Day 5 – Friday 21 November 2025
– Cruise Day 3
The ship cast off about 06:30 and two hours later we entered the Valeira lock.
At 10:00 in the lounge Chef Misha demonstrated how to make Portuguese custard tarts Pastéis de Nata.
He let us in on his secret that was ‘just between us’: he doesn’t make puff pastry but buys it from a supermarket. The trick in making the custard is to add components slowly, whisking all the time.
Shortly after the demonstration ended, and we’d eaten some Pastéis de Nata he’d made earlier we entered the last of the locks, Pocinho and then the ship made a brief stop at Pocinho where guests who’d booked the optional excursion to Marialva Castle for lunch departed.
We arrived at our furthest destination, Barca d’Alva shortly after 14:00 and the included excursion to the hilltop castle town of Castelo Rodrigo.
Viking class this excursion as “Demanding” which it certainly would have been when the entire street had a rough stone surface, but the installation of new sewage system has left the main street with a smooth surface in the centre, see the photo. So it’s possible to do the beginning of the tour and see the ruined castle and hear the tales associated with it. We bailed out when the tour went down a long flight of steep steps to visit a church and walked back down to the start where we had a coffee in a shop with terraces out back offering amazing views.
Castelo Rodrigo was built on a high point offering panoramic views over neighbouring Spain and intended to spot any advance of hostile forces. The coffee shop terrace gave us similar views. Their shop must have has at least 20 different flavoured almonds to sample. Curry almond anyone? Incidentally, almond trees were introduced by the Moors and are a variety that can thrive without watering, so they grow all over this dry land.
The Viking description of the excursion says that on the way back the coach will be “stopping to take in the panoramic views”. It didn’t.
In the evening was ‘Taste of Portugal’, a buffet dinner of Portuguese specialities and the staff dressed in colourful costume – especially our divine Programme Manager Lidia Leal.
Location: https://what3words.com/starkest.signposts.regain
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