Museum. Another well-known
building was the House of Shells,
which was decorated by its owner to
display his wealth. e university
buildings were all built in a
decorative red sandstone, and one
tradition from previous centuries
was for graduates to climb up the
sides of the building and write their
names in bull's blood. Some of the
names could still be seen high on
the walls of some of the dwellings.
As it was Saturday, there were
many weddings taking place in
Salamanca's cathedral and churches,
and we joined groups of exuberant,
cheering wedding guests gathering
in the streets to celebrate the bridal
parties. It was interesting to see how
glamorous the Spanish wedding
parties were; many of the women in
attendance would not be out of
place at a ball, dressed in their long,
brightly coloured gowns. Bands of
musicians wearing traditional black
capes serenaded the brides and
grooms, while confetti bombs and
firecrackers added to the incredible
street-party atmosphere.
During the cruise, there were
several opportunities to sample
some of the wines and ports of the
region. In Porto, the included
excursion ended with a trip around
Ferreira Cellars, located on the river
close to where Viking Osfrid was
docked. A tour of the cellars was
very informative, and one of the
things we learned about was the
storage of ruby and tawny ports.
Ruby ports are stored in large vats
so there is less oxidization, which
helps to retain their ruby-red color.
Tawnies, on the other hand, are
stored in barrels to help create the
wine's distinctive brown hue.
ere were further opportunities
to enjoy delicious Portuguese
and Spanish wines as part of the
wonderful Quinta da Avessada,
Castelo Rodrigo and Salamanca
excursions, as well as on board
the ship itself. Drinking the wines
and ports of the Douro Valley was
one of the many special highlights
of the voyage.
This page, from
top: Monument
to the Discoveries,
Lisbon; when in
Lisbon, visit the
Pastéis de Belém
bakery to try one
of its delicious
custard tarts
GETTING THERE: The
10-day Portugal's River of
Gold voyage starts from
$4,495pp in a Standard
stateroom.
VIEW ITINERARY
viking.com
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