We had very rough seas as we passed from the English Channel to the Atlantic. With significant movement and crashing sounds as the front of the ship struck the waves. Fortunately the worst of this was around 3:30am with out cabin going up and down like a fast elevator before a tremendous crash as the bow ploughed through the waves.
From then on the seas steadily decreased through the day resulting in much more pleasant cruising to our first stop of Oporto.
Oporto (just Porto in Portuguese) is Portugals second largest city after Lisbon and is a major port located in the North West of the country. The historic centre is a UNESCO world heritage site. It has a long history and was known as Portas Cale in Roman times and this is where the name ‘Portugal’ is derived.
The city continues to export port wine today and has a deepwater port at nearby Leixoes where our ship is docked and also where our tour of the city begins with a 25min shuttle bus ride to the city.
We explored the city on our own and took a tourist train around the city to get our bearings and then set out on our own for some sight seeing and shopping.
Walking over the top deck of the Ponte de Dom Luis I bridge 197 ft above the Rio Douro to get a better view of the river and the Port Wine Lodges and warehouses which are still in use today to house the Port for which the city derives its name.
On to Naples Italy……….
