No glorious sunrise this morning, but nature chose to show off with a rainbow. The arc followed us all the way to Lamego, where it disappeared into the hills behind town.
Lamego is known for the Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, the shrine of Our Lady of Remedies. The shrine is famed as a destination for those seeking cures, particularly for infertility. Pilgrims climb nearly 700 steps on their knees to reach the site – not an activity I’d think conducive to either the desire or the ability to reproduce, but I profess no expertise in spiritual healing.
My friends and I descended the steps on our feet, preserving whatever shreds of cartilage remain in our knees. From the front of the shrine there’s a lovely view down to the town. After reaching the bottom of the steps, a short boulevard with a park in the median leads to the business district. We stopped along the way at a pasteleria for sustenance and Spumante (the local sparkling wine), both of which were delicious.
The boulevard terminates in front of the Museum of Lamego, which anchors a street crammed with souvenir stores, craft shops, cafes, and, for some reason I’d rather not know, lawyers’ offices. We only had an hour to spend (in both senses of the word), but Lamego seems like a place deserving a longer visit.
After reboarding the ship, we made our way down the Douro to Porto, a city founded by the Romans in the 4th century BCE. It’s Portuguese picturesque, but in a different way than Favaios. Colorful houses cling to precipitous slopes, six bridges span the Douro, a gondola heads for the hills, and tourists and locals throng the streets. I walked with my friends along the waterfront for a bit, soaking up the vibrant atmosphere and an occasional raindrop. I’ll have more to say about Porto tomorrow, when I’m taking a hiking tour of the city.
PuffinlessTravel 
Great photos!