In yoga we learn to flow with the river. That’s exactly what I did during my travels last week on “Portugal’s River of Gold,” courtesy of Viking River Cruises. I was invited to, as Viking says, “explore the world in comfort” along the Douro.* My boyfriend L (I tell him how lucky he is every day) joined me.
As our first-ever cruising experience, L and I agreed that river cruises, because of their small size of only about 100 or so people, are the way to go cruising during one’s life after 50 and after 60, 70, 80, and even 90 (I will share more in future posts about the two inspiring friends R and A who were in their 90s.)
If you haven’t planned a trip yet, not to worry – there’s plenty of time ahead. While not inexpensive, we found that these inclusive cruises are well worth the value and convenience if you want to travel with ease.
There were many stops on our Portugal cruise and I took time to do as the young students in the small village of Favaios (one of my favorite excursions) encouraged me to do: “observe, feel, taste, smell, buy, play, enjoy, and learn.”
It was an amazing trip and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
Arriving In Lisbon
We arrived on Friday morning via a direct flight from Philadelphia to Lisbon. Flying time was about 6.5 hours. Maria, our guide, met us at the airport. The Viking team proved flawless from the minute we touched down until the minute we took off the following Sunday – their organization impeccable.
Downtown Lisbon is about a 30 minute drive from the airport. Our accommodations for the pre-cruise extension was the Tivoli Hotel, a five star luxury property located on what is considered Portugal’s Champs Elysee. We liked the hotel and its central location. (Any hotel that provides terry robes, slippers and a makeup mirror in the bathroom rates high with me.) Our luggage was stored and our program director Ileana provided a map and suggestions on places to see in the city.
The Tivoli in Lisbon is a five star hotel.
Exploring Lisbon
Off we went exploring Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Being former New Yorkers, L and I felt comfortable walking around the streets on our own. Most natives speak English and it’s an easy place to navigate with a map.
The city has seven hills and reminded me of San Francisco, CA. Its 25 de Abril Bridge on the left bank of the Tagus river. looks just like the Golden Gate Bridge. According to Wikipedia, it was built by the American Bridge Company which constructed the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.
Can you see the bridge in the distance that looks like San Francisco’s Golden Gate?
We visited the downtown area called Baixa and walked around Plaza Mayor. Then we strolled along the Tagus to Mercado Da Ribeira, a bustling food market filled with local food stands and restaurants and fresh fruits, veggies, seafood and meats. “You must try the popular Portuguese steak sandwich from O Prego,” said my daughter A — she had visited Portugal earlier in the year.
“Which sandwich is most popular?” I asked the waitress. “The Yuppie is best,” she said. L and I shared the Yuppie made with Portuguese flat bread, steak, cheese, prosciutto, and mayo and warmed on the griddle. A foodie’s delight. Full and tired, we sadly decided to skip dessert from Santini, which is known to have some of the best gelato in Lisbon.
We sampled a popular Portuguese steak sandwich at O Prego at Mercado da Ribiera.
A Spectacular View of Lisbon
After check-in, we headed to our Viking briefing where we met fellow travelers, many who had done other Viking cruises. We made friends with J and P from Detroit, who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. (I have to tell you that “J” is short for Judy. So you can see why we became good friends from the start. Plus our shopping habits are quite similar.)
We decided to enjoy dinner together atop the Tivoli at Restaurante Terraço and Sky Bar. It has a spectacular view of Lisbon city lights at night and includes a Fado show. Fado is the most Portuguese of music forms with intensely emotional songs sung by female and male performers and accompanied by Portuguese guitars. (I loved the Portuguese guitar instrumental and definitely am going to download some Portuguese music for my yoga and meditation practices.)
Restaurante Terraço and Sky Bar atop the Tivoli are worth a visit. Fado music is included and the view is spectacular. I had monk and cuttlefish for dinner.
After a delicious meal of monk and cuttlefish and our first bottle of Portugal wine, it was time to hit the pillow.
Boa noite and obrigada for listening. Next up, I’ll tell you about day two in Lisbon and then a cruising we will go on the Viking Hemming with all the sights, sounds, and flavors along the Douro river and its magnificent countryside.
Adeus for now.
Judi
*Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” Viking River Cruises provided me with a complimentary press trip river cruise on the Douro. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
What a great trip! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Vicki, glad you enjoyed the post, more to come.
I have always wanted to take a Viking cruise. I have been on other larger cruises but I thought a smaller ship might be a better way to visit parts of the world we haven’t seen yet.
It is definitely on my bucket list! I cannot wait to read the rest of your adventure.
Rev, it is definitely a nice way to travel and the Viking team does an amazing job from beginning to end. I was very impressed with their operation.
I am really thinking a river cruise in moving to the top of the bucket list. Thanks for filling in the gaps!
b
Barbara, definitely worth the dollars. I loved Portugal and would like to try the Viking cruise in Southern France sometime too.
I’ve only been on one cruise and it was a giant ship. The idea of a smaller, river cruise sounds very appealing. Take me with you, next time! BTW, I love anything with prosciutto on it. xoxox, Brenda
Brenda, I’ve never been on any other cruise ship. I don’t know that I would like a huge one with so many people. River cruising is so relaxing and peaceful. The views are tremendous on the Douro in Portugal.
Such a lovely trip! Portugal is so beautiful , isn’t it! My sister has moved to Lisbon last year and now she is well settled and happy there. The photos she always sends to me are stunning and I personally consider moving there, too! Thank you for the post! Really good read!
Roxanne, I can’t wait to go back to Portugal one day.