Cruise From Porto to Salamanca, Spain on Portugal's Spectacular Douro River Aug. 20-27, 2022
A Voyage Through History, Culture, Food and Wine with hosts Betsy & Peter Spann of Spann Vineyards
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PORTO is known for its medieval riverside district (above), where narrow cobbled streets wind past merchants’ houses and cafes and the Gustave Eiffel-designed bridge (below right).
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Stroll the city to see the beautiful azulejos blue tile murals like those at the Sao Bento Railway Station and the Capela das Almas Church (above) and the medieval city walls (above left).
Porto is a virtual museum of architectural styles from the gothic and baroque cathedrals to art nouveau storefronts and ultra modern like the Casa da Musica (left).
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VILA NOVA DA GAIA (foreground above), across the river from Porto, is where major Douro wine and Port producers have their "lodges" for barrel aging and wine tasting.
This is also home to WOW (World of Wine), a cultural, culinary, and retail complex created by Taylor-Fladgate, one of the Douro's premier Port and wine producers.
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THE DOURO is a low valley near the city of Porto and the first vineyard area upstream is Vinho Verde, specializing in crisp, refreshing white wines from vineyards on gently rolling hills (below, top left). Next, we sail through the Baixa Corgo (the Douro below the Corgo tributary) where the hills become more random and dramatic and we start to see terraced vineyards, many of which were built 2,000 years ago during the Roman occupation. We'll visit several quintas (vineyards/wineries) here to taste table wines, Port and Espumante (below, lower left).
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There's more than just vineyards, wineries and beautifully serene vistas along the Douro, including (left) visits to Nossa Senhora dos Remédios (Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies) which features a staircase of nearly 700 steps, beautifully decorated with white and blue tiles. Near Barca d'Alva is the medieval walled village of Castelo Rodrigo.
Near Regua is the Baroque-style Palacio de Mateus (above) which you may recognize from the iconic Mateus Rose wine label. Tour the palace with its' period furniture and ceilings of intricately carved wood, then the gardens, considered to be the most beautiful in Portugal.
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SALAMANCA is one of the most beautiful and historic cities in Spain. Much fought over, it has been controlled at various times by (pick your favorite invader) Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths and Moors. Francisco Franco's Nationalist movement started here, where he was named Generalissimo. It's also home to the oldest university in Spain and the 3rd oldest in the western world, founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX.
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The New Cathedral (top left) is from the 15th Century (yes, 600 years old is considered new in Portugal), the Old Cathedral (middle left) dates from the 12th, and the Roman Bridge was built in the 1st Century under the Emperor Trajan.
Have a glass of wine with some tapas on the Plaza Mayor (top) or check out the University of Salamanca (middle above).
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All on-board meals, wines and beers of the region with meals, daily land excursions and nightly entertainment are included in the cruise price. Our cruise provider, Amawaterways, prides itself in having the finest cuisine and service on the water.
Special tours, wine tastings and wine dinners, exclusive to our group, are included. You must book through our tour operator Expanding Horizons of Tustin, CA to be part of the Spann Douro Group. Full information, pricing and registration is at: Toursandwine.com For stateroom choices & prices: click here
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Know anyone else who might be interested? Please forward this to them.
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ABOUT YOUR HOSTS BETSY & PETER SPANN:
Betsy became interested in wine when her family moved to Bordeaux during her last year in high school. Since then she's owned two retail wine stores, worked for wine and beer importers, been a wine educator for almost 40 years, started one of the first chapters of Women On Wine, made wine at two Sonoma County wineries and one in South Africa.
Peter started recommending wines in French restaurants when he was 19 and now has 51 years of experience in all phases of the business; wine retail, wholesale, importing, production and marketing and has taught wine appreciation at colleges and universities. He first became involved with wines from Portugal in 1975 and spent 7 years as C.O.O. of a U.S. importing company specializing in Portuguese wines.
Together they've made wine at Spann Vineyards for the past 21 years.
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