Contemplating Portugal: The Douro River Vista
Catherine the Great, Russia’s prolific empress, was seldom disappointed during her grand excursions. Her minister and lover Grigory Potemkin saw to that. During her 1787 visit to Crimea, in order to hide the squalor, Potemkin reportedly ordered one or more fake villages to be constructed along the Dnieper River banks. These “false fronts” designed to disingenuously mimic clean and prosperous villages, would forever be referred to as Potemkin Villages, and should weigh heavy on the mind of any modern traveler.
Morning View from the Porto Cathedral
As travelers (dare I say tourists) we are often exposed only to what our hosts wish us to see, and its often difficult to know precisely what lies behind the curtain. Even in our own communities, the less appealing sides of our environments are often painted over (for better or worse). In some ways, Portugal is an exception to this very natural and forgivable tendency to obfuscate. It’s not just that the past is exposed so clearly in the context of architecture and culture, but rather that the Portuguese themselves accept being Portuguese without pretense. It’s an inherent acceptance of the past as it is, without unrealistic expectations for the future. Perhaps what I am describing is what the Portuguese themselves loosely define as Saudade. In any case, I find Portugal to be less opaque and more accessible than many European destinations.
Henry the Navigator, born in the Porto Customs House
Portugal has never had it easy. Like Spain, it enjoyed a period of “peak empire” (a subject for another post) leading to a grinding five-century relative decline in fortune. Not until the past 40 years, following the peaceful 1974 overthrow of the military dictatorship, has Portugal emerged as the modern nation we know today. And even since 1974, Portugal has struggled mightily. It has lost more residents to emigration than any other nation in the European Union with over 20% of all Portuguese living and working abroad. There are a plethora of reasons for this consistently challenging environment, and I won’t get into them here. Its enough to say at this point that Portugal continues to develop, improving its commercial risk-taking strategies and diversifying its economy.
The old and the new exist peacefully side by side in Porto and throughout Portugal
During my recent journey to Porto and the Douro River Valley, the nation’s history and challenges came into sharp focus. Porto is one of the most starkly beautiful cities I’ve every visited, perched above the widening spread of the Douro River as it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It was Porto that gave us Dom Enrique the Navigator, the figure that would lead Europe into the Age of Discovery. Across the river from Porto is the very different, but no less charming, Vila Nova de Guaia, home of the great Port Wine Houses. Although the Porto area is so much more than wine, it can’t be denied that Port launched Porto onto the global scene.
Looking out over the Port Lodges (warehouses) in Guaia with Porto accross the river.
The reason the Port Wine trade no longer touches the city of Porto is worth telling. The taxes on the portage and sale of wine up to the 13th Century benefitted only the Bishopric of Porto. In the year 1255, King Alfonso III established Guaia across the river in order to capture the wine commerce at cheaper tax rates and thus gain additional revenue for the crown. It was a bid that would shape the future of the two riverfronts, and eventually, give birth to acres of world-renowned Port Lodges.
Rabelo boat with Porto as a backdrop
While Port is stored and shipped from Guaia, the vinyards are many miles away in the upper regions of the Douro River Valley. It is notable that in 1757, thanks to the foresight of the Marquis de Pombal, Port Wine became the first formally demarcated wine region in the world with both standards of production and definite geographical boundaries. This project became the predecessor for the modern system of appellations. The problem faced by the industry into the 1960s was that the juice needed to be transported from the vineyards of the country’s mountainous interior to the lodges in Guaia. The Douro provided a pathway, but its fierce rapids made these shipments exceptionally risky. The ships that were used to brave the whitewater were and still are known as rabelo boats. These unique craft, designed to tolerate the rocks and currents of the river, have become iconic, and modern replicas still ply the river ubiquitously between Guaia and Porto.
My Mom posing in the Douro River Valley with our Uniworld Ship, the Sao Gabriel.
The Douro River today is a much tamer pathway. The hydroelectric projects of the 1960s created a system of dams and locks that make the river easily navigable for over 130 miles. Over 20 modern river ships carry passengers upriver to stunning terrain; lush, terraced hillsides sloping hundreds of meters down to the water’s edge. This area, the Alto Douro, has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, not only for the spectacular scenery but for its contributions to culture and history. With cave art dating back 24,000 years, and evidence of viticulture dating back two millennia, the area connects us with our past in unique and meaningful ways. Although the valley is somewhat accessible by car, I would argue that there is no substitute to seeing it at least once from the river.
Entering one of the narrowest portions of the Douro in the Carrapatelo area.
I hope that you enjoyed these brief thoughts and images. Portugal is fascinating, with Porto, and Douro River Valley providing the visitor with a seamless way to penetrate into the heart of the culture. As I stated earlier, there is little pretense here. Things are as they are and (in many cases) as they have been for hundreds of years. I am humbled to have been connected with the country in such a meaningful way. In a future blog, I’ll delve deeper into the remarkable experience of discovering the Douro with Uniworld. From authentic cuisine to delightful service and stunning excursions, Uniworld always does it right. When you’re ready to plan your journey to Portugal, I’m here to help!
