After the Viking Osfrid was moored by the bank for the night we all disembarked and boarded buses for the Mateus Castle.  It was a 90 minute bus ride over some very narrow twisting roads plus it was raining and cold.  After we got to the castle I decided not to join group tour of the building.  I mean once you’ve been to Versaille or the Hermitage, this one just didn’t measure up.

MA went anyway and after their tour we climbed aboard the bus again and sat through another hour and half twisting ride back to the ship. We had dinner and watched a movie in the room. I was hoping that we could continue our sail up the Douro the next day but it was all dependent on whether the water lever would drop overnight sufficiently to allow the boat to pass under the next bridge.

2^nd Day on the Douro River

I was up at 7am this morning to the sounds of the engines reviving up and then the Viking Osfrid moving along the calm waters of the Douro River.  Our fears about high waters were quashed and we were at last able to continue the cruising the Douro River.

The weather this morning started out chilly and misty but the sun came out and we were actually able to sit outside on the front deck. As we sailed past village after village and vineyard after vineyard I was struck by the beauty of being in the middle of the river and seeing incredible peaceful places.

Viking Osfrid moored 1st day due to high water

Mateus Castle with a statue in the pond (art)

The Train, the boat and the house all come together in this photo.

Looking aft

You can see the terraced landscape on the side of the hills.

An Abandoned Wine Warehouse along the River Douro

You can see the grape vines in this photo

Along the Douro

I liked the reflection in this photo