Wine Country

October 30. Wine Country! Nuno was our guide for the day that included two wineries, both excellent and both very different. Our first stop of the day was Quinta da Lagoalva, just out of Santarem. Now we've been wine tasting before, but this was a different experience.

Marcia Alegria, new to the Quinta da Lagoalva, but with her masters in winemaking, was our guide. Although wine has been produced here since the 15th century, the current owners, the Palmela family, acquired the "quinta" in 1846. With over 100 workers, it was more like a small town, but currently they are down to 30 employees. There was and is housing for everyone, and the Palmela family still resided on site. There is a charming little chapel, filled with blue and white tiles, but there is no longer a priest living on the quinta, so now it is just used for special celebrations.

There is also a delightful pergola in the courtyard covered with foliage, but not currently in bloom. The next stop was the stables with 16 Lusitano horses, a specialty of Portugal, bred and trained for dressage. BIG, beautiful horses, with the preferred color of grey. Our next adventure was a carriage ride to visit the olive groves (13 tons last year), the cattle, sheep, the cork trees (some that had just been harvested) and of course the vineyards! All of these enterprises are profitable for Lagoalva. During the tour of the winery Marcia explained the process of moving the grapes to the first stage where all the stems are removed, then the remaining grapes and skin mixture is moved over to huge metal vats to ferment. Since the skins and sediment rise to the top, but to get the red color the juice must be in contact with the skins, they recycle the juice by pumping it out the bottom and back onto the top to maximize the time juice is in contact with the skins approximately every 12 hours. The exceptions are the "Reserve" or "Premium" wines - the whole process is manual and the finished product is stored in casks (American Oak). Finally to the tasting! Accompanied by bread, cheese, olive oil and sausage we are given three wines, from light to dark... Talhao I, a white Sauvignon Blanc blend, a Rose, and finishing with a red Castelao e Touriga.  All very good, and all around $8 a bottle! Quinta da Lagoalva wines are distributed in the US by Winebow Inc. BUT, there was one premium wine, they do not bottle each year, as it must be an exceptional year, nor do they export it; Dona Isabel Juliana, named for the last owner that passed away just 2 months ago. I'm enjoying a glass while writing! Excellent!    

Lunch was a small typical little place for some Portuguese comfort food. Stone Soup! Filled with beans, pork, beef, tomatoes, and a stone! The legend tells of a man that went around knocking on doors telling each resident that he had the stone for the soup, could they please contribute, perhaps a tomato, or some beans... what ever they might have, until the end of the day he had all he needed to make a hearty, delicious soup!

Our second winery, was again a "quinta", Casal Branco. Duarte Carvalho e Silva, their export manager was most kind to host us through the tour. This appears a bigger operation than Lagoalva, and with just as many "interests". We first drove out to the Lusitano stable where we met and watched the second place winner in the Portuguese dressage competition, X (translation from Portuguese!) go through his dressage routine. Although I no longer ride, X was an impressive stallion, that moves beautifully. We headed back to the winery and took the tour. Casal Branco still has vats where the grapes are stomped, a la Lucille Ball, for the premium wines. We found out that the stompers are paid about $60 a day, but it's getting more difficult to find workers willing to take part time work... particularly those of the ideal height and weight! The three wines we tasted are imported to the US, a white, rose and red. The name Terra de Lobos is a hint into the name of the the family that has owned the estate since 1775, the Lobo de Vasconcelos.       

Back to the main showroom, there is a "tree" that is actually one piece of harvested cork with a single seam along the back. Very impressive and beautiful! There was one wine, their sparkling wine Monge, that is not exported... so I have a bottle to enjoy on the trip! Thank you Duarte!

It was a fantastic day, full day, and tiring day... all that wine drinking did us in! Back to Britania and again a light supper but back to the Rubro restaurant for some of their Foie Gras and a salad...

Life is good!

Hello from Lisbon!

Tuesday, October 27, 2015 - After a flight MIA/LIS on TAP in Business, we arrived safe and sound, but quite early into Lisbon. It was so early in fact, that only one immigration officer was on duty... until 6am! We weren't long suffering, and before too long we were checked, stamped and moved along. A few comments on TAP... food was good, divine Saudade chocolate, service was without enthusiasm, but all the standard amenities except they were super chintzy with the water. Only one bottle of water per person! Now there was plenty of drinking water, served by the small glass, but each required a special request to the flight attendants. Smooth flight, but Saharaesque!

I love, love, love our hotel - the Britania. It's an art deco jewel that opened its doors in 1944 as the Hotel do Imperio while the world was at war. Centrally located, just one block off of the Avenida da Liberdad, and recently restored; it offers 30 lovely, spacious, comfortable bedrooms, with their original cork floors, and many original furniture pieces and art deco touches, along with beautifully appointed public areas.  We were greeted warmly, given our room at 7:30 am. Victor, Julio, Marco and Katia were full of smiles in spite of the early hour and generously suggested we enjoy breakfast. Leisurely breakfast, nice nap and a shower and we're all new! Victor has suggested a seafood restaurant just a few minutes away for dinner.

Serious explorations tomorrow!

Time for a new adventure!

October 19 – Frantic last minute planning and packing. Wow! It’s been a while. No, I haven’t fallen down the rabbit hole with Alice, just taken a few hops here and there since our incredible 18 night trip Beijing to Tokyo on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager! Youngest daughter’s wedding was May, June I was grounded, July was a trip to Boston for a few days and a 50th Anniversary celebration, August was Mother’s last flight and Arlington Cemetery for burial with military honors, and September 5 days at Disney World... so, it was a busy summer. 

Now, it’s just about time to cruise! I’m so excited, and I just can’t fight it, I’m about to lose control and I kind of like it! The trip is all planned, shore excursions chosen, documents delivered, transportation & pre-hotel in Lisbon (The Britannia) and post-hotel in Cape Town (The Portswood at the V&A Waterfront) booked and we’re doing our last minute checking and packing. Luggage Free arrives Wednesday, between 1-2 pm to pick up one bag – I love, love, love their service! About two weeks ago I called to set up the appointment for the bag to be picked up, and they will deliver the bag(s) to the ship in Lisbon, just like magic. In Beijing, they were waiting in our cabin on arrival! I’m packing “light” (or perhaps I should say lighter) this time and shipping only one bag. John and I will share that bag with dress clothes for the ship and some cooler things for the summer climate in Africa. 

We leave NEXT MONDAY, October 26, for Lisbon and have four days to explore the city and countryside. Planned excursions include a trip to Fatima and another day trip to wine country that still allows for plenty of time to explore the city. Alfama, Baixa, Elevador de Santa Justa, the Bario Alto and the mosaics of Sao Roque are all on the list. It’s been years since I have been there... like since the ‘50s! I look forward to re-acquainting myself and hunting for bargains! Tasting Portuguese specialties and drinking their wonderful wines! 

We board the Regent Seven Seas Mariner October 31 for the “Lands of Wonder”, cruising from Lisbon to Cape Town! 24 glorious nights in the lap of luxury! 

I’ve gotten quite spoiled and absolutely love how Regent does it - every day, every encounter, and every step of the way, on every cruise! It really is ALL INCLUSIVE; I love, love, love having the shore excursions included. There are “Regent Choice” excursions for an additional fee, but you’ll find you will be able to tour and visit any of the major attractions in the ports of call for FREE. In addition, Regent’s Specialty Dining is free, unlimited Beverages including fine wines and premium spirits, all free, daily in-suite mini-bar replenishment (as needed), pre-paid gratuities and WiFi is available throughout the ship, with purchased WiFi minutes packages... and much more – and it’s included! It makes life so easy... and believe it or not, add up you cruise fare, bar bill, shore excursions, and pre-paid gratuities from your last not-so-inclusive cruise, and you can see the savings and benefits of luxury cruising! 

The cruise travels to Madeira Island, the Canary Islands, and Cape Verde before we start down the coast of Africa. Dakar, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Sao Tome and Namibia (sand dunes here we come!) before we arrive in Cape Town. Oh but wait... there are 11 glorious, and I do mean glorious, days at sea! It will be a relaxing adventure! The only repeat destination we’ve seen in recent history is Cape Town. And I LOVE Cape Town – the wonderful Victoria & Alfred (I always thought it was Albert!) Waterfront area, the incredible wine regions of Stellenbosch & Franschhoek, the meeting of the waters, Robben Island, Table Mountain, Greenmarket Square with beautiful African crafts & treasures! I never thought I’d go back to Africa. I love the trip and I love the country. What a thrill to be returning. Only one more week to wait! I’ll keep you posted...in the meantime check out some great upcoming interline deals on Regent Seven Seas!