The best thing you should really pick up until the end. After we had enjoyed Porto the last day on different ways - for example, the Old Town with art and culture or the great shopping in the harbor - we wanted today times extensively with the topic of port wine apart.

Waltraud and Wolfgang von der SY Methor had been previously explored various port wine cellars and selected the best ones for our visit. But first we went to a last Fotozession on the Douro River opposite the old town. Here, the port wine cellars (for promotional purposes of course) old or remanufactured barges are, which were previously used to transport Port wine barrels from the vineyards to the cellars in Porto. After this decorative motif was banned in countless variations to memory card, it was then seriously.

Nicht Calem, Sandemann or Croft we wanted to visit, because the large wineries had shown aligned in the pre-selection rather impersonal and larger crowds of tourists. We made our way to the winery "Churchill". Set just above the waterfront was the building from the outside rather unimpressive. Inside, we were greeted very friendly but. As just one leadership had begun in French, we were allowed to taste the first port before the tour: a ten year old white port wine "Extra Dry". Das war schon mal das erste tolle Geschmackserlebnis 🙂

Then it was instructive. In the cellar we first learned about the history of the house Churchill and then something about Port wine in general. So the grapes are even today still read manually. And usually by women, which are the more emotional pickers and avoid damage to the grapes (No wonder the:-)?). Or did you know, that a port wine cask was always first a normal wine barrel (so for fifty years) and possibly can move up the career ladder even further, and then can be a Whiskey Barrel? Or, Port wines that can mature in the cask or in the bottle either? So we learned many things about Port wine and enjoyed a great and informative tour.

Then it was finally continue with the sample and the other two sampled wines were a real treat. So we pored over the map: What we should take? For decision-making we had then but still try another wine. After careful consideration emigrated different varieties of port wine in our backpacks. We treated ourselves to a very special highlight. A matured in the bottle vintage port wine of exceptional year Ganges 2011. At the moment he is too young, to enjoy it. But then when I officially pensionable age 67 Years have reached, sollte er optimal sein 🙂

After we had packed all the valuable purchases, should it go by bike back to the port. Whether this means of transportation in our state was the optimal choice? We were pretty good mood. And after shopping we had a further glass of donated us to the completion port wine. Good, that we are not placed in a police control! We would have no excuses times us in Portuguese. Ultimately, however, we came quickly (especially Dietmar, the unrestrained down the mountain shot) and accident-free back to the boat and also the precious cargo safely stored already in the bilge. Let's see, wie lange sie dort bleibt 🙂

After a quickly prepared emergency portion of pasta with pesto we were just as fast fit. The rest of the evening we use for our travel arrangements. Even though the wind still can not see, we want to leave for Lisbon tomorrow. Maybe we can find it out there somewhere, yes you should not give up hope.

Yesterday was a good start, but we had not been long enough. The Crossing of the Douro River by ferry was also easy on the second day. But this time we wanted to take the tram, the so-called "Electrica", be chauffeured in the city.

The journey began when boarding, because the trams were put into operation in the 50s for the first time and are only in the year 2005 been faithfully and painstakingly restored. The trip was also a great experience. It was very noisy, Not spring comfort available, slowly and drafty, because all the windows were fully opened. Somehow the time had simply stopped and the track might as well have somewhere in Cuba can be used. The German TÜV would certainly shut down the part, but the flair, which gave off the very neat and visually beautiful old piece of technology, was a treat even for non-technology savvy people. By the way, the women conductors were also very attractive phenomena, wie Dietmar immer wieder beiläufig erwähnte 🙂

At the last stop we were herauskomplimentiert friendly from the conductress. Was Chef kam, surprised us very. The lady closed the seatback all the seats in no time at, and just went into the control booth at the other end of the car. The pantograph was previously but still manually to 180 Degree and rotated before the travel on the same track in the opposite direction could be continued. Made really great!

Porto is a city, The built right on the river bank of the Douro in the surrounding hills. With Electrica unfortunately we did not land on the highest point of the city, but somewhere quite close to the river. So we climbed down first in the old quarter "Ribeira" with the narrow streets and narrow houses.

Once there, led every other way then unfortunately only used uphill, 🙂 egal in welche Richtung wir schauten. Heroic, we took the rise in attack. For almost 30 ° C already quite athletic performance. But in order not to let the efforts to very degenerate, we put in one of the inviting cafes for an overnight stay. Dietmar selected from the range as is often the largest piece, was to find. As we found, he had it then also much longer fun, as it was to him like a brick in the stomach.

By the early afternoon we wandered back and forth across the streets and alleys. Then it was time, back to the harbor. For today's visit was announced. The SY MENTOR and the catamaran "Joy of Life" were on their way to Porto. Da wollten wir doch nicht zu spät kommen 🙂

So we were at this evening a really big round of ten sailors, who had decided, to go together in the village to eat. Like two days earlier, we sat in the quaint backyard and could infect us by the Portuguese joy of life. The wild confusion, in which the various grilled fish and marine mammalian game arrived with us, you just had to accept as typical of the country. Finally, everyone was full, even if not everyone had eaten the, what he had ordered. But no matter, it really was all delicious.

With the "Joy of Life" we now also had the family with a child in the round. The small Alia has just turned six years old. As Dietmar course was in his element. So the two of them painted harmoniously side by side in Alias ​​coloring book funny "socket Animals" (Piggy), Fish and also the spider "Tekla" of Maya the Bee. Very convenient for me, for I know now exactly, what birthday gift I need to get back next week for Dietmar birthday. So cheap I'm probably never come off: A beautiful coloring book really seems to be exactly his thing. 🙂

Enough work, now it was really time, To discover Porto. After the morning was yet again like a computer problem on the Ganesha victim, we moved in the early afternoon then finally start. By ferry we wanted on the other side of the river and from there by bus to the old town.

Surprised we found, that Portuguese ferry dock are just as conspicuously as Spanish bus stops. And what of the strange, small boats, who were on the river road, should it really be the ferry? So we stood on the shore of the small fishing port and watched the river. Sometime actually took a Nutshell price on our site and suddenly we were no longer alone on the quay wall. The locals took determined price on a small floating dock full of fishing boats, inconspicuous We concurred and a short time later we were already rocked over to the other shore. The bus stop was subsequently really easy to find.

Porto ist toll! And since a picture is worth a thousand words, we take you just a little bit with:

Here the train station looks more beautiful than many churches. The tiles were made individually by hand. Incredible!

The last three days we were lazy, aber nur schreibfaul 🙂 Wie geplant wurde an unserer SUMMER fleißig gewerkelt. The most important point at all to the "To Do List": Repair of the radar.

Even right after breakfast Dietmar was traveling, to make the Raymarine technician arrest. Mit Ricardo, the customer service from the local yacht service, Dietmar had found a new friend quite to his taste. From the beginning, they understood each other perfectly and the conversations came from sticks on sticks. As a "Fast Blood Brothers" and good buddy share the two now everything, except wives, Cars, Mobile phones and computers. Since I've been lucky again.

As a result, many long conversations ultimately a comprehensive service package was agreed. As stated in the next two days, the craftsmen of various trades on the SUMMER in the truest sense of the word jack in the hand and Dietmar was as earlier as chief back in his element. Wednesday evening at last appeared the RAYMARINE technician, a very nice and above all experienced ship electronics. This could not be, as expected by Dietmar, pull directly into the mast. So a trouble! Although we were all so sure, that the problem was hiding up there in the radar antenna. And on top of that it would be very handy indeed been, because that part was still under warranty.

But as it turned out, we were all on the completely wrong track. The error was never performed during tests at the port. Therefore, we thought, it is up to the ship motion. Any motion-dependent problem in the antenna, if, as so often at sea, the radar resigned his commission. The fact that we were always connected in port with shore power, while we had tested, we had not taken into account.

So our SUMMER was separated from the "country-outlet" and Dietmar had the task, to consume as much electricity simultaneously, to test our batteries times through its paces. Soon ran beside water maker and boiler, Inverter, Autopilot uvm. even the brand new vacuum cleaner. Our Spanish web neighbor was visibly excited by the German purity delusion and examined as soon as the width.

So were the two gentlemen out, that we had a power problem, because somewhere between the battery and went radar antenna 1 Lost volts. Once the on-board voltage under 12,3 Volt had fallen, arrived at the radar so only 11,3 Volts and the antenna increases from. Now had to be tested and measured in painstaking detailed work each cable and each contact point. It took two hours until they defeated "the leak" arrest made. A contact failure in the first year and a half old fuse panel was the cause. Not externally to identify and in more than 90% of all cases the cause of problems with the on-board electronics. Actually, no wonder, because the salty, moist and warm ocean air oxidizes the exposed contact surfaces and is therefore pure poison for the sensitive components. But as you had the error then found times, He was very easy to fix. A positive side effect was, that we have our ship again to know better and Dietmar got a valuable lesson in measurement technology and dealing with a voltmeter. This will certainly help us in the future very much.

Now you just need the exercise test at sea. But this time, we are sure, das Radar-Problem ist Geschichte 🙂

Very pleased with the excellent service we treated our SUMMER still a wellness treatment. The superstructure waited for some time it, to be once again expertly polished and then sealed with hard wax. Even just thinking of the many corners and edges Dietmar got a bad mood, because that is exactly the Sisyphean task, he loves so very particular. Two days work at 32 ° C in the sun took the polisher to all corners and edges were processed thoroughly and our SUMMER shone again in new splendor. The poor man had to even put a wet towel on his bald head, so as not to burn up in the sun. I did not miss me, then personally bring the teak back into shape and scrub the remnants of polish with plenty of water and a sponge piece by piece. And to finish our machine also got an oil- missed and filter change. Thus was the "SUMMER wellness package" completely.

So were very quick, three days have passed, we had spent in the immediate vicinity of Porto, without seeing the city itself. We want to change tomorrow.