Sunday, 5/12. Departed the hotel as the buses were preparing to go. Arrived Sintra without any wrong turns! An Event. Got there too early and had to wait for the Hop on/Hop Off buses to begin. Got to the entry of the Moorish Castle and waited in line over 30 minutes for tickets. The line wasn’t that long, but each person had an issue. Learned later that there was another ticket office with no line. Wasted time. The Castle offered incredible views and some entertaining architectural history. Worth the wait. The Pena Palace, which we viewed only from outside, should accuse Disney of trademark infringement. Weirdly similar to Fantasyland. Both locations required serious climbs. Soaked with sweat.
We had lunch at a hairpin turn on the one-way road leading through Sintra, enjoying the buses as they managed the corner without taking out the restaurant. Got out of town without a missed turn! We were on a roll. The highway to Porto was interesting, with several long bridges over valleys and short tunnels under mountains.
Arrived in Gaia, south of the Douro River, without error. Then the GPS “lady” failed us. Chose the wrong exit of a roundabout twice! To be fair, roads appeared out of nowhere at times, challenging any useful guidance. Drove through a hospital emergency admissions driveway. Searched without success for a hope-for inexpensive parking lot. Finally gave it up and just parked at the expensive one next to the ship. The desk clerk then walked me to a cheap alternative! Immediate exposure to the “Viking Touch”. Ship cruised the lower Douro during dinner. Got a glimpse of the Atlantic. Great start to the cruise.
Temperature reached 93 degrees. They warned that the week would be hot.
Gaia