Saturday, April 26, 2025

Countess Maria

 

Scenery along the Douro

We spent most of the day sailing back down the river on an absolutely beautiful day. We had another delay again at one of the locks of about two hours. According to the bartender, who has been on this river for 10 years, we have had more delays than any trip he has been on. We again had to take a bus an extra hour to reach the estate of Countess Maria. She was born into a noble family, but the Carnation Revolution ended all that. 

Countess Maria's Scarfs

Their estate was confiscated and the family jailed. Her goal was to regain their estate, and it took 27 years. She went into business selling colorful scarves. The estate had fallen into disrepair and was owned by the Sandeman company. She bought it back and now has some 40 guest rooms, horses, cooking classes, and of course grapes on 220 acres. She was quite the character telling us about having twin boys at age 50 and being “so happy” at age 83. 

Maria's Twins

It was a hurried visit since our ship had finally reached the dock but had to leave by 7 PM to make the next lock. After dinner, we opened a 2010 vintage port.

Pouring the 2010 vintage port


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