Memories of this trip include wine tasting, and realizing that there is a difference between port and expensive port. On the way to catch our boat at 
Porto, we went through Coimbra, the University town, where we learned the inquisition lasted longer in Portugal than anywhere else. Like so much of Iberia, it was settled by the Romans, and served as Portugal’s capital from 1131 to 1255.
The Douro cruise took us from Porto via the Douro River to vineyards, small towns, and led to a sampling of the wines, including at the estate of Mateus, a rose.
Some sights on the Douro:
We crossed the border into Spain, and boarded a bus for Salamanca, an inland city with a large university. The city is known for its Plateresque 
architecture, and the first university in Europe, courtesy of Alfonso X of Leon.
Some other sights in or around Salamanca included the Castello Rodrigo. The Casas de las Conchas with the shells in the facade celebrated its status on the Walk of St. James.
On the way home, we stopped in Madrid. I was rather disappointed in the palace, given the scale of Charles V and the wealth of Spain. I think, though, there was an earthquake that required a rebuild, by which time Charles had exhausted the 
treasury in a vain attempt to hold back the rising tide of Protestantism. The paella was good too, but the highlight for me was the museums. The Prado especially housed Hieronymus Bosch, one of my personal favorites, as well as Durer, Titian, Goya, and El Greco (among others). It was my Western Civ class!
Of greater joy than Madrid, was our tour of Toledo. Although political 
power passed to Madrid when it was named national capital in 1561, Toledo retained much of its historical significance (the Visigoth court lived here in the 7th century); it had a thriving Jewish and Muslim culture; and is renown for its sword steel.
