Riviera Rose: Day 3:
We enjoyed a leisurely start to the day, starting off with a delicious breakfast whilst taking in the breathtaking views of the Douro Valley as we sailed along the river. We passed through two more deep locks as well as sailing under a very low bridge so we watched with interest both the sundeck restaurant and the wheelhouse being hydraulically lowered to allow the ship to pass through.
After lunch on board, the Riviera Rose docked at Foz do Sabor where those of us who had opted to join the tour to Castelo Rodrigo, disembarked and boarded a waiting coach for the scenic drive to the historic hilltop village. Our guide informed us that it was likely that St. Francis stayed in the village as the church was a resting place on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.
It took around an hour to reach Castelo Rodrigo which was very pretty with its narrow cobblestone lanes and panoramic views. Our guide gave us a brief tour of the village and arranged for the historic small church to be opened for us.
The “Nossa Senhora de Rocamador” church is dedicated to Our Lady of Rocamador and was founded in the 13th century. We admired the wooden ceiling painted with scenes of saints and the 18th century blue and white tiles in the chancel.
We then had about an hour to explore for ourselves so took the opportunity of walking up the steep incline to the castle ruins which were interesting to view and from where we had even better views of the surrounding area from this viewpoint.
Back on the coach we then re-joined the ship at Pochino as the guests who had chosen to remain on board had enjoyed an extended sail whilst we went off on our excursion.
As with previous evenings on board, we enjoyed pre-dinner cocktails and canapés. The cocktail of the day was Aperol Passion Spritz which is one of my favourites and I found it to be very refreshing on such a warm evening.
Rather than dining in the main restaurant, we had reserved a table in the more intimate Rio Restaurant seating just 30 up on the sundeck. We were joined at our table by four more people who were very friendly and we enjoyed a lovely evening chatting to them whilst tasting the delights of the seafood buffet followed by regional Portuguese dishes and a delicious cheeseboard to conclude our meal.
Later in the evening we left the ship to take a stroll along the riverside which looked beautiful as the sun was just setting.
Day 4 – Riviera Rose: Day excursion to Salamanca
We were up bright and early and after enjoying our favourite eggs Benedict for breakfast we boarded coaches for the two hour journey across the border to Salamanca in Spain. I was really excited to be visiting Salamanca as although I’d visited Spain many times, I’d never been there before. The journey passed by quickly and by mid-morning we had arrived in the city centre. Here we were met by local guides and divided into smaller groups for a walking tour of the city. One of the groups was to be at a slower pace which I thought was a good idea for those who didn’t want or were unable to walk very far.
We were taken on a tour of Salamanca Cathedral which is actually two adjoining cathedrals. The Old Cathedral, primarily Romanesque and Gothic, was built between the 12th and 14th centuries, while the New Cathedral, showcasing Gothic, Plateresque, and Baroque styles, was constructed from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
We then enjoyed a tour of the historic city centre which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, viewing the University of Salamanca and the main square (Plaza Mayor). There was then time to explore on our own and as the historic centre is quite compact we managed to see a good deal.
After meeting back up with the rest of the group we were taken to a restaurant for a tapas buffet lunch and Flamenco show. Both the lunch and entertainment were really nice and afterwards we had ample time to either visit a museum or go for a walk before returning to the coach.
As soon as we were all safely back on board, the ship set sail and we enjoyed sitting at a window table over dinner enjoying the views and the excitement of passing through another lock before docking at Ferradosa Pier at 9.00 p.m.
It was raffle night in the bar and as we don’t normally have any success, we were very surprised that one of our tickets was a winning one and I got to take home a stylish handbag!
To be continued …..
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