Day 7 : Regua (Mateus Palace)
This morning, some of the cruise members went on a picnic at Quinta do Seixo, the estate we visited the day before. DH and I joined the excursion to the palace and gardens known as the Palacio de Mateus (Mateus Palace), located in the beautiful region of Trás-os-Montes near the city of Vila Real. Mateus Palace is an 18th century palace build by the Count of Vila Real . It is considered a perfect example of baroque architecture, with an impressive façade made up of beautiful pinnacles on the roof and an ornate bannister stairway, all reflecting on the pond in front of it. You may recognize the palace in the picture on the labels of Mateus wine.
Mateus Palace, Vila Real
Mateus Palace, Vila Real
The interior of the house featured various religious images and exquisite furniture, artwork, and hand-carved wooden ceilings. The exterior was equally stunning, it not, more so, with beautiful gardens and vineyards. The gardens of the Mateus Palace was dotted with fountains, a huge lake, flowers, hedges, pergolas and trees. These gardens are suppose to be among the most beautiful in all of Portugal.
The gardens of Mateus Palace
The vineyards were equally impressive with fat juicy looking grapes ready to be harvested.
From the vineyard @ Mateus Palace
We went back to the ship for lunch and it was a lazy afternoon spent on the ship as it sail along the Douro River. That evening, we had a BBQ dinner planned for us on the top deck of the ship. The crew were so sporting that the Captain actually sang for us. It was a relaxing and enjoyable evening.
BBQ dinner on the top deck of the ship