Sunday and Monday July 21 and 22, 2024
Sunday we took a trip to Castelo Rodrigo in the hills above the Douro river in Portugal. And Monday we went to Salamanca, Spain. Since we have had two busy days we are combining the two days into one blog.
Castelo Rodrigo, Portugal
Since it was built in the early 1200’s, this castle and the town around it, near the border with Spain, has a history of welcoming immigrants and accepting other cultures. Throughout the town, visitors can see signs of Christian, Jewish, and Arab cultures/religions side by side, or even on the same building. In the picture on the right below there is a pagan symbol, a dove of peace and a quote in Hebrew, all on the same house.
In 1316 the town became part of the Portuguese territory and the King confirmed the privileges of the Jewish community that was already there. Travelers from many countries passed through the area and some stayed to make their homes there. Refugees from Spain and other areas were welcomed for what they could contribute to the town.
Then in 1496, the King issued a decree that all Jews in the country had to either convert to Catholicism or leave. This led to a mass exodus from the country, including from Castelo Rodrigo. But many Jews wanted to stay; so, they became “new Catholics”, but in name only. These people were very clever in how they stayed safe. Small openings in exterior walls allowed the families to keep watch for the soldiers. Houses were modified to have lower floors with steps down from the outside and very low outside doors, designed to slow soldiers down if they were coming to search the house. In many cases the new Catholics were helped by their neighbors and friends to evade being found out by the local military of the king. One classic example was a local baker who kindly and secretly made bread that resembled pork sausages, which the Jewish families hung outside their door to prove they weren’t Jewish (since they don’t eat pork).

Despite the spirit of community and kindness that existed in Castelo Rodrigo, eventually the Jewish families were captured and/or killed during the inquisition. The local synagogue was destroyed, and later became a cistern/bathhouse. Some families did avoid capture and some of their descendants continue living in the area today, a valued part of the community.
The spirit of kindness that existed in the Castelo Rodrigo community could also be seen in the actions of the Portuguese Ambassador to France during the Second World War. One of his jobs was granting visas to Portuguese people who had fled to France, but as the war grew, wanted to leave France as well. But the Portuguese
Ambassador was not allowed to give visas to any Jewish people. He soon rebelled against that rule and secretly gave visas to thousands of Jews before being caught. He was punished and finally fled to Canada. He had very little money and no place to live when he bumped into one of the people for whom he had given a visa. The word spread to others he had helped. They got together and bought him a house and found him work.
Kindness matters.
Portuguese Night on the Ship - once again the amazing food and bar staff on the Viking Torgil put together an incredible night that celebrated traditional Portuguese food, drinks, and dress. Everything was delicious!
After dinner a group of Flamenco dancers performed to get us in the mood for Salamanca Spain the next day.

Excursion to Salamanca - Salamanca was a beautiful old city. It has two cathedrals - an old one and a new one (those are the real names), and they are connected! The area was hit by an earthquake in the 1700's and it did not collapse, but the building is still leaning a bit.

Here are a few interesting bits of information (picture 1 & 2): The exterior wall of the public library is covered with the shapes of shells. The really interesting part is that when the sun is at a certain position in the sky, the shadows of the shells connect to form diagonal lines. The final picture is an astronaut set in the designs on the new church. This part of the church was recently renovated when some areas were broken. One of the designers added an astronaut because astronauts come closest to God and it was designed during a more recent time in history.
The Portuguese and Spaniards have deepely intertwined histories. Spain continues to be Portugal's main trading partner, and Portugal is, in economic terms, a key partner for Spain. However, if you ask Portuguese locals, they may say they are like siblings, "we fight and quarrel over stupid and not so stupid stuff."
Tomorrow we will continue to explore Portugal's Douro region by visiting the charming vineyard town of Favalos where we will visit a traditional Portuguese bakery, a local museum of wine, and learn how important these industries are to a small town. And, of course, we will visit a beautiful century-old wine-growing estaste in the heart of the Douro wine region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Very interesting how all 3 religions can exist peacefully--perhaps a "tutorial" for the Middle East!
Have fun in the vineyards! Do you think you will be able to "stomp" grapes like Lucy did when she was in Italy? 🤣
Wow! A jam packed couple of days. Very cool history. Thanks for sharing.