Portugal River Cruise Day 4: Regua to Tavora to Vega de Teron (Spanish border!)

Thursday, May 28: Solar de Mateus & Douro Museum, More Locks

I had a short walk along the river in the charming Peso da Regua before my usual morning workout and breakfast with Mr. E and L. We had a smaller bus this morning for the English-speaking group as we headed off to Solar de Mateus for the first part of the excursion. This Baroque-era mansion was still lived in by the family until the 1970s but is now a museum and cultural destination. We started with free time to tour the gardens and then finished up with a guided tour of the house.

We then retraced our route back to Regua to visit the Douro Museum to learn more about the region's history and wine culture. Oh, and I finally found a mailbox for my postcards right outside the Museum! (I'd been looking for the past few days but they don't seem to be very common, at least in the places we've visited so far).

We had some free time to grab snacks and check out some local shops before boarding the bus and driving to meet up with the boat in Tavora. 

The landscape in the valley is truly awe-inspiring, with very steep terraces and a deep valley down to the river. Photos don't even begin to do it justice, and it's incredible to think about how people have carved out a living here in such a harsh environment -- "nine months of winter and three months of hell," as our guide put it (temperatures as low as -10 C and up to 36 C) -- as well as not having the five navigable locks (none once the Douro crosses over into Spain) or a national highway until the 1960s and 70s.

We had two more lock crossings in the afternoon, which really wreaked havoc with the wifi access, so all of my plans to blog and catch up on my Spanish class had to be put aside. Instead, I finished my book and spent time with Mr. E in the afternoon. The ship docked at Vega de Teron just as we were starting dinner. Being moored seems to help out the connectivity quite a bit, so I was able to at least catch up on some blogging in anticipation of our full-day tour to Salamanca tomorrow.

Oh, and it's hot! Temperatures up to the high 90s, and our cabins on the top deck definitely get the brunt of the sun and heat during the day. At least the mornings are still cooler and enjoyable, and the forecast for tomorrow is actually a bit better, with a high of only 91 in Salamanca.