Having a drinking buddy for this cruise detracts from my reporting. The morning views in Porto are magical. Views along the river begin urban, then trends more and more rural. Eventually it’s all vineyards with occasional homes, villas, palaces. It all makes Napa look like a wheat field in Wyoming.  

It’s been very, very hot, which for me is agony, but acceptable for most people. Wearing masks is only troubling off ship, especially on the buses, where we aren’t even supposed to drink water. On board, mask wearing is limited to when moving about, which doesn’t amount to much. The sun deck is large enough to allow social distancing, mostly without masks.  Several people took a dip in the pool, which was a departure from our earlier cruise when no one used it. I sadly didn’t bring a suit. 

The first lock was a good introduction to the process, but not impressive. The second one, with a height change of 115 feet, is awesome. The ship was delayed at both locks, but Viking was able to quickly adapt and change locations for meeting the buses for the day’s only excursion. Sadly, we skipped going through the third lock on the ship.

(It’s a riverboat. But it’s also a ship. There is actually no hard and fast rule in the terminology: Traditionally, if a vessel holds a boat, it’s a ship. Hence, submarines are boats. Our riverboat had a little outboard motorboat on board, so I’m calling it a ship.)

The excursion included Mateus Palace (as in Mateus Wine), which was beautiful inside and out. Incredible history. On a cool day I would want all day to tour the interior. But without AC, I was sweating bullets. The garden was also a thing a beauty.

Sandeman Winery sits on a hill offering a superb western view, but it was marred by thick haze. Visually stunning, but photographically impossible. The wine itself has suffered from my new-found familiarity. While I once respected the product, experience with other brands has shown that it’s 80% marketing and 20% taste.

Regretfully, I did not keep a log of the meals on board. They were all excellent. This time, with a fellow late night lounger, I sat on the sun deck in the evening marveling at the piece and quiet. (Which explains why these posts are late. No regrets.)

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