Day 29 - Saturday 20th May 2023

Today most people were going on the excursion to Salamanca in Spain. Suzy and I decided not to - partly because we've been there before and partly because it would be a long day with a bus trip of about two hours in each direction.

Instead, we were going on an outing this morning to a Portuguese town called Freixo de Espada a Cinta. The bus left at 9:20 with Renata as our guide again.

First, we crossed a bridge to get back to the Portuguese side. Out the window, we saw a dam in Spanish territory that does not have a lock which explains why our river cruise doesn't go any further.

It was a very windy road along the side of the mountain. I was on the right side looking down at the beautiful view but it was scary at times because I couldn't see the road - just the steep slope below me. Anyway we arrived safety in the town at about 10am.

Renata told us that this town was inhabited primarily by a Jewish community at a time when the king was obliged to deport all Jews because of some international agreement. Apparently he came up with a plan to convince them to claim they were catholic and live in this town to avoid extradition.

She showed us through some of the plazas and narrow cobblestone lanes pointing out some of the architectural features of the houses such a carvings, coats of arms and doorway shapes.

It was colder than we expected with a cool breeze. I only had on a light jumper and wished that I'd brought my puffer jacket too. Suzy, on the other hand, brought her puffer jacket but left it on the bus in the mistaken belief that she wouldn't need it.

Next we went inside the Matrix Church of Freixo De Espada a Cinta which dates back to the 16th century. Further up the hill, there is an associated bell tower. Between the two is a tree with a monument commemorating the founder of the town which consists of a sword attached to a tree.

Some people managed to climb the stairs inside the tower. Suzy went part of the way whereas I just stayed at ground level and looked at the nearby cemetery.

Next Renata took us to the silk museum which gives the complete story of local silk production from the silk worm to the final product. Her talk was amusing because she finds silk worms revolting. Unlike us, she didn't have silk worms and mulberry leaves as a child.

The last part on the tour was a short bus trip to a local farm that grows grapes, almonds and olives. It is a stone building that dates back more than 150 years and is now used as a B&B. The owners gave us tastings of cakes and juices.

The bus got us back to the cruise ship just after 1pm. However, the ship had moved while were out to Barca de Alva which is the town we were originally supposed to go to last night.

During lunch we sat next to two Canadian women from British Columbia. Like most people on the ship, they were experienced travellers,

At about 3:30, Suzy and I went for a walk into the town of Barca de Alva - through the adjacent cruise ship and up the cobblestone streets. It was rather quiet except for some people in the open-air cafe and a few people strolling through the streets.

It was intriguing to see crochet decorations on the trunks of some of the trees. (Later, when we returned to the cruise ship, we asked one of the staff about this. His reply that it was a local custom for this town.)

We walked down to a small park near the water and took photos of the scenery including the bridge next to which the cruise ships were moored.

Next, we walked up and over the bridge which gave us a good view of the river in both directions, the town, the surrounding countryside, vineyards, orchards and the cruise ships below.

When we went to the lounge for predinner drinks soon after 6:30pm, Chris and Janet hadn't yet returned from their excursion to Salamanca. After they came back, we went downstairs for dinner at 7pm.

After dinner, we didn't wait for tonight's entertainment quiz and went back to our cabin.