Geoff Brock & Bruce Gamble
         
     
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A visit to Quinta da Aveleda,
then sail from Entre-os-Rios to Régua
Wednesday 15th November 2023
After a quiet night docked in the village of Entre-os-Rios, we awoke to a misty, atmospheric morning.
 
 
 
 
 
Today was a very special day. It was Geoff's 70th birthday! The celebrations began at breakfast with Buck's fizz. Happy Birthday Geoff... and cheers!
 
There were three excursions on offer today. We chose the tour to Quinta da Aveleda where we would explore the gardens and do some wine tasting.
 
 
The tour of the gardens began as soon as we arrived.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our guide, whose name I don't recall, spoke really good English and was an excellent guide.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Geoff made a friend!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A visit to the cellar, where we saw some really old bottles of brandy. We weren't offered any of these to taste!
 
 
We almost stood on this creature by mistake. It was really well camouflaged!
 
 
Old Corn Hut (I think)
 
 
 
Time for some wine tasting.
 
One of the wines, the Casal Garcia Vinho Verde, was very good. We bought a bottle for around four euros.
 
After a short coach ride back to the ship, we arrived in time for lunch.
 
We decided it would be a good time to sample the free champagne in our mini-bar before lunch.
 
It was served by our butler, Alexandra, who had popped by to welcome us back and to formally wish Geoff a happy birthday.
 
Over lunch, the ship departed and we began cruising towards Régua, our next port of call.
 
 
This is the segment we would be covering today.
 
Shown in context.
 
 
For us, the highlight of this segment of the river was sailing through the Carrapatelo Dam lock which, at 35 metres, is the biggest rise along the river.
 
 
 
We have sailed through many locks. This one was particularly interesting because of its size.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
By the time we arrived at Régua, it was getting dark. The prime docking locations, adjacent to the town itself, were occupied, but our ship paused briefly alongside another ship to allow passengers to disembark for an early evening pre-dinner visit to the Douro Museum. We decided to stay on board while the ship sailed across to the other side of the river, where we docked overnight. We took it easy in the bar, with more champagne... well it was a very special day, after all!
 
 
 
"Table D'Or (Sapphire Deck): At the back of Crystal Dining is a table for 12, where the dozen diners get treated to a degustation dinner of five courses and six fine Portuguese wines. It's like the Captain's Table, but without the Captain. One of the butlers introduces the food while the other explains the wines. Foie gras terrine, slow-roasted beef tenderloin and a dessert trio are among the dishes. This option is only offered once per cruise to passengers staying on the Diamond Deck or in a Junior Balcony Suite on the Sapphire Deck."
 
We decided that tonight might be the appropriate night to take up this offer.
 
 
Our menu... not a good photo unfortunately.
 
The beef was delicous!
 
After dinner, Geoff was presented with a cake. The staff sang Happy Birthday!
 
 
Arriving back in the cabin, there were more treats in store...
 
 
...including yet more champagne. No, we didn't. It went into the fridge!
 
 
 
©Geoff Brock and Bruce Gamble