WHAT'S IT LIKE TO TRAVE We asked a group of Friends Club travelers who recently toured Portugal by river boat what they thought of their time exploring the Douro River Valley, cities like Lisbon, and a variety of other locales.
What is something interesting you saw or learned about on the trip? Pat S: Learning about how they make wine in the Douro Valley was very interesting. The river is surrounded by these terraces which were set up many years before there were machines that could harvest the grapes, so they aren’t wide enough for anything but hand-picking. They hire local women to do the harvesting, and men to carry the grapes down and stomp them to make the wine.
Nancy S: I loved the country and was surprised at all of the things that grew there, like cork trees and olive trees and kiwi plants. It seemed like we got to see something new and do something different every day. Ron S: They have to hire hundreds if not thousands of people just for two or three weeks of work. It’s one thing to look at a picture of those terraces – but it’s quite another to see them in person. It’s amazing to see. What was your favorite memory or moment on the trip?
June H: On the last night on the boat, they took us past where we were supposed to dock right out into the ocean. We just drifted out from where the land ends into the open water, and the sun was setting, and it was just so cool. Jeff K: For me it was all the people who worked on the boat, they were so well prepared and friendly. Kay K: The whole trip was very relaxing. Some days I just stayed on the ship and slept in and cruised along the river. Pat S: Some of the towns in Portugal are just as charming as can be. I love walking around the little towns and seeing the people, sitting at an outdoor table and watching life go by. That’s my favorite thing anywhere.
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