Today we said goodbye to the Iberian Peninsula with a stop in Vigo, a city of 300,000 in Spain’s extreme northwest corner. We spent the past two days exploring Portugal’s largest cities, Lisbon and Porto, and they were great, but Vigo isn’t particularly noted for its inner city charm and we were ready to get out into the countryside anyway. So today we opted for a two country excursion that took us to a fort, a fort that was also a village, and a winery, and we enjoyed all three.
Our tour began with a thirty minute bus ride south through the pretty Spanish countryside and across the Minho River to the Portuguese village of Valença. The Minho River is the border between Spain and Portugal, and crossing it gave me a first hand view of one of the benefits of membership in the European Union, which both nations have joined. There was no border crossing process, no gate, no customs, nothing. No different than crossing from Georgia to Florida on I-95 (except a lot less traffic). Spain and Portugal have a contentious history, and EU membership, with its unrestricted travel back and forth between the two countries, speaks well for their current and future relationship.
Back to Valença, our first destination, where a twelfth century fortress high on a hill (remember that contentious relationship?) overlooks the river. I was expecting the usual preserved historical site, with high stone walls and old cannons, and nothing we saw as the bus pulled up disabused me of that notion. Indeed, our first look was of a high stone wall and a small arched entrance into the fortress. Imagine, then, my surprise when we entered and walked into a full blown village, complete with churches, cafes, and shops. Lots and lots of shops.
It turns out that back in the twelfth century, during one of the periods when Portugal was at war with the kingdoms that would eventually become Spain, the Portuguese built this fort and made it large enough to put the entire village inside it. Today the village has spread outside the fortress, but back then everyone lived within the safety of its walls. And today Valença has become such a tourist attraction that the ground floors of all the buildings have become shops and cafes, with apartments above. It’s a pretty little town, and the view of the river and Spain on the other side is marvelous.
After our guided tour of the fortress and village we had a bit of free time to wander the streets, and then returned to the bus for the thirty minute ride back across the river into Spain and to our next stop, the Terras Gauda (Land of Joy) winery. Here, the unique combination of soil, climate, elevation, and location between the river and a mountain creates a microclimate perfectly suited to the growing of one particular grape, the Albariño. High sugar content and low acidity result in delicious white wines, and we had a chance to sample two of the four varieties produced at Terras Gauda after touring the winery. I’m not a wine drinker, but the folks on our tour bus bought enough of it afterwards to suggest that these are very good wines.
From the winery it took us the better part of an hour to return to Vigo, where we drove to the top of the mountain overlooking the city and stopped at (what else) a 17th century fortress (another war with Portugal) that commands the heights above Vigo and the Ria de Vigo, the estuary where it’s excellent harbor is located. El Castro is more like what I had expected to see at Valença, an old fortress that is now a city park. At one time there were three rings of walls, but many years later the outer ring was dismantled, still leaving a formidable redoubt. As with Valença, the view from the walls was wonderful, and we spent several minutes admiring it and taking lots of photos.
And then it was time to return to the pier, where we walked over to a nearby shopping mall and poked around before returning to the ship. Along with perfect weather, our three stops in Galicia (the name for this region of the Iberian Peninsula) made for a wonderful last day in southern Europe. Now we head north, and after tomorrow’s sea day we’ll anchor in Cork, Ireland, where much, including the weather, will be different than what we’ve experienced over the past month. The forecast in Cork tomorrow calls for a high of 62, winds of 10-20 miles per hour, and a 30 percent chance of rain, quite a change from the hot temperatures that, much like yours at home, we saw in the Mediterranean.
We have a full day planned along the Irish coast, so be sure to stay tuned for my full report, unless I tragically fall into a giant vat of Guinness.
First look at the Valença fortress. Another old fortress, right?
Typical small arched entrance to the fortress.
And then you walk inside the fortress and see this. Espresso, anyone?
There’s an entire village inside the walls, with shop lined streets.
And churches. St. Mary of the Ages in the foreground, St. Steven in the back.
The interior of St. Mary of the Ages. The altar reminds me of a wedding cake.
St. Steven.
This gentleman was repainting the wooden statue in front of St. Mary of the Ages.
Some sort of catapult?
Shops on the ground floor, Portuguese blue tiles above where the residents live.
Part of the battlements ringing the village.
Pretty view of the river, and Spain on the other side. You can see the bridge we crossed to enter Portugal.
Visit this winery if you’re in the neighborhood.
We got a great tour and I learned a lot about what makes their grapes and wines unique.
Kegs of maturing wines. All climate controlled.
The vineyards at Terras Gauda.
One of their four varieties. We tasted this one and I thought it was very good.
I’m told that I had a great time at the wine tasting.
Entrance to El Castro the former fortress, now city park, atop the mountain overlooking Vigo.
This old cannon was never used in the fortress. It’s actually from an old warship and is at the entrance purely for decoration.
Pretty scene of the fortress wall.
There’s a pretty little pond inside the fortress.
The statue in the pond is of men lifting a castle and tree, the symbol of Vigo.
There’s a beautiful view of Vigo from the fortress.
You can even see our ship down in the harbor.
Michele and I had a great time in Galicia, the region surrounding Vigo. We’re in the fortress above Vigo, wearing the hats we were all given at the winery.
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