Who says six million cubic feet of concrete is boring? A river cruise in Portugal is full of surprises

I’m astatine the bottommost of a immense enclosure surrounded by six cardinal cubic feet of concrete, with algae and dripping h2o everywhere. It feels similar being an ant successful a bathtub.

Yet this is 1 of the highlights of my vacation and I’m awestruck by a wonderment of civilian engineering. It mightiness not beryllium beauteous – but the Carrapatelo Dam successful bluish Portugal is beauteous incredible. Specifically, I’m successful a immense fastener connected committee a cruise vessel discovering that a voyage on the River Douro offers surprises connected a breathtaking scale.

Yes, with the quality of the place, aureate eagles soaring implicit terraced, larboard vino vineyards, charming towns, good nutrient and portion and affable locals, it’s an casual spot to enjoy.

But I’d not got the memo astir Europe’s highest fastener being present and was intrigued erstwhile I joined the fantabulous Douro Splendour successful Porto for a seven-night travel with Intrepid Travel and spotted the Barragem bash Carrapatelo connected time 2 of the itinerary.

Built betwixt 1964-72 connected the orders of Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar, it’s 1 of 5 dams designed to tame the turbulent Douro for ember proscription and make hydroelectricity. With a h2o level emergence and autumn of 115ft, it’s besides the 2nd largest successful the world.

Being wrong is Lilliputian successful the utmost and beauteous overmuch each 1 of Splendour’s 110 passengers is connected the prima platform to instrumentality photos, sprout videos and marvel astatine what a choky acceptable our vessel is, with conscionable a mates of inches connected either side.

Ironically, not 1 lump of ember was ever transported but it does let stream cruise ships to navigate this fabulous country of Portugal 5 decades on. Monumental civilian engineering aside, a travel connected the Douro is simply a spot similar seeing a sheet of those yummy pastel de nata tarts, you’ll decidedly privation to spell backmost for more. Here’s why…

Northern Portugal is the location of port– with brands specified arsenic Sandeman, Warre, Cockburn and Taylor based successful and astir Porto and the vale for much than 200 years. Even if it’s not your mean prime of portion it’s inactive worthy joining the included Riviera tours to assorted larboard “quintas” (vineyard estates) during the cruise.

Quinta da Pacheca, dating from 1738 successful a beauteous mounting adjacent Peso da Régua, was our archetypal circuit and tasting (tawny not for me, ruby better) followed by a good repast of asparagus soup, beef fillet with beans and murphy gratin and Portuguese food accompanied by quinta wines.

Having passed the neatly terraced vineyards of Warre, Taylor and Cockburn eyeballing each different crossed the river, we joined a circuit to Quinta Sao Luiz, adjacent Adorigo. It’s the oldest successful the portion – established successful 1638 – and is perched precocious implicit the stream with 220 acres of premium grapes.

The Kopke marque is produced present and ports up to 90 years aged are connected merchantability successful the vessel store. It’s the champion mounting of our week (the barroom is high) with slayer views for your Insta provender and an on-site edifice with a fabulous infinity excavation acceptable successful the hillside. Leave maine here.

Another pleasing astonishment was the magnitude of birds we saw from the prima platform – from those aureate eagles to reddish kites via achromatic storks and swallows feeding connected the wing. (There was immoderate lively rider statement successful the barroom astir whether they were swallows, swifts oregon martins! Portugal is known for its swallows, truthful swallows it is. Probably.)

Another day, different tour, this clip to Castelo Rodrigo – a hilltop, walled colony reached via upland roads and crossed landscapes of olive groves, scrubland, rocks of myriad shapes and sizes, a fewer villages and not overmuch else.

You realise what a distant (and hot) portion of Europe this is. The colony has good views, the castle ruins to look astir positive an absorbing aged religion and souvenir shops selling items made from section cork specified arsenic bags, hats, shoes and purses positive delicious flavoured almonds and almond liqueur. We noticed a fewer passengers decamped consecutive to the sunny hilltop terrace astatine the colony barroom for a lager oregon Aperol spritz and figured they’d been present before!

Halfway done the trip, Douro Splendour reaches the extremity of the navigable stream and moors conscionable crossed the Spanish border. It’s an aboriginal commencement for an excursion to Salamanca, the Golden City of Spain named for the colour of its good sandstone buildings glinting successful the beardown sun.

It’s a two-hour manager thrust and the luxury vehicles question with the vessel and you person the aforesaid conveyance and operator for each excursion – successful our lawsuit the charming and annoyingly good-looking Ricardo, who besides turns retired to beryllium a part-time fireman and awesome dancer erstwhile there’s unrecorded euphony aft the meal astatine the Quinta da Pacheca.

On arrival, we passengers get a mates of hours to research connected our own, truthful aft a €2.60 java successful the glorious Plaza Mayor we headed via the House of Shells, a 15th-century knight’s location decorated with scallop symbols, to the city’s joined-at-the-hip New and Old cathedrals.

The New was built betwixt ­1513-1733, adjoining the 12th-13th period Old, which was owed to beryllium demolished arsenic it was excessively tiny for the increasing metropolis but was retained successful a reduced size. After an audio circuit we dropped successful astatine the indoor market, wherever you tin bargain each forms of nutrient imaginable (some frankly unimaginable – cow’s nose, anyone?), food and fish, and enjoyed an included luncheon with a lively flamenco amusement successful a edifice by the square.

At that luncheon we roadworthy tested the accepted Salamanca hornazo – a hearty pastry made with pork loin, chorizo and hard-boiled egg– earlier a guided circuit with section adept Mamen, an engaging root of fascinating facts astir this delightful metropolis and successful peculiar its university, the 4th oldest the world.

Other tours included Lamego and Mateus Palace. The erstwhile is simply a municipality with the hilltop 18th-century Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies, reached by 686 spectacular steps with bluish tiled decor. If it each gets a spot overmuch determination is simply a barroom 2 thirds up to recuperate.

Lamego is simply a pleasant municipality with idiosyncratic shops, restaurants and cafes and a good cathedral. Whiling distant a mates of hours present is nary chore. At the latter, yes, different surprise; Mateus Rosé vino is not made astatine the 1744-built Mateus Palace, and ne'er has been. It’s made elsewhere successful Portugal from Douro vale grapes but the household which owns the palace has licensed the logo.

Rosé outlook aside, the palace circuit features a wealthiness of artefacts and beauteous gardens. And there’s a store selling… Mateus Rosé.

Sorry, we’re backmost to civilian engineering again. This clip Dom Luís I, 1 of the finest bridges successful the world. The robust double-deck arch – designed by Théophile Seyrig, a workfellow of Gustave Eiffel – is the showstopper icon of Porto astatine 1,297ft agelong and 148ft precocious and is utilized for vehicles, airy obstruction and pedestrians.

A locomotion crossed is unmissable, arsenic is overmuch of Porto’s hilly aged municipality and we saw arsenic overmuch arsenic we could earlier heading home. A thrust connected the cablegram car southbound broadside of the span has fantabulous views and it’s close by the pier wherever Splendour docks, on with immoderate pleasant bars.

The cabins connected the ship, which tin clasp up to 121 passengers, are contemporary, well-equipped and cosy but not cramped. We liked the floor-to-ceiling model successful ours connected the Upper Deck which opened halfway for caller aerial views. We besides liked the food; genuinely ne'er a atrocious repast with immoderate existent standouts among Portuguese and planetary dishes and friendly, attentive service.

Dishes done the week included superb oversea bass, pork cheeks, salmon carpaccio and the food boards of the gods, each accompanied by beauteous section wines. And who knew courgette crockery was a thing? Well, it was yet different astonishment to maine and delightful for a crockery superfan.

After days exploring this beauteous portion of the satellite and connected the spacious prima deck, Spendour’s evening amusement was low-key but amusive and varied with quizzes and euphony including Portuguese Fado.

We’d not travelled with Riviera earlier and were impressed by the pre-trip thoroughness which included a booklet with broad beforehand formation and voyage accusation and luggage tags. The vacation itself was good organised throughout, the unit were beauteous and guides Mafalda, Ana and Lucilia, led by cruise manager Helena, were each great.

You would not beryllium amazed to larn that we thought the Douro Splendour was beauteous “dam” good…

Book the holiday

• Riviera Travel offers an eight-day Douro, Porto and Salamanca stream cruise from £2,249pp. Departs from Porto, Portugal, connected July 10, with ports of telephone and visits including Mateus Palace Gardens, Castelo Rodrigo, Salamanca, Peso da Régua and Lamego. Includes Gatwick flights, transfers and superior drinks package; determination flights besides available. rivieratravel.co.uk
• More info astatine visitportugal.com spain.info