Favaios
The judge dismissed the claim—but as the execution was taking place, the roasted rooster stood up and crowed.The judge realized the pilgrim had been wrongly accused and rushed to the gallows. He arrived in time to save him. Our lunch, grape harvesting and stomping was at the Quinta Avessada. It is a family owned vineyard,…
España
Today the long and winding road went to Salamanca, Spain. While we were close to the border, we were 2 hours away from the city. The market in the center of Salamanca has food you would not see in Amarillo. Not sure I need any further explanation. Salamanca began as a settlement long before the…
Stuff and Castelo Rodrigo
Thank you in Portuguese is obrigada (or o). If a female is saying thank you, she would say obrigada with the “a”. The man will say, obrigado, even when speaking to a woman. It is all about the person speaking that defines the gender of the word. There are 5 Viking ships that travel down…
Mateus Palace and Sandeman
Just outside Vila Real, tucked into the hills at the edge of the Douro wine country, sits the beautiful Mateus Palace (Casa de Mateus).The family who built Mateus Palace accumulated their wealth through a combination of wine, land, and strategically arranged marriages. The palace reflects that wealth, with elaborate woodwork and furnishings made primarily from…
Travel Day to the Ship
Coimbra has been a university city since 1290 and one of the oldest in all of Europe. It is located almost halfway between Lisbon and Porto and was a stop on our ride to our boat. Joanina Library on the campus houses around 60,000 books. The library has traditionally used bats to help control insects…
Viking Connection in Lisbon
Yesterday we ended this part of the “on our own” portion of the trip, that is until we return from Morocco. We changed hotels to the Corinthia, the hotel that Viking chose. It is basically a business hotel, with a convention center. We miss the Corpo Santo, it had character and much more individual attention.…
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