(Note for Julie - It's pronounced something like Layshosh.)
We took the Oporto City Tour this morning which was really excellent, giving us an overview of the city as well as stopping at the Cathedral and Stock Exchange, and also Graham's Port Lodge for the tour of the cellars. Oporto's at the mouth of the River Douro, and, like Lisbon, experiences thick fog in the winter months. So our first stop at the Cathedral was shrouded in mist, and the allegedly wonderful views remained invisible! As the morning wore on the fog lifted, and we could see the river winding its way past traditional old buildings tunbling down the hillside - very pretty. Many of the buildings really are tumbling down, rents are fixed at such low rates that landlords don;t get enough income to do repairs. Our tour guide said that the problem was acknowledged but no-one had yet found a solution. To restore the traditional tile-fronted buildings is very expensive, but those that have been renoavted are stunning.
It's very sunny at the moment, but still very cold. We're hoping that the next two days will see temperatures soar!
After dinner tonight we went back to the cabin again and watched more Downton Abbey (yes, Carole, we love it!), and went out again at 10pm for a drink in the Observatory. Two of our table companions, Rob and Joan, were in there, so we sat and chatted to them for an hour, then all went to the Neptune Lounge to join the Christmas Carol concert. The lounge was absolutely packed, as was the stage, where members of crew from all departments led the sing-along. It was fabulous. The carol concert was followed by Midnight Mass, but we left before this started and went to the Secret Garden cafe where they were serving mince pies and sherry! The back to the Observatory for hot choc before retiring for the night. The seas were very rough, but the movement fo the ship was nowhere near as bad as Braemar in October.
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