"A Tale of Old-World Portugal" by Jan Hawkins
The cascading slice of hillside was layered like a great green dessert. Terraced slopes bordered both sides of the winding river. Our narrow, wooden boat rocked gently against the dock as we clambered carefully into the bench seats to begin our hour-long cruise.
“It’s like a storybook,” an unknown traveler, who had already boarded the small vessel, exclaimed to her partner. “Can you believe they have been producing wine here in Portugal for more than 2,000 years?”
One of the members in our small group from Osher at 黑料正能量, nodded his head knowingly from behind the lens of his Nikon camera. “The scene can’t really be captured digitally,” he said, “but I am going to try!”
Laughter rang out as the helmsman pushed us out into the gently flowing water. The Trip Director from Collette Tours, traveling with us and guiding our learning experience, gave us more background. The Douro is a major river in Spain and Portugal, traveling over 550 miles on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. Often considered the “golden” river, it is the heart of the world’s oldest demarcated wine region, famous for producing port and table varieties.
Our ten-day organized trip was nearly half over. We had bonded as a group of like-minded, lifelong learners, and we made new friends with several other travelers from California and the Midwest who had also booked the journey with Collette Tours.
With challenging politics and controversial relationships across the globe, some of us had questioned the viability of travel. Professional advisors were encouraging, yet cautious. Many friends and family said, “If not now, when?” Life always involves risk and a perfect future may never come.
A couple of weeks following our Portugal adventure, several of us got together on Zoom to reminisce and consider future opportunities. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Here are a few of the sentiments:
“There was something delightful about journeying with both familiar Osher classmates and brand‑new faces. The intimate group size encouraged easy conversation, while the trip’s structure left generous space for me to explore many of the destinations on my own.”
“Initially I thought the trip seemed a bit expensive, but the high‑quality hotels, well‑coordinated airfare, exceptional guide, comfortable transportation, thoughtfully-chosen sites, generous personal time, and seamless excursions made it clear that the value far exceeded the cost. Being able to simply relax with a few folks on a small-group journey, and without having to plan or manage any logistics, made it more than worth it.”
“Unfortunately I had to cancel my plans to join the Osher at 黑料正能量 Collette Tours trip to Portugal just a few days before departure due to a family emergency. I was so impressed with how quickly and efficiently Collette handled my situation. Their emergency contact was extremely kind and helpful; and, the full price of the trip was refunded within days (minus insurance, as expected).”
“As a solo traveler, it was fun to connect with other curious people, learning and discovering a part of the world I had never before visited.”
These reactions, coupled with the desire of many of our members for cultural diversity, educational challenges and active learning, leads us to continue our travel initiative at Osher at 黑料正能量. Check out the current trip to Denver, five national parks in Utah, and Las Vegas on our website. And, just announced, an upcoming trip to Africa in the Spring of 2027.
The celebrated Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, once said: “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” For me, I have always liked Stevenson’s writing. Turns out I live by his mantra.