Porto to Salamanca on a Douro River cruise
September 20, 2019 § 3 Comments
Excited to return to one of my favorite corners of the planet to embark on this new National Geographic program, my first in nearly a year.
In my capacity as featured expert I’ll be delivering a series of lectures on the long, colorful history of the Iberian peninsula, from the earliest clues about human life to the Romans and the Moors and the rise and fall of the Hapsburg dynasty—and possibly beyond that, if we have time, to Francisco de Goya and the Peninsular War.
If there’s enough interest, I’ll also be offering an ad hoc field-based creative writing workshop, and hopefully getting some of my own scribbling done too.
Also looking forward to visiting some of the fascinating sites we have on the itinerary, meeting everyone else on our river ship, the Scenic Azure, and of course sampling some delicious food, wine, and port!
Tim Weed 
Tim. Let’s ship out for New Zealand. I’m guessing it is the only place on the planet you haven’t visited, so what the hey. We’ll ski the glacier slopes, wrestle the sharks, boogie-board a wave or two, and Bungi jump unharnessed. Well? Dave.
Sounds great Dave, in principle. Pretty interested in NOT traveling for awhile at the moment though!
We return to the ship and there’s an air of expectancy on board as during our first delicious lunch, we’ll slip our moorings and begin our stately passage upstream. The Douro is one of Europe’s most captivating rivers and you can enjoy a leisurely afternoon up on deck or watching the glorious scenery drifting by from the comfort of your own cabin. Tonight, as you enter the restaurant for the Welcome Dinner, feel free to choose your table. All are expertly set with four or more seats and have excellent views through the large panoramic windows. Later, we will see a celebratory vintage port wine opened in the traditional way. We are moored overnight in Porto A 338 ntigo at the confluence of the River Bestanca.