And into Spain

First we spent a week in delightful Viana do Castelo on the coast.
They offered us a Medieval Fair for four of the days, with costumes, stalls selling wonderful "medieval" food, and music and dancing, to bagpipes and flutes (shawms!).

Gaenor has joined us on the boat, as many times before, and stayed until we reached Vigo in Spain. She and I made a couple of excursions to splendid old Portuguese towns, built on thousand-year-old foundations (as it were!); most impressive was Valenca. It stands high above the banks of the river Minho, which forms the northern border between Portugal and Spain. Opposite is the Spanish town of Tui : their cannon guns face each other!

Here you see the Minho river with Tui in the distance.
Valenca is a completely walled city, with winding cobbled streets and of course many tourists, but we didn't feel crowded, even though we went at the weekend. Excellent chilled beer, which was much needed on a hot day.

We travelled by train "Comboio Portuguesas" a most comfortable and inexpensive journey, largely along the Atlantic coast and then partly up the Minho. Very beautiful.
Another day's outing was to Ponte de Lima (The bridge on the river Lima) and that we did by coach, travelling inland through the bumpy hills amid vineyards and patches of green wheat. Roses everywhere. And bright wild flowers.