Spain!

Next up on the cruise was a stop in Vigo, Spain! Vigo is part of Galicia region of north-west Spain . Wayne and I left the girls on the ship with Grammy and Pop Pop (thanks guys!) and headed off on a wine tasting tour of the region. Our tour guide pointed out that Vigo is actually quite similar to England in that it is typically cold and rainy...not the sunny Costa del Sol that we visited in April! In fact, we learned that Galicia has Celtic origins  and shares much more in common with Ireland than the parts of Spain we've previously visited! No samba here...in fact, you are more likely to hear someone playing the bagpipes!

The wine tour took us to several different vineyards to try Albariño wines, which are made from white grapes popular in the region. While we weren't huge fans of the wine itself, we loved checking out the vineyards and exploring a quaint little town while stopping for some lunch! 

After the tour, we did some walking around the city of Vigo, checking out the old city and doing a little shopping. Then it was time to reboard the ship and celebrate Halloween with the kids with a fun family disco and trick or treating! Cutest witch and bat in town! Disclaimer: Some of these pics are from a Halloween birthday party a week before the cruise because we forgot to take pics on the cruise!

What a pretty bat! (Her face is not really that red! She needed pink sparkles!)

My little grumpy witch

Those tights!

Really getting into character!

That hat really suits Pop Pop!

Our one authentic cruise pic. Posing with Grammy and Pop Pop and a scary statue!

The next day meant a stop in Gijon, in the Asturias region. Here we all took a shuttle bus into town from the port and walked around, finding a fun local market that the girls loved! Then we walked along the beach checking out the giant waves (and one brave surfer) before we headed into the Old City Center to explore . This area of Spain is famous for its cider and delicious seafood but we were all too full from a big breakfast to eat much, aside from some cheese and pastries at the market! We really liked the feel of Gijon, from its beautiful harbor to its sandy beach and old architecture! 

I love this pic from the shuttle bus!

Grammy, Riley and Pop Pop pose at the harbor

So pretty!

Riley made a friend!

The amazing market we stumbled upon!

Wayne and Riley tried lots of cheese!

The girls posing along the beach

Pretty place for a walk even if it was drizzling!

Pretty girl with a colorful umbrella!

Wayne and Riley are up there...can you spot them?

That's our cruise ship in the background!

Posing with the Gijon sign. I love Lyla's pose here!

Grammy and Pop Pop wanted to pose too!

After a fun day of exploring,  it was back to the ship for a dip in the pool.

My big fish!

My little fish!

The ship made a last stop in Bilbao, where we took exactly zero photos. Oops! We were much too busy relaxing and enjoying the shopping, shows, food and Bingo with Grammy and Pop Pop! We were so sad to say good-bye after we disembarked from the ship and are counting down the days until we can give Grammy and Pop Pop a big hug again!