Oporto
The Sea Cloud II arrived at the mouth of the Douro River in Leixoes, the port of the city of Porto at 1pm. The sky was a cerulean blue with a hint of high cumulus clouds scattered haphazardly about. There was a gentle breeze from the sea and the air temperature was 72 degrees Fahrenheit. It short, it was a day designed by a genial guardian spirit. The city of Porto is ancient and has a history that is pre-Roman. Porto is the second city in Portugal with a population of approximately 1.2 million. It is a prosperous city and is beautifully situated, hugging the high hills that rise from the Douro River. Since the city straddles both sides of the river’s banks, the city is famous for its elegant bridges, one of which, the “Ponte Dona Maria Pia”, was designed and built by Alexandre-Gustaf Eiffel (the Eiffel Tower gent).
Our tour of Oporto took us first to the Cathedral and then to the unique baroque church of St. Francis where we explored the catacombs, which contained the bones (on view) of thousands of 18th and 19th century men and women. We left San Franciso and traveled across the Douro River to the fabulous 18th century Sandeman’s Port lodge. The reason for Oporto’s wealth, and it is quite wealthy, is the port wine industry. Sandeman’s is arguably the most famous of the Port Lodges and was founded in 1790 by a young Scot, named George Sandeman. Before the dams were finally put in place in the early 1960’s all the port wine was brought down the savagely difficult Douro river on special boats called Rabelo. The Rabelo is flat bottomed and has a massive rudder and uses sails to navigate the treacherous rock strewn river. Today the port wine comes into the port lodges for its aging in stainless steel tankers – less romantic but likely better wine. The origins of port are debated. At least one story suggests that two sons of a Liverpool merchant were returning to England from Porto and decided that their favorite wine from the Douro region would best survive the voyage back to England if they fortified it with brandy. This they did and presto port. Vintage port, the best port, is typically not drunk before it has aged 10 years, and one can find shops selling lovely Tawny ports from the 1950’s. We visited the lodges, viewed the vats of 25 thousand liters of ageing port, had a great sampling of various ports, purchased some, and made our way home to our home on the elegant Sea Cloud II at 6:00pm. A wonderful day packed with history and gastronome! Tom Heffernan, Historian
The Sea Cloud II arrived at the mouth of the Douro River in Leixoes, the port of the city of Porto at 1pm. The sky was a cerulean blue with a hint of high cumulus clouds scattered haphazardly about. There was a gentle breeze from the sea and the air temperature was 72 degrees Fahrenheit. It short, it was a day designed by a genial guardian spirit. The city of Porto is ancient and has a history that is pre-Roman. Porto is the second city in Portugal with a population of approximately 1.2 million. It is a prosperous city and is beautifully situated, hugging the high hills that rise from the Douro River. Since the city straddles both sides of the river’s banks, the city is famous for its elegant bridges, one of which, the “Ponte Dona Maria Pia”, was designed and built by Alexandre-Gustaf Eiffel (the Eiffel Tower gent).
Our tour of Oporto took us first to the Cathedral and then to the unique baroque church of St. Francis where we explored the catacombs, which contained the bones (on view) of thousands of 18th and 19th century men and women. We left San Franciso and traveled across the Douro River to the fabulous 18th century Sandeman’s Port lodge. The reason for Oporto’s wealth, and it is quite wealthy, is the port wine industry. Sandeman’s is arguably the most famous of the Port Lodges and was founded in 1790 by a young Scot, named George Sandeman. Before the dams were finally put in place in the early 1960’s all the port wine was brought down the savagely difficult Douro river on special boats called Rabelo. The Rabelo is flat bottomed and has a massive rudder and uses sails to navigate the treacherous rock strewn river. Today the port wine comes into the port lodges for its aging in stainless steel tankers – less romantic but likely better wine. The origins of port are debated. At least one story suggests that two sons of a Liverpool merchant were returning to England from Porto and decided that their favorite wine from the Douro region would best survive the voyage back to England if they fortified it with brandy. This they did and presto port. Vintage port, the best port, is typically not drunk before it has aged 10 years, and one can find shops selling lovely Tawny ports from the 1950’s. We visited the lodges, viewed the vats of 25 thousand liters of ageing port, had a great sampling of various ports, purchased some, and made our way home to our home on the elegant Sea Cloud II at 6:00pm. A wonderful day packed with history and gastronome! Tom Heffernan, Historian
