Up the River

Dancing on the way back...

We had seen a larger boat sailing up the river from our home in Vila Real de Santo Antonio. And since I am pretty antsy, having been strapped into this post-surgery shoe for five weeks, I persuaded some friends to join me on this trip up the river.

Disembarking for lunch.

Riosultravel

I had stopped at the ticket window by the ferry dock to see if they might have information on the larger boat I had seen cruising the river. The ticket agent provided me with the brochure. I checked out their website and purchased five tickets, two for us and three for friends. A few days before our trip, we mentioned it to two American men we had met via this site and pickleball. They jumped online and purchased tickets as well. If you want to take the tour, permit me to suggest you grab a bunch of like-minded friends. You will find out why later…

A ticket for their full-day tour will set you back €53. The site says that the tour begins at 09:30…but don’t believe it. As they provide transportation from your hotel to the departure site I suspect that may be the time they pick you up. As I explained to the company in our post-tour review, as Americans we value punctuality. We were standing at the dock by 09:15. A guide welcomed us at 09:30 and asked us to follow her to the street. There we stood for 30 minutes waiting for others to arrive. While I have lived in Portugal for 17 months now, I am still an impatient American. Yes, I found this annoying!

The first mate/bartender and our friend.

At 10:00 we boarded the boat. As it was still cool, the seven of us grabbed a corner on the lower deck. There is a bar there, which also served coffee and cookies. After a quick turn, the boat headed north. We passed Ayamonte, the bridge, and Castro Marim. Beyond that there wasn’t very much to see…in fact, I don’t think we passed another boat during the entire tour. As the trip up the river took 90 minutes, from time to time we would go on deck to enjoy the sunshine.

The sun was warm the breeze was cool.

The boat is fully equipped including restrooms. The women’s was clean and clearly marked!

There was not a clever designation for the men’s room.

A Tiny Village and Lunch

At 11:30 we docked at Foz de Odeleite, population 25.

This small settlement is a perfect example of the “other” Algarve, filled with charisma and beauty, distant from the tourist beaches of golden sand, yet filled with beauty, tradition and rural heritage. — www.guiadacidade.pt

First impressions. Our guide, Ester, leads the way.

We were given three options when we disembarked:

• Follow the guide for a 45-minute hilly, yet educational tour;

• Follow the first mate for a direct 10-minute walk to the farm; or

• Take a bus to the farm.

We selected the first option. The entire tour may have covered 1 km…yet stops along the way provided many fun facts. For example, we learned that electricity had not reached the town until the mid-1960s; that there was no longer a school in the village because there were not any children; that there was no need for house numbers as the color above the doorway designated what family owned the property; that today the village had become home to an enclave of German immigrants, etc.

A sing-along after lunch.

The walk led us to Quinta do Rio where we relaxed by the pool drinking beer. The weather was perfect and the sun was warm. Some took advantage of the pool. Then we were led into the restaurant where a traditional Portuguese meal was served family-style. The meal started with a lovely vegetable soup, followed by a large salad of fresh tomatoes, onions, and cucumber, and a main of piri-piri chicken and potatoes. Plenty of wine and water were provided with lunch and they brought me more salad and vegetables as I was not having chicken.

Throughout the meal, we were serenaded by two guitarists and from time to time the wait staff joined in. They even encouraged us to join in on a song about donkeys (see above).

Yes, Denise can dance.

Disco Down the River

With full bellies, we reboarded the boat at about 14:00. As it was beginning to cloud up, many more people joined us below deck. Folks tended to keep to themselves. Some snoozed while others simply gazed out the windows at the green coastline.

We didn’t want to waste the rest of our day, so Denise asked that they put on some dance music. At first, it was just us crazy Americans…but with time we were able to encourage some of the other passengers to join in. I mean who can resist “Y-M-C-A”?

Oranges for dessert.