The terminal in Porto is clad in tiles like many of the older homes and buildings.

Porto, Portugal is a smaller city, formerly a fishing village, on the Atlantic Ocean.  This is the first time the Amsterdam has visited this port and from all reports it will be the first of many return trips.  The port has been redesigned for cruise ships and the terminal is one of the best we have seen.

Six major bridges span the Douros river.

From the ocean promenade with another wonderful beach to the city centre and the historic river which runs through the core, Porto is a city to be discovered.  While here we toured by bus, did a river cruise from the centre of the city out to the ocean and ended the tour with a trip to a winery where we were able to sample some very special port wine.

Canal or river boats were used to bring barrels of wine south from the vineyards.

Our tour boat was a replica of the river boats used to transport port wine from the vineyards to the north, southbound for distillation, storage and bottling in Porto.  Because of the importance of the river and the need to keep it open for commerce there are now six major bridges crossing the river including one designed by Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame. The replica boats come complete with stacked wine barrels, signifying their earlier cargo.  It is interesting to note that all over the world port wine can only be wine from Portugal.  The United States does not abide by this ruling…..

Boat building is a craft still carried out along the shores of the river.

Port wine is wine only from Portugal in the eyes of the Portugese.

Cod is the dish of choice here in Porto.  For many years the fishermen annually travelled to the cold waters of Norway to fish for cod.  While they no longer make the trek, cod is imported.  We were told that the Portuguese have 365 ways to cook cod.  Fishermen here do not fish on Saturdays or Sundays so you do not go to a fish restaurant on Mondays.  All the good fish restaurants near the docks have the fresh fish out in front of their restaurants in trays of ice in order for you to choose what you want to eat.  As has been the case in many ports we did not have enough time to sample the local fishery.  The downtown core has many historic buildings, very narrow streets and most of them heading up hill.  While life on the river Douro continues, most of the buildings along the shore are being converted into beautiful bars, restaurants and high end apartments.

Warehouses along the river are being converted into bars and restaurants.

Unrelated, wanted to point out the location of our cabin on the ship.  We are located on the starboard side, forward.  Our cabin is the one with the window just below the bow (front) of the first lifeboat. We are lifeboat number 1 and as you can see we have a door two rooms from ours to get to the lifeboat.  The cabin location gets us anywhere very quickly and we have direct access to the deck which totally encircles the ship.  Three and a half laps to the mile is a sign on the wall just outside our cabin.

Our cabin is on the starboard side at the bow.

Condominiums and apartments now line the riverfront.

Arriving in Lisbon and its harbour was an experience in itself.  The city appears on most maps to be on the Atlantic coast but in reality is several miles inland on the Tega River and under one of the world’s largest suspension bridges very similar to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Entering from the sea, the ship’s excursion director hosted a special commentary as we slowly “sailed” up river to our berth in the heart of the city.  As the sun rose and we sipped our coffee and enjoyed Lisbon breakfast rolls we learned the history of this great city with many of the city’s historic sites to be seen on the river’s edge.

Lisbon is home to the Christ the King monument and statue that is similar in design and size to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil.  It is an impressive sight on the bank opposite Lisbon beside the bridge.

The gateway to the city is the large arch in front of the city square.  Like many of the ports we have visited the street under the arch is for pedestrians only.  With five cruise ships in port it was very busy downtown.  The crowds only seemed to heighten the excitement of the city and its vibrant nature.  Our land excursion took us out along the river to the coastal town of Estoril which is almost exclusively tourist in nature and home to the very wealthy of Lisbon.  Once again the beach was spectacular with its surf, sand and many small pubs and restaurants right on the seaside promenade.  Cable cars, street cars, elevators to take you up street levels and beautiful tiled structures were seen everywhere.

The central arch marks the entrance to the old city.

The combination of brilliant flowers and the tiles sets off this apartment off the main avenue.

The Christ the King monument and statue is across the river from Lisbon on a hill beside the bridge

Inside the Arch begins the pedestrian mall. Items made of cork are a popular souvenir as cork is a major export from Portugal.

The seaside community of Estoril is a short train ride away from Lisbon with the train station opposite the beach.

This park stretches from the highest point in Lisbon down to the river. Our cruise ship can be seen in the top left corner of the water area.

Having left the continent of Africa a week ago, it was fascinating to come through the Straits of Gibraltar and then dock in Cadiz, Spain where we could look across the waterway and see Africa once again.  Cadiz is a famous seaport where explorers of the new world departed from and returned to with their ill-gotten treasures.  It is a very protected harbour that opens to the Mediterranean on one side and the Atlantic on the other.

The beaches here stretch for miles and are wider than we have ever seen.  The beach communities are all decorated in white paints due to the extreme temperatures during the summer months.  It is springtime here in Cadiz and the temperatures are in the low sixties making it very pleasant for touring and not warm enough to swim in the ocean although there are many surfers out in the surf.

We are only a few miles west of Gibraltar and one of the beach towns is Trafalger Cove where the Battle of Trafalger was fought and where Admiral Nelson was fatally wounded.  It would be very easy to settle in for a month long stay in any of these seaside towns.  Seafoood restaurants abound and the markets make for easy shopping for provisions.  The narrow streets appear unchanged from centuries back. This area also has one of the largest protected pine forests in the country.  The umbrella pines form almost a carpet like covering to the hills that run up from the sea.  Another spot where we would come back to in a moment’s notice.

A procession heading to the Cathedral for Easter celebrations.

Next stop is around the corner and into the Atlantic Ocean and the port of Lisbon, Portugal and the Easter weekend.  As we left the harbour we could see the annual Easter procession heading to the Cathedral with band members, a large “float” honouring the Virgin Mary (unusual for Easter) and those following in white hats doing penance.

The seaside communities are all built on hills with the structures painted in white to reduce the summer heat.

Susan looking for shells on the beach that is as wide and long as we have ever seen.

Trafalger Cove and Lighthouse near the beach town of Conil.