DAY 8 - WINE to RUNNING OF THE BULLS

What life is about for many people - home and wine!

SPAIN

DAY 8

From:       Logrono - (RIOJA) 

To:           Pamplona - (NAVARRA)

Distance:  71km

Climate:    55F - 65F

Altitude:   460 Meters

Ruta de Vino ( Wine Route) Yellow & Orange

Logrono to Pamplona ( 71km)

Ah... the Napa Valley of Spain! Now this part of the trip is really more for Bob than for me since he is the wine lover. We woke up early and as you can see by the map above we really didn't cover as much distance as usual. Today only 71Km. Hmm.. wonder why? Could it be all those Bodegas on the side roads? All the vineyards offering to taste their wines? 

 Above is the Ruta de Vino ( Wine Route) we took. Not very far in distance, but so much to see along the way. We took each back road into each village which had so many of their own bodegas. In this region everyone has  something to do with wine. Rioja is just one of the many wine regions of Spain although probably the most recognized. It covers 3 provinces - Rioja, Navarra and Basque. 

DID YOU KNOW?

NAPA VALLEY vs RIOJA: Although Rioja is quite famous most people in the USA are not yet quite familiar with the wine or region. Most likely because the Spanish are not as strong exporters as other countries. FACTS:

• Napa covers 17 miles  / 150     producers
• Rioja covers 75 km  / 14000 producers
• Bodega - is a winery
• Cooperative - most sell via a cooperative rather than self label. (over 750 cooperatives)
• Spain has the 15% of the worlds wine hectares
• Wine accounts for over 2% of the Spanish Food Agriculture Produced for the country
• Red wine is over 43% of the wine produced in Spain
• Germany is the #1 importer of Spanish wines

 

As far as your eyes can see were vineyards after vineyards. Although we were a bit early to see all the leaves on the vines the vastness of the area still can be appreciated by the below photos:

Imagine this with all the soft green leaves on them!

Throughout the region each Bodega resembled  a mansion or an amusement park. Many were sprawling with restaurants, tours, wine tasting, hotels ( yes hotels), and were quite impressive. See below:

Part of the wine route tour takes you to a very quaint lovely walled medieval town called La Guardia ( yes... same as the the  NY airport). It was bustling with people, shops, tapa bars and historical architecture and museums. What makes this stop quite interesting is that below the town you can find another part of the town completely dug out from the days of the middle ages when it was used for storage and safety from wars. Later when wine was produced they found those dugouts to be a perfect place to ferment the grapes. The entire inside of the town is a pedestrian walkway and no cars are allowed to enter within the walls. It is well worth a visit. ( See below)

By the time we finished the Ruta de Vino we were hungry... and the most famous thing is Spain to eat is TAPAS. ( see at end what a Tapa is). 

We also stopped off in another walled town called - PUENTE DEL REINA:

RUNNING OF THE BULLS!!!

Once our tummies were full we were ready to run with the bulls... which is what Pamplona is famous for.... Running with the bulls...Except one problem.

They only run from July 6-14!!... 

• FACT: The run is only 900 yards long
• FACT: Pamplona is a walled town
• FACT: Called the San Fermin Festival and not the running of the bulls
• FACT: Hemingway went 8 times there to watch the run and spend time in the town 

Pamplona is a very pretty town. Not too small and not too big. It is quite handsome with beautiful parks and many many small tapa bars. Well worth a visit if you are near.

Road to Pamplona full of Canola Fields

Pamplona Plaza

The restaurant where Hemingway hung out..now named after him

It is 8pm and we wanted dinner at the famous Hemingway restaurant -  But they don't start serving til 9 30pm. 

So instead, Bob had to have the famous Churros with chocolate. Freshly made. 

Resting spot for tonight. Miguel, the owner, built this hotel 17 years ago

Note:  Do you know the origin of TAPAS? It's been told that many centuries ago when food was sparse they would offer a small tapa  appetizer) with a drink and cover the drink with the Tapa ( hence the word Tapa ( cover)

We ended the day by going to Mass at a gorgeous cathedral at 9pm for Easter. It was packed with the high church bells ringing loudly, calling for everyone to come join.


HAPPY EASTER!

Thanks for joining us today!
Stayed tuned for tomorrow surprise visit.... ............
High up in the mountains on the border of France and Spain


night night



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