May 11 - Vigo, Spain

The phone rang at 6:30 AM with our wake-up call for an all-day tour to Santiago de Compostela.  It was pitch black outside and we were tired.  We decided we needed a day of rest so the lights were turned off and we went back to sleep.

While we slept, the ship suffered a complete failure of the server controlling TV, internet, restaurant ordering, telephone, and general guest services like accounts.  Navigation and ship operations weren’t affected and with plenty of food we were in no danger of starving (LOL).

When we finally awoke we were docked in Vigo in the northwestern province of Galicia.  It was a gray day  with low-hanging clouds.  Vigo is a city of about 300,000 built on the hills around the bay. Since we’d ditched our tour we played it by ear.  When we finally went ashore we thought we’d walk around a little in the old city.  Right across the street from the cruise terminal there was a political demonstration going on with a very loud PA system and lots of chanting and yelling.  They were apparently protesting labor practices at a hotel.

We walked up the first portion of a steep hill and decided this wasn’t a good plan.  We made our way back down and found a taxi to take us on a little tour.  (I forgot to mention that I neglected to bring my iPhone so I couldn’t take any photos.)  Back to the taxi.  Once again we lucked out.  Our driver was Pedro, who spoke no English, but with my Spanish, which is coming back to me, we had a great time. 

Perhaps because it was such a gray day we couldn’t really say that Vigo is a very pretty city.  Perhaps if the sun had been shining we would feel differently.  There are some plazas with statues which are attractive and there is a nice park with an old fort at the top of one of the hills.  The buildings downtown looked kind of tired though.

Pedro drove us out of the city proper along the bay and I have to say the beaches along there looked very nice with pure white sand.  Across the bay are two islands, one of which he told us has the same white sand and crystal-clear water like that in the Caribbean.

The best part of the day was yet to come.  He asked us if we wanted to have lunch someplace and when we said we would like to go to a local as opposed to a tourist restaurant, he took us to a gem and of course we invited him to join us.  Along the Playa de Samil we stopped at the Restaurante Basilio Toralla.  It’s a family owned place.  The chef is the 89 year old Abuela (grandmother) and the Maitre d’ is the 60 something son.  We were early by Spanish standards (1 PM) but by the time we left locals were coming in.  We didn’t see a menu; the waiter just began bringing dishes out.  It’s a seafood restaurant and the food was divine!  We had a little empanada stuffed with cod. Then came a platter with tiny baby squid sautéed with onions and paper-thin potato slices.  It was exquisite – not rubbery or chewy.  Next was a bowl of baby clams in a light tomato sauce seasoned with chives and other herbs.  There was a rustic bread to soak up the sauce.  Finally (as we hadn’t enough already) came a platter with three kinds of fish lightly sautéed with asparagus, carrots and tiny new potatoes.  To complement the meal we had a bottle of local white wine called 2 Amigos.  Al and I agreed that it may have been one of the best meals we’ve ever eaten.  Before we left, the grandmother came out and we shook hands and did the traditional European cheek kisses.  It was a wonderful and unexpected experience.

Enjoying 2 Amigos wine at the wonderful restaurant (Pedro took this one)

Pedro drove us back via a different route.  Along the way we saw one of the largest Citroen plants in the world.  It directly employs nearly 15,000 people and indirectly 140,000!  It stretches on and on and must be an economic boon to the area.

When we arrived back at the cruise terminal we got hugs from our new Spanish friend.  Pedro took a few photos with his iPhone and when I figure out how to get them in a format I can add to this blogpost I will.

 

I got a few photos from our balcony when we got back aboard. They aren't great but they'll give you an idea of what the waterfront looks like on a gray day.

Another view. The long blue roofed building is where the fishing boats come in each morning and unload their catch.

The weather later in the afternoon went from steady rain to sunshine by dinnertime.  We didn’t sail until after 11 PM and truthfully we just couldn’t stay up late enough to see the sailaway.  So that was bye-bye to España.  We have two days at sea ahead of us traversing the Bay of Biscay which can often be rough.  Internet and TV were still down when it was bedtime.