Prior to leaving on this road trip we didn’t do much planning about where to stop en-route.  Once Bayonne and Ourense were ticked off of our list, we just consulted the map for destinations that appeared to be interesting, and which did not require too much time on the road.  The fact that Ciudad Rodrigo could be reached in 3-4 hours, and the existence of a Chamber Pot Museum, was enough to convince us to head in that direction when we left Ourense on Sunday, 16 December.

The Duero (Douro in Potuguese) River is the boundary between NE Portugal and Spain.  From Ourense we drove south, clipped across this rural corner of Portugal, crossed the steep and rugged canyon of the Douro (National Parkland for both Spain and Portugal) and continued on to Ciudad Rodrigo.

We stopped often for photo opportunities and arrived in Ciudad Rodrigo after dark.  On a Sunday night, you can’t expect to find many restaurants open, but we found a very  friendly bar operated by some Russian immigrants who served up some grilled cheese sandwiches.  This 2nd floor restaurant, like many of the older structures in Spain, did not have a furnace for heat.  In this part of the country it’s common to have a round table with long tablecloths reaching over the edges to the floor.  Underneath you will find some source of heat to make your mealtimes a little more comfy.

The next morning after breakfast we killed some time at the laundromat until the Chamber Pot Museum opened.  We spent perhaps an hour perusing the displays and then set a meandering course for Salamanca with many opportunities to observe the half-timbered construction techniques used in the area.