It’s so weird, by day four of every trip, I start to feel like it’s getting a little too long. I’m surprised that we’re only half way through, and I start wondering if I made a mistake booking. But always, by day seven, I’m sad it went so fast and wish I could have more time.

So on the morning of Salamanca, I was going back and forth in my brain. Is it going to be too hot? Do I really want to go for an hour and forty minute bus ride- each way? In the end OF COURSE I went, and OF COURSE I was glad! It was our one day in Spain. I was bummed to realize that I had gone to bed early the night before and forgotten that the Flamenco dancers were going to be on board! I was sad to have missed them. Anyway, on our day in Spain it was SUPPOSED to be in the 90s. It said so all week, but I had EXTRAORDINARY luck with the weather, and it never got above 84. It stayed cool and breezy in the shade. The same had been true all week. We had AMAZING weather. I don’t know that I would want to do this cruise in August, but I sure do want to do it again in October.

All free bags of laundry needed to be done by the fifth day of the tour, so that morning, we shoved our laundry bag FULL and left it on the bed. The bear and I are not small people, and I managed to get a pair of capris and a shirt in there, and the bear got two full days worth of clothing, including all undergarments, all in the same bag.

Sadly, he was starting to feel some tour effects that morning. Too much drinking, too much eating and just some regular tummy tightness. Regardless, he was up for the day. We had a quick pit stop about an hour into the ride at a lovely Casa Conrado for coffee and restrooms. It looked like I would expect a café in Spain to look!

Then, off again for the last 45 minutes of the trip. By the time we got to Salamanca, the bear was feeling a little worse for the wear from the winding roads. Still, he started to perk up some after we got off the bus.

In Spain, we met with a local guide. Many of the times in Portugal our tour directors doubled as local guides. They were all Portuguese people, often from villages just kilometers away from where we visited. Our guide started us in Plaza Mayor, surrounded by the golden buildings of Salamanca.

From there, we went to visit the central market for some lovely olive and Iberico ham.

Then, we wandered the city streets past the old location of the university and gorgeous parks. We ended up at the Cathedral. We got to hear the story of why the frog is on the front of the university and how an astronaut made its way into the beautiful sculpted baroque and gothic mixture in the sculptures on the cathedral entrance.

After this, we had nearly three hours of free time. What the bear and I have learned is that we are TERRIBLE at free time. We’re not shoppers. We could have gone to a couple of museums, including an art deco one, but three hours to fill is a lot for us. Since we knew in advance that we would have time in the city, we did some research and found a one Michelin star restaurant just a 10 minute walk from the cathedral. We LOVE one Michelin star spots because they’re usually wonderful without being pretentious or fussy, so off to Víctor Gutiérrez we went! I asked the bear if he was sure he was okay because I didn’t know if a 13 course lunch menu would be good in his tight tummy, but he thought he would be fine.

The restaurant was very small, but it didn’t matter that we didn’t have a reservation. We had emailed the day before to see what the dress code was, and there wasn’t one at all, so it was fine that the bear was in shorts and I had was wearing a summer dress. There were only about six tables total in the restaurant, but we were able to walk in, and the server remembered us from our email. We were not expecting them to speak English, but it was a pleasant surprise that she did. There is no menu; it was a prix fixe of wonderful goodness with a wine pairing if you like. I chose not to do the pairing, but took sips of the bear’s wine to try.

This Peruvian, Japanese, Spanish infusion meal was so thoughtful and so lovely. It had the best “kale chips” I’ve ever had. But by the time we got to the tennis ball sized filet with the meat course, I was so full I could only take few bites – a shame because the merengue dessert was so lovely and delicate. It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! For the two of us it was right at 200 euros, which we felt was more than reasonable. We’ve been known to spend a lot of money on pairing menus in the past (looking at you Joel Robuchon). This fabulous meal did the PERFECT job of filling our free time and our tummies. We walked back to Plaza Mayor with about 30 minutes left to do a lap of the square and look down the side streets.

The winding bus ride on the way back to the ship was tough on on the bear. We did make another stop at the café on our return to be sure we never spent more than an hour riding.

When we got back to the room, all of our laundry was done, pressed, and folded. After such a long day, we ordered some light room service for dinner, but I couldn’t resist getting one of those amazing Portuguese tarts straight from the oven! Room service came quickly, and you could order anything you want from the room service menu OR from the restaurant at any time for no extra charge. There’s a mirror behind the photo, so you ARE seeing double. Since our room didn’t have a balcony, there was no table, so we just put the food on the small vanity and ate in bed.

I went up to the deck that night to catch the sunset before putting a period at the end of the day. I watched the dance party under the stars that our amazing entertainment director, Guido, had put together and considered participating. Instead, I decided that fantastic bed was calling me.

The next morning the bear was still struggling, so I set off for the excursion solo. I could either go see a museum of rocks in the Coa Valley or tastes of sugared almonds and olive oil. THIS decision was one of the easiest for me, so off to more food I went! The village was tiny but beautiful. It did, however, make me sad. Portugal has one of the lowest birth rates in the world and the population is forever getting smaller. Each of these quaint villages is full of empty houses because people have left to find other work in other parts of the world, and Portugal itself is getting left behind.

We had a chance to stop at the home of the lovely Isabel. She is the 6th generation to live in the house and her daughter Andrea stays there with her. She teaches cooking classes at her home, Casa Painova. This is one of the opportunities that is only available to Scenic cruises to come join her for demonstrations. I was so mad at myself! I forgot to bring any money with me, so I wasn’t able to buy their olive oil or almonds! It’s easy to forget your money on a Scenic cruise. Everything is prepaid, so you’re never having to take out cash for anything.

On the way back, we stopped briefly at a lookout point, and I saw one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen in my life. But it seems I say that A LOT on this trip! They were ALL gorgeous!

When I got back to the boat, the bear was still having a hard day. I tried to get him to take a Zofran. I always get some prescribed for trips where I think it’s possible one of us could end up feeling sick, but he still thought he might be feeling better on his own. I knew our cruise was starting again, and I wanted to be up top. Plus, we had been informed that there would be a traditional Portuguese BBQ.

I felt terrible for the bear because he wanted to partake so badly. He LOVES sardines and cod and all of the things that I mostly tolerate. I tried them.. AND the Morcela (pigs’ blood and rice made into sausage). I’m always willing to try EVERYTHING. I tell people I would have eaten the bat soup in Wuhan, and I’m not kidding. Now, there is A LOT I don’t like, but I’m always glad I tried. The sangria with the BBQ was WONDERFUL.

After the bear went back down to the cold, dark cabin, I grabbed my book and watched the scenery go by (and drank a little more sangria). I am NOT the cook in our house, he is, but I was in LOVE with those Portuguese custard tarts (Pasteis de Nata). There was a cooking class going on, and I assumed (correctly) that if I went, I would get one!

After that, there was a lecture on cork (Portugal produces most of the world’s cork) and a trivia game I could have attended, but I decided that the deck and the vinho verde were calling to me.

At this point, the bear did decide to try a Zofran, and within a short time he was feeling human again. It may have been the Zofran, it may have been just the time, but we were BOTH so glad it could come out and be among the living again- albeit carefully at first.

There were more games and a band on board that night, but we went to bed quite early. The turndown service still came by and gave us our nightly chocolates and the minibar restocker brought me more diet Coke and a bottle of wine. We said those people were like ninjas! They were in and out of our room with service so quick it was amazing. We decided to make it a movie night. There was a pretty good selection on the in-room television. We had already watched the documentary A Year in Port , which I would HIGHLY recommend. It could be good to watch BEFORE you go, but I may watch it again after because I got to see all of the places mentioned. Instead, we watched Sully, because who doesn’t like to watch movies about airplanes crashing in New York two days before they fly into New York?

We thought we heard the music start upstairs in the lounge and were surprised by how loud it was. Turned out, it was a festival outside, as we realized when we heard cannon shots the next morning to start our final day in the port wine region- which will also lead me to my final blog of this journey…