Soggy Moose Travels

Saturday, May 2, 2026

SAILING TO PORTO:  WINE AND A BRIDGE

SAILING TO PORTO:  

Last night the seas were perfect for a gentle rocking that invited restful sleep.   Later this morning we will dock in Porto. Our plan is to take a shuttle bus into town and explore on our own.

A nice breakfast was had, the advantage to dining in Lindstrom is it is table service.   From 0830 to 0930 I went out to the bow observation deck and observed yellow leg gulls and an occasional gannet.

Then there was a presentation on the Port of Porto with a bit of history involved.

  The wines from Porto are fortified wines meaning spirits are added. These were mostly exported to the UK.  

One of the most famous landmarks of Porto is the Maria Pia Bridge. The Maria Pia Bridge, is commonly known as Dona Maria Pia Bridge, is a railway bridge built in 1877 and attributed to Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower fame. It is situated between the Portuguese Northern municipalities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

We returned to the room to catch a presentation on Portugal explorers. Sadly it was not working so we may just need to catch up later with the recording.

  After lunch we got things together and took a shuttle bus into the city of Porto. This was about a 30 minute bus trip as we are docked a good bit away from the city center.   We set out on our own walkabout along the Rio Douro. Our goal was to make it to the Caminhos de Santiago, The Way of St James. We walked past many buildings with tile facades, cafes, wine bars, all of which were very busy. We made it to the bottom of a very steep hill with a large steep staircase. It was at the top is where the Caminhos starts.

  I will say I am very impressed with how clean the city is and it has a very nice feeling about it.   Worried we were going to be late to catch to he shuttle bus back, we started our walk back. In total we were walking about 1.5 hours.

Yes, Porto is a city that might require a return visit.

Along this route we passed a park and monument to Henry the Navigator and then past the local McDonalds :)

  The Porto Cruise Terminal is a beautiful modern building. Returning to the ship they made sure the traffic pattern left no corner of the building unexplored.   Todays weather was highlighted with bits of sun and clouds.   Back in the room, we were to late for afternoon cakes so settled for a cookie in the room.

Then came dinner time, again a lovely meal with a very nice tart for desert.   Then to the ships store and I found a hat and sweater and a hat for Lynn.

Yes add another sweater to the stable of sweaters This is a first as we have used our total stateroom credit.

Yes this is the cruise port which is very much a working port

Look a Scottish restaurant here in Portugal.

Busy river front, were told it is always this busy

We find the food very good on HX and the service is EXCELLENT!!!!

Tart was really good, Lynn had the ice cream

A rather nice end to the day

Friday, May 1, 2026

TIME TO FIND A SHIP:   

Today we will check out of hotel the Dalma Old Town Suites and board. The HX MS Fram.   We very much enjoyed our stay at the Dalma Old Town Suites as it is a nice comfortable property. A friendly staff and the location was to our liking. Having a tram stop right out the front door was very convenient.

  Dalma Old Town Suites is located in the Aflama district giving it an old world feel. As I said we liked this property and would gladly stay here again.   

Lisbon has been enjoyable and we could definitely return for a longer visit.

  One bit of dining advice we received was if a restaurant has pictures out front, don’t go there as real Portuguese restaurant which serves authentic food would never do such a thing.

  After our breakfast we went for a Aflame walkabout. There are several viewing platforms near our hotel and the provide a view of the cruise terminal.   We are in luck and the MS Fram has docked.   We stopped for a refreshment of a Patais da Nata and juice. I had a peach ice tea that I have become fond of.

We have seen several street vendors selling various bags. Upon closer inspection I see they are made of cork. Lynn had been looking at them and found one the size and print she liked.

Before returning back to the hotel for a final packing we stopped at our local mini market. We picked up some snacks for the cruise. I know who really needs more food on a cruise. One argument is they do not serve ketchup flavored crips.

We reserved an Uber electric vehicle to get us to the cruise port. Uber is a good way to go here in Lisbon.   We were picked up on time for the 30 minute ride to the cruise terminal. Our original before hip replacement issues was to just walk down the hill to the cruise terminal. The roads are very narrow and in some areas sidewalks do not exist.

 We arrived really early and had time to just sit for three hours awaiting to board. Soon open and through passport check, security, and the new EES passport control. Then on to the MS Fram.

We have seen some familiar crew as we filled out HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE , then checked in and got our stateroom keys, then our group patches, (you are assigned a group for excursions and other outings) then we downloaded the new onboard HX App. Then we returned to the went to the room and dropped off our bags. Next we went to Lindstroms (our dining room for canapés and bubbly. Back to the room to unpack.

Our Stateroom is named after Helmer Hanssen. Helmer Julius Hanssen was a Norwegian sailor, pilot and polar explorer. He participated in three of the polar expeditions led by Roald Amundsen and was one of the first five explorers to reach the South Pole.

Unpacked, Lynn went down to the Expedition Desk to cancel a couple of excursions as she is moving rather slow.
 We both got the new blue expedition raincoat/windbreaker and Lynn will need to exchange hers for a different size. We got two nice carabiner watches, water bottles and a stuffed mini bar.   It looks like my warmer hat did not get packed so darn it I will be shopping for one :) , maybe a light weight sweater :)  Soon we will be off to the safety drill, followed by dinner.

Dinner was excellent and we enjoyed the company of fellow travelers. Back to our room and crash.      

Dinner

Safety Drill

A welcome reception treat

The new jacket and our room photos below

If we must

Garden Overlook

Beautiful tiles everywhere

Da Ship

Thursday, April 30, 2026

TRAM, TRAM, WALK,BUS, WALK, TRAM, WALK, BUS, WALK, WAITED AND WAITED, TRAM KINDA DAY:

LETS EXPLORE MODERN LISBON:

Today the plan is to ride the Yellow Bus route which covers he area known as New Lisbon. Then we will see about a Historic Tram Tour. All this in included with our Yellow Bus ticket.   

A little about our hotel’s breakfast, it is excellent, very fresh and very adequate. There are pastries, very fresh bread, cold cuts, cheese, jams, yogurt and a healthy assortment of cereal, coffee, tea, and juices.

  The people from Lisbon are known as Alfacinhas (pronounced al-fa-seen-yahs), which translates to "little lettuces". While Lisboetas is the formal term, Alfacinha is the popular, affectionate nickname for locals, stemming from the historical abundance of lettuce in the region or a time of food scarcity when inhabitants relied on lettuce as a main portion of their diet.   

A whirlwind day all in all was had.

  We started with Tram 12 E with the intent of taking it to the Yellow Bus Stop. Well it terminated a good distance from the Bus stop we wanted. Not as the maps and schedule indicated.

As we got off there was a Tram 28 waiting with a very very short line. So we boarded Tram 28 to take the iconic Lisboa Tram Journey.   At the end of this route we got off at the Termination stop and walked to our Yellow Bus Stop at Rossio.

Here we boarded the Yellow Bus Modern Lisbon Route and took it to the Cruise Port. From the Cruise Port we walked to Placa do Comercio. Here we got on the Yellow Bus Hills Tram Car Tour. This tram makes a loop with no stops through the historic neighborhoods of Lisbon.   Due to a traffic incident we were able to get off before the designated stop.   Then we walked back to the Cruise Port Yellow Bus stop.

On our walk to the Placa do Comercio we took a break for a sea side lunch at the Restaurante Solar Do Vez. It was a welcome break. Then on our return walk to the cruise port we stopped there again. This time we had ice cream. Their ice cream was very favorable and super creamy smooth.

  Then it was back on the Yellow Bus to finish the Modern Lisbon Route. On this route one sees the contrast in the old architecture with the new more modern architecture. This area of Lisbon could redescribed as the big city business area.

Along this route you find the Vasco da Gama bridge. The Vasco da Gama Bridge is the longest in Europe. It is 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) long and was built for the 1988 Lisbon World Exposition. It is so long that on cloudy days, it is impossible to see the other side of the bridge!

Opened to the public on 29th March 1988, it was named after the most important Portuguese discoverer, Vasco da Gama. It commemorates the fifth centenary of his arrival from India in 1498. Gama was the first European to reach India by sea, from the Atlantic Ocean.  It also hosted a Guinness World Record for the "longest table setting" in 1998, featuring a 5,050-meter-long banquet for 15,000 people. A bean stew was served.

The route also takes one to the Oceanarium and the Tile Museum.   Back to the route start where we walked to catch the 12 Tram. Here our best laid plans came to a screeching halt. For some unknown reason we waited about 50 minutes to an hour for the tram.

  We took Tram 12 back to the stop in front of our hotel and we were feeling the effects of a really long day. Luckily we had left over spaghetti for a quick meal as I compose this blog entry.

  I will say we have made good use of our 72 hour Yellow Bus ticket and would recommend it for a visit to Lisbon. Yes the public transport is very good and will get one to all the highlights Lisbon has to offer.  

Our plans for tomorrow are open thus far as we will be checking out and transferring to the MS Fram.