A welcome beside the river
Our Passion for Cruises hosted journey began in sunny Porto. Early flights left us with an afternoon to settle into Douro Splendour and have a first look around the city before sailing upstream the next morning.
This was a solo-exclusive sailing, the ship’s first of the season, with sixty passengers onboard. People were already chatting easily, and dinner brought a lovely atmosphere as everyone began getting to know each other.
Little discoveries in Porto
Porto made a wonderful first impression: colourful buildings, tiled façades and a relaxed riverside feel. We would have time to explore properly when we returned later in the week, but this first afternoon gave us a taste of the place.
One unexpected highlight was the sardine shop. We had such a laugh looking at beautifully packaged tins, each with its own year or design — a little discovery that became part of our shared first-day memories.
Settling into Douro Splendour
My cabin on Deck 1 had a river-view window, with L’Occitane toiletries adding a lovely little touch. Good food, Portuguese wine and friendly company made the evening a happy start to our week on the Douro.
THROUGH MY LENS
A few moments from the journey
A little story from my travels.
Lizzy Lou x
