a bakery, where they make a 1000 loaves of break a day, by hand, cooked in a wood burning oven. Then we walked along the streets of this charming village to first visit a small wine & bread museum before we headed to Quinta da Avessada (A winery) to enjoy lunch with dancing. Our host, a charming man, has lived at this vineyard his entire life, and is the fourth-generation of his family to run the vineyard. This was not a touristy day at all, but an opportunity to experience authentic Douro culture. After lunch we headed back to the ship which was docked at Pinhao. Here we had a little free time, take photos of their beautiful train station, and peruse the shops.
Our final day found us heading to Lamego. We first went to the Shrine of our Lady of Remedies with its breathtaking (In more ways than one) 686-step staircase. Plenty of free time followed in which we went to the town museum which is housed in the former Bishop's Palace. Viking has an agreement with them in which we didn't have to pay an admission fee. They have an amazing collection of art and religious artifacts, and I felt it was well worth the time to visit. Of course I did more shopping. I found a great little store just up the street that sold quality hand-made items. Managed to buy some great last minute Christmas gifts there. We rejoined our ship before lunch in Regua for an afternoon of scenic cruising and were back in Porto around 6:30.
And that was pretty much it. We went to bed early as we had to be up at 2:45 to catch the 3:30 shuttle to the airport. Flew home on Lufthansa (Porto to Frankfurt to Dulles). Although much longer, the flights were more comfortable than our flights over on United. To sum it all up. We would do this cruise again, loved Portugal, Viking gave us a great trip, would sail with them again, in fact I just booked us for a Lyon & Provence cruise (With Paris extension) for 2017. Below is a link to some of the photos I took if interested.
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