Mateus Palace, just outside Vila Real, is one of Portugal’s finest examples of Baroque architecture. The palace is surrounded by manicured gardens, reflective ponds and wooded parkland. Mateus Palace was built in the 18th century and remains partly owned by the descendants of the original family. Although Mateus Palace is widely associated with Mateus Rosé wine, the wine and the palace are linked primarily through the use of the palace image on the bottle's label.
Salamanca is dubbed as Spain’s golden city due to its glimmering sandstone. The city has been Spain’s academic core for the prodigious Salamanca University founded by Alfonso IX of León in 1218 and is a UNESCO World Heritage city. It was also bestowed the title of a European capital of culture in 2002. Salamanca is situated in the Castilla y León region.
In Salamanca there are two connected cathedrals. The old cathedral was built between 1140 and
1150 in Romanesque style. Then in 1513
construction began on the much larger new cathedral in gothic style
construction and it was finished in the 18th century. The place where both cathedrals come together
is known as Patio Chico and it is one of the loveliest sites in Salamanca.
Perched dramatically on a rocky hilltop overlooking the Spanish border, Castelo Rodrigo is one of Portugal's most beautiful historic villages. The village is encircled by ancient stone walls and its narrow‑cobbled streets wind past medieval houses. Castelo Rodrigo offers sweeping views across the surrounding countryside.
The Chapel of São João de Deus stands within Castelo
Rodrigo’s walls stands reflecting the village’s deep religious heritage.
I climbed up to the ruins of the former palace built by
the Portuguese nobleman Cristóvão de Moura which stands as a reminder of one of
Castelo Rodrigo's most turbulent periods.
Cristóvão de Moura supported Spanish rule. The palace was later attacked and partially
destroyed by local residents after Portugal regained its independence in 1640.
Today was very leisurely sailing up the Douro valley and ending with a port tasting at Quinta de São Luiz.
One item of note was passing through the Carrapatelo Dam (Portuguese: Barragem do Carrapatelo), a concrete gravity dam on the Douro where the river forms the borderline between the districts of Porto and Viseu. Construction of the dam began in 1964 and the dam was completed in 1972.
Stockholm stretched across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea with very much a waterfront character. We started our day with a walk along the waterfront to the Vasa Museum.
The Vasa Museum houses the Vasa, a 17th‑century warship
that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 in the waters of Stockholm. The Vasa was recovered, very much preserved, more
than 300 years later. It was impressive
to see the Vasa's towering masts and ornate carvings.
In the evening we went to the cocktail bar on the top floor for some last views of Stockholm. This is my last entry for our visit to the Baltic countries. The biggest surprise I had on this holiday was seeing a road sign for St Petersburg in Tallinn. We were roughly 95–100 miles (about 150–160 km) from Russia. Russia’s past impact on the Baltic states was shaped by decades of domination, first through the Russian Empire and later under Soviet rule. Even after regaining independence in 1991, the legacy of occupation influenced everything from citizenship laws to security policy. Recently the Baltic states have pursued rapid integration with NATO and the EU as a safeguard against renewed Russian pressure.
