Port: Vigo, Spain...Excursion: Valenca do Minho, Portugal

Our third port was Vigo, Spain, from which we chose an excursion to Valenca do Minho, Portugal, a charming village on the northern border between Portugal and Spain, near the Atlantic coast. We went up to the old part of town known as the Fortaleza...remnants of a 17th Century fort. At the walls of the fortaleza there were many wonderful views of the surrounding areas and the old fort walls.

There's nothing better than sitting in an outdoor cafe drinking a cup of espresso and eating a delightful pastry...

The shops were charming...albeit a bit touristy...

From Valenca, we went back into Vigo and made our way up to Monte del Castro. According to our guide, this area was first settled by the Celts. The fort was built by Philip IV in the 1600's and is one of 3 forts protecting the city.

For those of us who get aggravated about graffiti and think that it's really just an "American thang"...think again...

In all honesty, when I traveled in Europe in 1979, I saw a significant amount of graffiti in the cities in Europe, especially in Zurich, Switzerland...

We almost made it back to the ship when, to my hubby's chagrin, I determined that there was still plenty of time to stroll along the waterfront and search out a quaint "hole in the wall" restaurant...We ended up in a small restaurant with lot's of Spaniards, and no tourists...it was late afternoon...we ordered Paella...it was by far, the best Paella I've ever had!!! And the bottle of wine...well, all I can say is that this lunch was definitely the highlight for me in this charming city of Vigo, Spain!!! Little did I know, this area is well known as the location of Spain's best shellfish!!!

Next Port...Funchal, Madeira Island, Portugal. Be sure to check out Paulo Camacho's blog about Funchal at funchaldailyphoto.blogspot.com.