Vigo and Baiona

 I had a wonderful sleep last night, though we had a time change and lost an hour. This morning we had a light breakfast in the Arts Cafe, quick service and great coffee. It's yet another glorious sunny day with low to mid 20 C temperatures.

Our included tour today was to the town of Baiona, about a 30 minute drive from Vigo (pronounced Bigo). While Vigo is the more industrial town, with boat building, car assembly and fish processing, Baiona is more of a resort town. Both towns are situated on a beautiful bay, protected by islands at the mouth. This is an area famous for seafood, there are mussel, oyster and scallop farms in the bay. It is also home to one of the largest fishing fleets in Europe.

Baiona has a lovely old town with shops, restaurants and bars. Several beautiful sandy beaches. On a point, an old palace is now a Parador hotel. There is a replica of the Pinta, as this area is the first stopping point after coming back from the Americas, and the people from Vigo and Baiona were the first Europeans to hear about the discoveries.

Apparently from June to September it's incredibly busy. Today not only is it off season, but it's also the National Holiday. Dia de la Hispanidad and a local holiday, Fiesta del Pilar.

We had a short walking tour through the old town, then walked up to the old walls surrounding what was the palace, now hotel. There are stunning views of the town, the Rias or bay, and the Cies Islands. Heading back to Vigo we took the coastal route, seeing many sandy beaches, and summer homes. 

Back to the ship in time for a late lunch on the back deck. We then took a stroll into Vigo, walking around the Marina, then into to the pedestrian shopping area of town. I then needed to head back to spend a bit of time catching up with emails and blog.

I had a short time to relax by the pool before getting ready for dinner. La Terraces is a buffet restaurant for breakfast and lunch, but at dinner it's a-la-carte Italian. 7 of us had a wonderful dinner, enhanced by a spectacular sunset over the Cies Islands. All of my dishes were not what I expected, but so delicious.

I caught the end of the show, then went up to the top deck for a little air before heading to the cabin.









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