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Wednesday – Friday August 28 - 30 2024, Fredericksburg – San Antonio - Porto:

Our departure time for Portugal was 7:00am, so to avoid having to leave home at 4:00 in the morning, made a reservation at the airport Drury Plaza Hotel. The benefit to booking a night at the Drury is free undercover parking while you are away on your trip, plus it has convenient complimentary shuttle to and from the airport. We stopped at the Rim in San Antonio for dinner before checking into the hotel. We had a very early wake up to catch the shuttle to the airport, we wanted plenty of time at the airport because we had complicated luggage tagging because we had to combine two records to have the bags delivered to Porto. It took about 20 minutes to get the proper luggage tagging, but it was successfully accomplished, and we were on our way. We had a few minutes to enjoy coffee in the United Club before boarding our plane for the first leg to Chicago. We had a long layover in Chicago which afforded us plenty of time to relax in Polaris Lounge for lunch and cocktails. We started to receive texts from United/Lufthansa that the departure gate had been revised. We arrived at gate B16 to find complete chaos because our gate had switched with the flight that was going to Frankfurt and both sets of passengers were jockeying for position at the different gates. Finally, we boarded and waited while the airline personnel tried to ensure that all passengers were on the correct plane. So, one hour later, we pushed back and were on our way. This late departure created a lot of angst because we had a tight connection in Munich and now it seemed unlikely that we could make the transfer. As it turned out, we had only 25 minutes to clear passport control and get to our continuing flight. By some miracle we got on the plane just as they were closing the door. While we were able to race through the airport, our luggage, including bicycle, did not and missed the flight. As we arrived in Porto, we knew that our luggage remained in Munich, so we found the lost baggage office and completed the necessary forms to have it delivered as soon as it arrived. Outside the baggage claim area, we met our driver who drove us for almost 2 hours to Vidago to the Vidago Palace Hotel. He delivered the orientation materials and helped us develop a strategy to deal with the missing luggage and bicycle. We had plenty of time to find an ATM machine and relax for a few minutes at a local bar for a glass of wine. The remainder of the afternoon was for jet lag recovery. Later in the afternoon we found the bar in the hotel for a happy hour glass of wine before going to the Wine Cellar Restaurant for dinner. Our waitress explained the menu saying that the dishes were small tapas sized servings without garnish. She suggested some of the favorites and we ordered a salad, fried eggplant, grilled veal and some broccoli for garnish. And also a bottle of local Tariga National red wine. All were good with the eggplant and veal being our favorite. So now there was nothing left to do but retire to bed and hope that our luggage would arrive.Our departure time for Portugal was 7:00am, so to avoid having to leave home at 4:00 in the morning, made a reservation at the airport Drury Plaza Hotel. The benefit to booking a night at the Drury is free undercover parking while you are away on your trip, plus it has convenient complimentary shuttle to and from the airport. We stopped at the Rim in San Antonio for dinner before checking into the hotel. We had a very early wake up to catch the shuttle to the airport, we wanted plenty of time at the airport because we had complicated luggage tagging because we had to combine two records to have the bags delivered to Porto. It took about 20 minutes to get the proper luggage tagging, but it was successfully accomplished, and we were on our way. We had a few minutes to enjoy coffee in the United Club before boarding our plane for the first leg to Chicago. We had a long layover in Chicago which afforded us plenty of time to relax in Polaris Lounge for lunch and cocktails. We started to receive texts from United/Lufthansa that the departure gate had been revised. We arrived at gate B16 to find complete chaos because our gate had switched with the flight that was going to Frankfurt and both sets of passengers were jockeying for position at the different gates. Finally, we boarded and waited while the airline personnel tried to ensure that all passengers were on the correct plane. So, one hour later, we pushed back and were on our way. This late departure created a lot of angst because we had a tight connection in Munich and now it seemed unlikely that we could make the transfer. As it turned out, we had only 25 minutes to clear passport control and get to our continuing flight. By some miracle we got on the plane just as they were closing the door. While we were able to race through the airport, our luggage, including bicycle, did not and missed the flight. As we arrived in Porto, we knew that our luggage remained in Munich, so we found the lost baggage office and completed the necessary forms to have it delivered as soon as it arrived. Outside the baggage claim area, we met our driver who drove us for almost 2 hours to Vidago to the Vidago Palace Hotel. He delivered the orientation materials and helped us develop a strategy to deal with the missing luggage and bicycle. We had plenty of time to find an ATM machine and relax for a few minutes at a local bar for a glass of wine. The remainder of the afternoon was for jet lag recovery. Later in the afternoon we found the bar in the hotel for a happy hour glass of wine before going to the Wine Cellar Restaurant for dinner. Our waitress explained the menu saying that the dishes were small tapas sized servings without garnish. She suggested some of the favorites and we ordered a salad, fried eggplant, grilled veal and some broccoli for garnish. And also a bottle of local Tariga National red wine. All were good with the eggplant and veal being our favorite. So now there was nothing left to do but retire to bed and hope that our luggage would arrive.

Saturday – August 31, 2024, Vidago Palace Hotel

Our luggage did arrive in the Porto Airport at 11:30 last night and we were relieved that at least it had made it that far. Unfortunately, there is always a hangup…the customs inspectors haven’t released the bags for transfer to our hotel and we have no idea when that might happen. So we tried to relax and enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the Winter Garden room. As one would expect, the buffet was amazing with beautiful fresh fruit and a bountiful buffet of every breakfast item that one could imagine. We continued to watch our Tile app for progress with the luggage but there was no movement. With nothing but time on our hands, we strolled the grounds of the palace and golf course. This is a lovely setting but the continuing concern about the status of our luggage somehow interfered with our appreciation of the lovely setting. Finally, we called the baggage services for an update on our bags, and they informed us that they are waiting for customs to clear the bags for transfer and didn’t have a clue when that would happen. At this point, we know that we won’t ride today, and we are still in the same clothes that we were wearing when we left San Antonio on Thursday morning. We spent the morning exploring the grounds of the palace hotel which are quite extensive including an 18-hole golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts and a lagoon. We didn’t stop for lunch considering the huge breakfast but did stop to enjoy a beer on the outside terrace. We made one last call to the airport to check on the status of our luggage and were surprised to learn that they had been released and were out for delivery. Time for celebration; we walked to a local bar and ordered a glass of vinho verde, the local white wine. While we were at the bar, we saw a delivery van pull into the hotel and a few minutes later the hotel called to report that the luggage had arrived. We finished our wine, returned to the hotel, changed clothes and started to assemble the bike. I made the usual number of miscues but in time had the bike put together and ready for our first ride the next morning. We had not made any dinner reservations, so our only option was the lobby bar which had the same menu as the Wine Cellar. We found an outside table and ordered drinks and dinner. Actually, this was more pleasant than eating inside in a restaurant although the temperature was a little chilly so we each went up to the room to fetch a long sleeve shirt. After dinner we returned to our room to follow the UT vs Colorado State football game on ESPN. Texas won 52 – 0.

Sunday September 01, 2024, Vidago – Casa das Pipas

We planned to ride two routes today and skip one of the planned hotel to get back on schedule and make up for the day we lost waiting on luggage. After breakfast, we took our luggage to the reception and checked out of the Vidago Palace hotel. We got underway by 9:30 knowing we had to cover about 50 miles and a lot of climbing to accomplish the two routes. We were using both the RidewithGPS app, Google Maps and our Garmin for navigation. The first 20 miles were uneventful because much of the route was on a hard packed rail trail. After the trail ended, we were on a local road which had little traffic. There was a bike path adjacent, but we found the road smoother and more direct. After about 20 miles, it was time to switch to the second route to the next hotel. This should have been simple, but we really weren’t in a good spot to make the switch. We were unable to reconcile the routes so switched to Google Maps to take us to the hotel. The issue with Google Maps is that it will direct you by the shortest route which may not be the best route and since we were unfamiliar with the area we ended up on a dirt path that was very rocky and at places soft sand. To say the least it was not a good route for a tandem bicycle. We ended up walking the bike for about 2 kilometers, until we could get back to a paved road. Once we were back on the road the rest of the ride was nice going through scenic vistas overlooking endless vineyards. We finally arrived at our hotel by 3:15 having completed 47 miles and over 3000 feet of climbing. Our luggage was waiting for us as we arrived; but that wasn’t the priority, we needed to sit and enjoy a cold beer and eat the sandwiches we had carried with us from Vidago. The setting here is amazing, nestled in the hills among the terraced vineyards. As we checked in, the receptionist made dinner reservations at the local farm restaurant. Now we had time to relax, shower and rest before our 9:30 dinner reservations. At 7:00 we got a phone call that our taxi was waiting for us, but we hadn’t ordered a taxi. After checking with Portuguese Nature Trails, we discovered that there was a dinner included for the evening with transportation provided. We quickly changed into dinner clothes and climbed into the taxi for the most thrilling ride down to the town of Pinhão for dinner. The restaurant was clinging to the side of a cliff overlooking the Douro River. We were ushered to our table where the waitress explained that we had a fixed menu dinner consisting of salad, grilled ribeye steak and dessert. All we had to do was enjoy. They even paired a fantastic red wine to accompany the meal. Following dinner and dessert, we found our waiting taxi for the 20-minute ride back to our accommodation for the evening.

Monday September 02, 2024, Casa das Pipas – Pinhão:

Finally, we are back on schedule and can enjoy a relaxed ride knowing we have no concerns about luggage or routes. We had breakfast in the dining room, the fruit and bread were good, but the omelet was the worst I’ve ever had. Not to worry about it, we dropped our luggage at the front door and started our 20-mile ride through the mountains and vineyards overlooking the Douro River valley. The roads were generally good with almost no traffic. We started to climb almost immediately up to an elevation of 2500 feet. There were never any level roads, either we were climbing up or descending. But the vistas were so spectacular that we almost didn’t pay any attention to the challenges of the road. We stopped multiple times to take pictures and appreciate the beauty surrounding us. The last 6 miles of the route was a descent down to the river and the town of Pinhão. The RidewithGPS app on our phone directed us straight to the Vintage House Hotel on the banks of Douro where we would be staying for the next two nights. After checking in, we had the afternoon to clean up and walk the town to see the major attractions. We found a lunch place for beer and tapas and then visited a supermarket and the railroad station. The station was built in 1937 and is decorated with the Portuguese blue tile graphics depicting typical scenes from the wine culture of the Douro Valley. The remainder of the afternoon was for relaxation before we ventured out to a local (no tourist please) wine and tapas bar for an evening snack. This turned out to be a good local experience with good wine and tapas. This ended our day as we returned to the Vintage House for the evening. We had ridden only 20 miles with 1500 feet of climbing.

Tuesday September 03, 2024, Pinhão Long Loop

We started the morning with a leisurely breakfast in the hotel dining room. As you would expect from a 4-star hotel, the breakfast was extensive and well presented. Following breakfast, we finished with bike preparations for the ride planned for today which was a 27 miles loop through the elevated vineyards of the Douro River Valley. The vintage house hotel is located on the banks of the river at an elevation of 325 feet above sea level. All of the vineyards are on steep hillsides looking down to the valley below. The ride out of Pinhão started with a gradual pull out of town and continued without stop for 5 miles with a constant slope of 6 – 9%. We managed the climb with the help of our electric assist Hawthorne Tandem and never struggled with the strain of the climb. There are multiple roads through the vineyards, and some were difficult to determine if we had chosen the correct turn. At one point, we were on the correct road (read path) when the pavement ended, and we were on a dirt road traversing through a vineyard. We had been warned that a portion of the of the ride was unpaved, but this section was not fit for a bicycle. It was steep with loose rocks and deep soft sand. We realized that we couldn’t continue riding a chose the safer option to walk the bike until the dirt road rejoined to paved road. What was disappointing was there was never a reason to leave the pavement because we rejoined the paved road we had been following. We can only assume that the alternate was shorter and provided some unique cycling experience; if that were the case, we’re not convinced that it was worth the effort. None the less, we were happy to return to pavement and continue. We had planned to visit the Bread and Wine Museum in Favaios and it turned out to be a worthwhile stop. They have been making wine in this region since the Romans visited in the 11th century. Favaios is renowned for the Muscatel wine which is a fortified wine using the Muscatel grape which only grows in a very limit area above 500 meters elevation. We tasted the wine and to my palate it was very sweet, possible suitable for an aperitif or dessert, but for me would be a challenge to enjoy. After visiting the museum, we were ready for the final 12-kilometer descent back to Pinhão. We did not turn the crank for the entire descent, riding the brakes for the 8 miles back to the hotel. We stopped at a wine and tapas shop as we approached for a smoked ham and cheese sandwich and a bottle of vinho verde. Back at the hotel, it was time to shower and relax before our 8:00 dinner reservation at the writer’s café. This was a non-descript looking place just across the street from our hotel. The online reviews were a little mixed, but we decided to try it mostly because of the location. What we didn’t realize until we walked in was the dining was all al fresco overlooking the Douro River. It was a lovely setting with great views of the river and surrounding vineyards. The menu was limited with only 5 choices, 2 of which were already sold out. We selected the roasted codfish dinner and a mixed salad. The portions were very large; one would have been enough for both of us. The wine selection was also very limited; we had a choice of red or white by the glass or carafe. We chose liter of the red which was descent considering the price. We enjoyed the meal and the setting which was a fitting finish to a rigorous day of riding. We rode 28 miles with 3500 feet of climbing.

Wednesday September 04, 2024, Pinhão – Peso de Régua:

Because of our experience on Tuesday with the unpaved section of road, we decided to find an easier alternate route instead of the route proposed for the day. We consulted Google maps and ChatGPT to see if a route along the river existed; we discovered that N222 was exactly what we wanted. We were a little concerned about traffic, but it was light and the drivers were very courteous. We stopped once at the dam and locks to watch a cruise ship pass through the locks; it appeared to have dropped almost 50 feet to the lower section of the Douro. Our hotel was only a couple of kilometers farther; we knew we were too early to check in, but we decided to stop at the hotel and ask for advise for places to visit in the afternoon. We were ready to start the route to a winery, when our luggage arrived, and a room opened for us. After getting settled into the room, we started out back into the hills above the Douro towards a winery which had been suggested had we chosen to take the planned route for today. We climbed for an hour to within a kilometer of the winery, but that last kilometer looked very steep and was over cobblestone. We had accomplished the climbing and milage we wanted, so we turned around and coasted back 9 miles to town and an ice-cold Coca-Cola. Today was the warmest thus far of this trip, with temperatures in the low 90’s under bright sunshine. The remainder of the afternoon was for relaxing and recovery. Our hotel is located on the banks of the Douro, but it is across the river from the town. It is not really remote but going to a restaurant would require a taxi, but our reservation was for half board which means both breakfast and dinner were included. We visited the hotel bar for a happy hour Aperol Spritz before finding the restaurant on the 3rd floor. The menu included a starter, a selection of five entrees and a dessert. We had to select the wine to accompany the meal. Both service and meals were excellent, a fitting conclusion to a memorable day of cycling in the Douro River valley.

Thursday September 05, 2024, Peso de Régua – Lamego – Peso de Régua:

We started our day long celebration with breakfast in the dining room, a typical buffet with a generous selection of European breakfast favorites. Our cache of Euros had been depleted after a full week of touring in Portugal. We needed to find an ATM before we could start our ride for the day. All of the banks were across the river, but with the aid of Google Maps, we were to ride to a bank and resupply our Euros. The ride options for today included two loops to Lamego and back. We chose the longer route which was 19 miles with 2000 feet of climbing. All of the riding through the Douro valley had been through the vast vineyards which line the valley. The rides start out with an extended climb of around 5 miles and then continues along a plateau followed by a long descent down to the river. Today’s ride followed this pattern. We climbed for about an hour, stopping several times to take pictures and appreciate the spectacular views. Our electric assist Hawthorne tandem is more than capable of scaling the 7 to 10% grades that made up the route. We arrived in the town of Lamego, which is an ancient settlement dating back to the 5th century. Our goal was to find the cathedral and museum. As we entered the historic central plaza, we discovered that the annual festival of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios was ongoing. Lamego is a large town of 26,000 population, but the festival there were also plenty of tourists to enjoy the celebrations. We found a place to park our tandem and then went to the cathedral for a visit. This is a very old structure, dating back to the 12th century. It’s not particularly ornate, but well worth a visit. We then walked across the street to the museum only to discover that it would close in 30 minutes for the normal lunch hour siesta and not reopen until 2:00. We bought the tickets and did a quick walk through. There wasn’t a lot to see, and we felt we had not been cheated by the shortened visit. From there we walked through the plaza where the festival was taking place. This was similar to a fair or market day with all sorts of vendors and places to eat and drink. We were on a mission to climb the 700 steps up to the Santuario De Nossa Senhora Dos Remedios, however after 300 steps we said that was plenty and returned to the plaza to find a lunch spot. We enjoyed a soup and salad lunch and then got back on the bike for the exhilarating 9-mile descent back to the hotel. We did notice that the temperature at the top in Lamego was several degrees cooler than down on the river. I stopped to put on arm warmers because of the cooler wind chill. The ride was not too steep although there were plenty of curves which required we maintain a reasonable speed. There was very little traffic so we could enjoy the scenery and speed without any concern about approaching vehicles. Back at the hotel, our bike cases were waiting for us. We decided to proceed with disassembly and packing the bike rather than waiting until Friday. It takes me about an hour to disassemble the tandem, but the real puzzle is fitting everything back into a case. With that chore behind us we were ready to shower and enjoy happy hour. Our anniversary dinner was much like the previous night although we chose different entrees. Becky chose the sea bass which we can’t recommend; my beef tenderloin was pretty good especially with a nice bottle of Grande Reserva red wine to enhance the meal. Following dessert, we returned to our room for the evening. Here is a poem that AI helped me write to commemorate our anniversary:

**A Journey in Tandem: For Hugh and Becky**

Fifty-three years, side by side,

With hearts that beat as one,

On paths both smooth and winding wide,

Your shared adventure’s just begun.

Through Portugal's sun-kissed fields you glide,

On your tandem, built for two,

Each pedal stroke, a love-filled ride,

With skies of endless blue.

From winding roads to ocean’s shore,

Your journey has been grand,

In every twist, in every turn,

You’ve pedaled hand in hand.

So here’s to love that’s steady and true,

And to many more miles to come,

Hugh and Becky, cheers to you—

Your tandem ride is far from done!

Friday September 06, 2024, Peso de Régua – Porto:

Today was our final day of a bicycle tour. We were not riding but we had a transfer from our last hotel back to the airport in Porto. Our driver met us at 11:00 for the one-hour transfer to the airport Park hotel. This hotel is a minimum amenity accommodation with basically a bed and bathroom. We were planning to meet Robin and Steve later at the hotel, but they were enjoying a guided tour of Porto and lunch. We had a short list of major attractions to see in the historic central district. There was a metro stop about a 5-minute walking distance from the hotel. We purchased tickets from a vending machine and took the next metro into the Trindade terminal. From there we started to explore the major sites aided by a map and Google Lens. We located the city hall, the cathedral and the port. Porto is built on steep hills with ancient cobble stone narrow streets. We found a café for a beer and snack stop, then refreshed, we returned to the metro and back to Park Hotel where we met up with Robin and Steve for drinks and review of the past week’s adventures. Soon it was time to return to our room to prepare for the early departure then next morning to Marseilles, France.