The cruise was nearly over. We would be spending a whole day sailing back to Porto on the Douro River.
We have been on other European cruises along the Rhine, Seine and Rhone and there was never a day where we just sailed.
So what to do on a sail day? We could have gone for a swim, the pool was heated on the sun deck however the wind was bitterly cold.
The heated pool
The views of the Douro Valley were stunning as we cruised along the river.
The wild Douro River – the views!
The Douro river
Once breakfast was done and dusted we joined a craft session making cork souvenirs. Both Muriel and I made a gorgeous bracelet each. Others made necklaces. Some made “things” that made us laugh so much.
I’m not sure what Chi made but it certainly made everyone laugh! Cork balls.
Cork is a raw material which is so perfect that no industrial or technological processes have yet been able to replicate. It is very light, elastic and compressible, impermeable to liquids and gasses and hypoallergenic. It can work as a thermal and acoustic insulator and a fire retardant.
My bracelet I made
After lunch we were taken on a tour of the kitchens. Its amazing to see how tight and small it is down there. I take my hat of to the kitchen staff getting all those meals out in such a quick time. Also looking after those of us with food allergies. The staff on Scenic really looked after all our needs. My photos were pretty poor, sorry.
Quiz time! It was fun but we were hopeless. Not sure what we learnt on our cruise as we didn’t get many questions right. Yes the quiz was all about our cruise.
As we came into view of Porto we were told we had to stop at one dock to allow one of the passengers to be taken to hospital. Im so glad my doctors always made sure that I had medications on me in case of getting sick.
As we cruised around the port of Porto we were all wondering what was going on. Our ship was going around in circles. It turns out every now and then the Captain has to do certain maneuvers and today was the day.
We thought it was the Port! Port and chocolate was being served in Portobellos one of the restaurants.
Chocolate and Port, yes please
Oh what a treat we would be in for tonight. A Classical Music Concert in Saint Francis Church.
“From the information plaque outside the church”
“A Gothic construction from the X1Vth century although some features were added later such as the door which dates from the XV11-XV111th Centuries. Inside the church is covered with Baroque golden carvings. Its worth pointing out the “St Joao Baptista” chapel from the XVth century and the “Jesse Tree” engraved in polychromatic wood from the XV111th century.”
This church is also known as the Gold Church. As you can see in the little video I made as we walked into the church. The church is located in the historic centre of Porto and many busses and the tram stop in front of the church.
Our ship was docked within 5 minute walk of the church.
Stunning! We were in awe for 30 minutes. I filmed some but not all as I just wanted to listen and take it all in.
Alexandra Moura, Soprano and Pedro Telles, Baritone accompanied by Arc’duto String Quartet.
- The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba – G.F. Handel (1685-1759)
- How beautiful are the feet – G.F Handel (1685-1759)
- Why do the nations – G.F. Handel (1685-1759)
- Ein Klein Nachtmusik – 1st Movement – W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)
- Laudate Dominum – “Vesperae solennes de confessore” – W.A Mozart (1756-1791)
- Ave Maria/I Believe – Various composers /Arrange Miguel Oliveira (1975 -)
- Por una Cabeza – C. Gardel (1890-1935)
- Nessum Dorma – G.Puccini (1858-1924)
- O mio bambino caro – G Puccini (1858-1924)
- All I ask of you – A.L. Webber (1948-)
“In this concert, the soprano, Alexandra Moura, and the baritone, Pedro Telles, accompanied by the string quartet Arc’duto present the most emblematic works of various periods in the History of Music. From Handel to Mozart then Gardel and Webber. This Douro Recital is threefold from the performers to the spectacular gold interiors of the church and the magnificent Douro River on whose banks the event is hosted.”
What an amazing day it had been. Tomorrow we would have a day in Porto, the morning would be a guided tour of a Fillagree museum and workshop and then an afternoon to do lots or nothing.
Of course there are only so many photos and videos I can put here on the blog so more will over the next few weeks be posted on Instagram. Do follow us here – 3sistersabroad if you haven’t already.
Travel and Lifestyle with Bree 
Oh no, it is a Maryland blue crab. It is often that they are up this high in the water, you normally feel them nipping at your toes!Organic wine
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Pingback: #SeniSal Roundup: Sept 30-Oct 11, 2019 ~ Esme Salon
Sounds like a fantastic trip!
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It was thank you
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What a fantastic experience! Love your cork bracelet – and that incredibly ornate church. We are looking at Portugal as our next expat experience, so we love reading about the Portugal experience. Thank you for your post!
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Portugal is an amazing place and so many villages off the beaten track. Once we finish this cruise we head down the coast to Lisbon and then Evora now thats an amazing place and on to Spain. Thank you x
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This is so interesting. We went to Portugal in Spring but missed Porto and the Douro valley because of lack of time. Looks like a fantastic trip.
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It was amazing. You will have to go back xx
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Oh wow, this looks amazing!
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Oh it was xx
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What a wonderful adventure! I would have loved the cork craft and the chocolate and cork tasting!
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It was a wonderful day..thank you
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Bree what a great tour and although lots of sailing, that cork jewelry is lovely. Chocolate and port, that has to be my idea of heaven. kx
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my idea of heaven too…especially Portuguese Port…
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What a wonderful day. Finishing it off with a bit of Händel and Mozart is rather lovely, I think! #SeniSal brought me here – I follow your blog anyway but must have missed the notification for this one!
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Thanks Clive 🙂 Yes it was a lovely end to the day.
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A heated pool sounds lovely but I would have given it a miss with cold winds, too, can’t hold my breath long enough to stay under the water where it’s toasty warm! Craft sessions, I hadn’t thought of that for a cruise, what a great idea. Love the bracelet. And those views really are stunning! xx
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What could be better than wine, chocolate, and music on the river? It really does sound lovely. My husband and I went on a behind the scenes tour on a cruise one time and were in awe over the laundry operations and the food service. Hats off to the crew! #MLSTL
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That would have been very interesting indeed a behind the scenes cruise.
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What a fantastic cruise – and I loved the cork bracelet – not at all what I would have thought when you first mentioned it (I was thinking bottle corks on a cord!) and the chocolates etc also looked delicious. Glad you weren’t the one being taken off to hospital!
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂
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Oh it certainly was an amazing cruise. haha yes bottle corks…but wait there is more…bags and wallets…etc etc..the chocolate was delicious. Yes they checked her out. Chest infection she continued on the land journey with us. thank you so much for a wonderful concept of sharing..
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This looks like a lovely cruise- even in the cold! We have been wanting to do a river cruise for awhile and this intrigues me even more. Thanks for sharing!
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Oh if you can afford just one. the Douro River with Scenic is the one. We did the 11 day so we were on the river for 10 nights and away from Porto for 7 days…
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Port and chocolate yum
Concert lovely
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yes it was all wonderful wish you were with us
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I love the views of the Douro river. You made a very nice cork bracelet. Thanks for sharing the amazing day you had with us. #MLSTL
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