ONE of your major decisions in picking a cruise is its length. Some travellers with time constraints have no alternative but to settle for seven days . . . which in truth is only six, leaving very late the first afternoon and returning shortly after dawn the seventh. And, of course, they serve their purpose by providing short getaways.

But when you travel trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific to meet your ship at a far distant port, we find a longer itinerary more desirable. Increasing numbers of them are now available, especially on board upscale ships. When they're not, special back-to-back rates are available for combining two cruises.

On this ten-day adventure, we're visiting seven ports. The three final ones to come are in Spain and Portugal . . . La Coruna, Villagarcia de Arosa and Oporto, before disembarking in Lisbon.

If, like us, you're independent-minded travellers who like to explore on your own, you'll want to pick and choose shore excursions with care. You're there to relax as well as see new sights.

So many excursions leave early and return late, that after days of that routine, plus getting on and off buses on a tightly regulated schedule, it begins to resemble a treadmill. One begins to feel there's too little time left to enjoy the ship, linger over a leisurely breakfast on deck and truly relax.

Which is why we decide to only saunter ashore in La Coruna, even though repeat passengers have all been offered bonuses of a complimentary shore excursion here. With nearly half the passengers repeaters (140), we opt out.

We'd been there before, driving up while staying in Santiago de Compostela previously, and have the advantage of knowing it is not the most exciting port on this trip. There are several points of interest, but we've seen them . . .

Lighthouse Tower of Hercules, where an interior original core dates to Celtic-Roman times . . . restored Castle of San Anton, now an archaeological museum . . . an old quarter with unusual glazed galleries to capture what little sun breaks through rainy Galicia's clouds.

We're glad to be here, though, because of a rather unusual shopping mission. Spain is noted for a very special soap called Magno, something we've found difficult to locate elsewhere. This locally famous black glycerine soap and bath gel, made by La Toja, owes its origin to an ailing donkey who was abandoned by its owner on the island of La Toja.

Later found cured, it was attributed to mineral waters of a spring emerging from heavily mineralised black mud. I know, it sounds unusual . . . soap made from mineralised mud. But think of the Dead Sea and all the products that emerge from its mineralised waters and soil.

AT any rate, we grew to like it because for many years Magno was the traditional amenity of choice at all Spanish paradors and luxury hotels in that country. Its scent alone conjures up magical memories of staying in Spanish castles and palaces. Look for the Classico version of the bath gel and the traditional oval shaped soap.

Find it in grocery stores and mercantile shops where it's very modestly priced. We paid 1.10 euros a bar ($1.30) in La Coruna, but by the time we re-located a favourite grocery store in Santiago de Compostela, price was three bars for 1.64 euros ($1.90) with bath gel ranging from $3 to $5.

We come prepared with electricians' tape to seal the gel top and prevent suitcase leakage. The soap, incidentally, is nice for scenting drawers while it hardens unwrapped. I do the same with bars of German Badedas soap.

MEANWHILE, on to our next port which offered a shore excursion impossible to resist. An eight-hour package driving from Villagarcia de Arosa to Santiago de Compostela. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims flocked to this remarkably preserved site to visit the tomb of St. James the Apostle and I've written about it in this column previously.

For centuries there were three major places of pilgrimage in the world for Christian travellers . . . Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela. Even today, walking the entire length of the El Camino de Santiago remains popular, with one of its most well-known recent "pilgrims" Shirley MacLaine, who wrote a book about the experience.

The actress, incidentally, has interesting travel tastes. Some years ago I wrote a national magazine feature about a unique, isolated and historic off-trail condo where we often settled in for weeks on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

If you ever wondered where stars went when they wanted to escape the limelight, it might surprise you. Next time we returned to that site (since drastically altered by Hurricane Iniki), the owner proudly showed us Shirley MacLaine's complimentary comments penned in the guestbook . . . she'd stayed in the suite written about.

What is so remarkable about Santiago's old quarter is the fact it remains unchanged, as though King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella might appear at any time. Not quite so remarkable is the fact that half of Spain seems to be exploring its ancient streets the day of our visit.

Those royals are responsible for much of what makes it so special today. What is now highly acclaimed five-star Parador Reyes Catolicos was built by them as a hostel for pilgrims in the late 1400s. After having stayed in its beautifully decorated quarters on two previous visits, there is no way to exaggerate its spellbinding mood or appeal.

A high point of today's trip will be a reception in its historic courtyard featuring wine and cheese of the region, lunch of local recipes, along with traditional entertainment featuring music unlike anything most visitors will ever have heard.

That's another of our missions . . . to buy more tapes or CDs featuring that That's another of our missions. . . to buy more tapes or CDs featuring that very different music we personally find so enchanting. We've all but worn out ones bought previously. What makes that music unique is the fact this is Galicia . . . a province unlike any in Spain with a totally different language (Gallego, often more easily understood by my Portuguese friends than by Spaniards). Its heritage is deeply rooted in Celtic traditions dating back to 1000 BC.

With the Celts came musical instruments similar to bagpipes and traditions and a culture that sets them apart from the rest of Spain. Many compare it to Scotland, Ireland and Wales . . . both geographically because of its hills, mountains, firths and lochs . . . and the nature of area legends and beliefs compatible with those countries.

How to describe that music? The pipes with a dash of Irish reel, often plaintive and nostalgic yet so energising that we can't resist doing a folk-like dance when they begin to play in the courtyard. We search several shops for the traditional version bought previously and find a collection of gems at Sanin Recuerdos in the old covered colonnade section. Mestires da Gaita is music of finalists competing for "Trophy of the Bagpipes" organised by the Provincial School of Piping in Ourense. Quite remarkable.

REAL Banda de Gaitas is another good one to look for. Watch for the word "Milladorio" on labels, signifying traditional. Also anything by medical school musicians of Santiago de Compostela University. In minutes we bought more than $150 worth of them, all traditional.

It's been an exciting day, revisiting the massive 11th-century cathedral and staying on the organised tour portion just long enough to witness sight of the gigantic censer swung before the altar.

We'd not witnessed that before; it occurs only on special occasions, but was a part of this $164-per-person tour. Eight men in elaborate ceremonial costume prepare the censer with burning incense. Then it is swung across the front of the cathedral in what is called the Botafumeiro ceremony.

Everyone rushes near as possible for a close-up view. We, more wisely I think, seek protection beside a pillar with a good view. No one has been told here, but my research on the area revealed several people have been killed during this dramatic ceremony when the enormous censer came loose like an unguided missile (and it's that big!) . . . including a child of Ferdinand and Isabella.

But don't miss a chance to see it swinging almost ceiling high, red ashes sprinkling out, as those men carefully and very masterfully control its flight with ropes, like a massive swing gaining altitude. At first glance, one would think lush, fertile Galicia especially prosperous. But a temperamental, rainy climate often washes away soil and historians estimate over the past five centuries, one of every three men here has emigrated. Many went to Latin America and Cuba, with Fidel Castro's father being one of the most famous. There he prospered as a sugar-cane plantation owner.

If you're a history-minded traveller . . . and aren't most of us? . . . this coast is haunted with memories of the past. The Spanish Armada sailed from La Coruna to meet England's Navy, Queen Elizabeth sent Sir Francis Drake and a sizeable fleet to pursue her interests here and General Francisco Franco, born in Galicia, controlled Spain for years.

Our next stop is Oporto, birthplace of Prince Henry the Navigator and site where most of the famous Portuguese ships that explored far corners of the world very early on were built. A shore excursion from there cruises up the Douro River to Vila Nova de Gaia, considered port wine capital of the world, and they're not exaggerating. There's an opportunity to visit a well-known cellar, learn about the wine-making process and sample the product.

We'd driven up this way from Lisbon on a previous trip, staying at the Busaco Palace, formerly summer home of Portugal's King and now one of the country's most unforgettable hotels. Our route had led through a dazzlingly thirst-inducing collection of vineyard and valleys where port is definitely king.

One sees familiar names like Sandeman, Graham, Cockburn . . . and all really owe their very existence to a unique treaty in 1703 that gave favoured status to English wool in Portugal, and treated Portuguese wine the same way in Britain.

And therein lies an interesting tale. British merchants arrived and remained to not only choose certain grapes, but oversee their harvest and shipment of those casks of aged "bottled sunshine" back home. Thanks to rich lava soil and abundant sunshine, the port industry prospered beyond their wildest expectations . . .

But because we've already done that, this day we opt for the complimentary bus ride from the Leixoes dock into Oporto, quite a lengthy distance. It turns out to be so popular that the town's generous tourism promoters call for additional taxis to haul bus overflow passengers back to the ship at the city's cost.

UNFORTUNATELY, with the ship sailing at 12.45, there's not much time for seeing an area that does deserve more attention. In town we head for the busy Saturday farmers' market located in a very traditional colonial building. Walking among stalls is a feast for the senses, with both flowers and vegetables deserving camera attention.

All too soon we are off again, sails unfurled and bound for Lisbon. Those who linger to explore this area in greater depth will constantly cross paths with two other very famous "travellers".

America may have its long list of "George Washington slept here" inns and one certainly encounters memories of Queen Elizabeth I's royal progresses around Britain. But this is Wellington and Napoleon country and they seem to have been everywhere.

We will never forget the misadventure of being hopelessly lost one cold night, misdirected up an unpaved mountain road miles from any sign of civilisation. With the gas (petrol) gauge nearing empty, I got out and lit a match to read a sign at the edge of a wooded cliff . . . Hoping for directions, instead it read: "Wellington fought Napoleon's troops here on September 27,1810."

4 Next week: Discovering a rare Portuguese Utopia