Portugal tours by Dreamkeeper

18/12/2025

Momento zen já com nove anos prenda do meu sexagésimo aniversário do meu amigo Paulo Lowden Buchner.

AcknowledgementsPaulo Lowden BuchnerToo Fast Motorsport

17/11/2025

Today, November 16th Portugal pauses — not because the sea is calm (it rarely is), but because gratitude demands a quiet moment. This is the day we tip our hats to the water that shaped us, the water that tested us, and the water that carried our people farther than fear ever could.

Long before travel influencers made it fashionable, our cod fishermen were tracing heroic arcs across the North Atlantic. They boarded stout wooden vessels and pushed toward the cold, fog-shrouded shores of St. John’s, Newfoundland chasing bacalhau with a resolve you could build a cathedral on. Imagine it: weeks of icy spray, nights deafened by howling winds, mornings where frost tried to bite off their beards — and still, they kept going. Hard men with tender hearts, who knew that providing for their families was worth every bruise the ocean dealt them.

Many of these same fishermen, on returning to Portuguese soil, made their pilgrimages inland to Fátima, seeking protection, comfort, and perhaps a little heavenly patience for the next voyage. The sea tested their bodies; faith tended their spirits.

Standing proud today in Viana do Castelo is the Gil Eannes, the ship that once served as guardian angel to fleets in the North Atlantic. Hospital, supply vessel, lifeline — this remarkable ship saved countless fishermen from the sea’s worst moods. Now she rests in the harbor, not retired, but revered. When you step aboard, you can almost hear the echo of boots on deck, the clang of metal on metal, the murmured prayers of men who knew the sea gives… and takes.

So on this National Sea Day, we honor the fishermen still working these waters, men and women who greet dawn with the same grit their ancestors carried across oceans. And we bow our heads to those who’ve passed — the ones whose names ride on the wind, whose stories rise with the tide, whose courage still salts the national soul.

May their legacy keep steering us forward.
May the sea stay wild enough to earn our respect. And may Portugal always remember that its heart beats in time with the waves.

Happy National Sea Day! Where the ocean meets the sky I'll be saaaaailing!

A special shout-out to Estação Viana Shopping Center for their beautiful pop-up museum honoring our fishermen. The historic photos they’ve gathered keep these stories alive and shining — thank you for helping preserve this proud legacy!

13/11/2025

CAMILLE POND - TEXAS USA
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Thank you for a great tour! So grateful to have met! You were one of the highlights of our trip! Beautiful soul! Keep shining your light .

21/10/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/19zSqFNyrJ/

08/08/2025

The first grapes of the year , the variety BASTARDA.

10/04/2025

O Douro visto pelos meus amigos Tim Thornton e Sandra Orock. Douro Valley seen by my friends from US just published

I'm a story teller using pictures. The collections are memories from my travels and day to day adventures. I enjoy travel, dahlias, and random shots that catch my eye.

19/03/2025

Sandra Orock & Tim Thornton
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We were referred to Jorge from Dreamkeeper, by our close friends Bill and Joanne, and we can’t thank them enough! He picked up, and dropped off, our group of 6 from 2 different hotels. So much better than trying to find and meet a tour group downtown!! Jorge has a lifetime of knowledge from living in the area (did I mention he was a champion Portuguese race car driver and published author?), and speaks impeccable English along with several other languages. He really is one of the most charming people you will ever meet. And he rearranged the schedule to match our stopping to smell the roses and take extensive pictures along the way.

The tour was amazing! We came to Porto at the end of February and the beginning of March, so it was not quite the busy season yet. Jorge found us a nice sunny day and we started our Douro Valley Tour with a stop at the town of Amarante. It turned out that the local weekly market was running that day, so we stopped and had a delightful trip through the vendors. So many cute things at great prices! Next stop was the beautiful church in the town, followed by breakfast treats and coffee at a local small cafe on a creek running through the town. The whole drive to the Douro Valley was so scenic with some of the leaves were just starting to show and some flowers in bloom. Really nice for the first of March.

When we got to the Douro Valley we started at the Quinta do Beijo winery, tasting several wines and ports. Both were great, and our host, Beatriz, was delightful and entertaining. After the tasting, anyone who wanted to crawl into a large genuine cask that they had, was allowed to do so. A snug fit to get into and even harder to get out of. Next we went to the small town of Sabrosa and had a marvelous lunch at Restaurante Tipico. Great things like wonderful steaks and fried potato peelings on a skewer and sausages with sides, and wine, and Flan for desert.

For the last part we were supposed to have another winery tasting and a boat cruise, but we had all been a little too leisurely, since we were enjoying ourselves so much. So, we chose the 1 hour river cruise over the second tasting and really loved it. To get to the boats, we zigzagged down the side of the mountain, stopping at a breathtaking viewpoint to take pictures. We felt like we made the right choice, as the boat ride was calm and leisurely and gave us a different view of the Douro Valley and the vineyards. On the way back to Porto, we took some of the scenic National Road 222 (NR222) dubbed “the most beautiful road in the world”.

Such an amazing tour and Jorge is absolutely the best! You will not be sorry you picked this once in a lifetime experience!!

05/10/2024