Day Trip to Vitoria-Gasteiz

(This post is also out of order. If I make any change to a post, it jumps to the top.)

It is October 15th. Again we were treated to an exceptional breakfast.

Then, we were off to a hike around the LaGuardia Lagoon. The owner of the castle hotel brought us two hiking packages full of food (as if we need more food). We were surrounded by grape vines.

We then got into our hail damaged KIA Model POS and drove to Vitoria-Gasteiz. The very old town was in the middle of the very big city. 

We saw yet another beautiful cathedral (one of many in this town).

Jo could not resist the opportunity to look like tourists.

We then sat at an outdoor cafe in the main square which honored the Battle of Vitoria.

While I'm not considered a fashionista, we did admire the clothing worn by the Spaniards. They dress way better than we do. Levis are the style here so I fit right in.

The vast majority wear tennis shoes (which most in the States call "sneakers). The most popular shoes for fashion conscious Spaniards are the good old fashioned Converse All-Stars like the ones I wore in junior high.

Many wear Converse All-Stars on steroids.

If the fashion trend in New York and Los Angeles catches on here, I was the only fashion forward person in my Hokas.

We walked the old town and admired the omnipresent graffiti on every doorway.

We had a very scenic picnic in the back of the POS in an underground garage. Then it was back to our castle.

The beautiful walled town of LaGuardia is closed up Sunday evening. It was fun to walk the empty streets. We return to the hotel restaurant and had an outstanding meal. 

Tomorrow it is off to Pamploma which is famous for the Running of the Bulls.

The Best Place Yet

This entry is for Friday and Saturday.

We picked up our car a block from our hotel and left the big city. We drove about five hours north on a very nice freeway, stopping only once (at a Starbucks).

Those who know me are likely surprised by the absence of car talk in this blog. The cars in Spain are very nice. Very clean. No rust. But, no classic cars. No Super Cars (aside from one Aston Martin and one Lamborghini in Roses). No one modifies cars for aesthetic reasons. Not a car culture here.

We did not expect the terrain driving north. We could have been driving through southern Colorado. Mostly sand and hills. We saw crops only in river valleys.

However, as we approached our destination, LaGuardia (phonetically, substitute "w" for the "G."), things changed. This is Spain's wine country. Grape vines everywhere. (I suppose that this area is somewhat wasted on us. We both like wine, but neither us of posses sufficient wine knowledge or interest to truly appreciate the fruits of this area.)

Of all the beautiful towns we have visited, LaGuardia is unquestionably the best. It is a centuries old walled city atop a hill.

The narrow streets (no cars allowed) within the walls are lined with residences and small shops and cafes.

Below these winding streets is a labyrinth of wine cellars.

This town reminds us of what may be our favorite town in the world: Rothenburg on the Tober in Germany (it is the town we visited during our family vacation many years ago).

This town is not frequented by English speaking tourists. In this area of Spain, the first language taught in school is Catalan. The second is Spanish. The third is English. It seems as most folks here never got around to that third language. However, Jo's French is getting us by (more on that below).

Our hotel is unmatched by anywhere we have stayed in Spain (or maybe anywhere in the world). Our hotel was built as a castle in about 25 A.D. (at least the foundation was).

We look out at the valley through a wall of beveled glass windows.

We climbed to the top of its tower (see picture above) and we were  treated to a 180° view of the countryside.

The proprietor of the hotel is the nicest guy. He speaks no English. Thankfully, he speaks French and Jo can communicate with him.

Breakfast was amazing.

We then took a tour (in Spanish) of the majestic town cathedral.

From there we were off to a tour of the town tower (again in Spanish). We walked up a shoulder-wide staircase.

Next it was off to a tour (again in Spanish) of the underground water storage facility on the far end of the walled town (about 1/4 mile away). This was discovered only 20 years ago. Other ruins in LaGuardia date back 4000 years.

Better late than never, it dawned on me that Google Translate may be able to use the microphone to translate live. Sure enough, it did. Very cool.

We then followed the local tradition of lounging at an outdoor cafe and enjoying the scenery. I worked on this blog and Jo read tourist books.

Jo enjoying an Aperol (no spritz) and me a local beer. 

We then took a walk in the country.

During this walk I learned that Google translate will translate signs. Just point the camera. Again, very cool.

It was in our hope to tour one of the underground wineries in town. However, they were all either closed or full. Instead, we went to a bakery and bought some fresh bread. We went into another store to buy some chorizo, cheese, olives, and wine. We sat on a bench below our castle hotel and enjoyed our picnic overlooking the beautiful surroundings. 

Final Day in Barcelona

Off for our final hours in Barcelona. We are batting 1000 with this weather. Never too cool. Never too warm. Not a cloud in the sky. Back on the tourist bus.

Barcelona is a very clean city. Very few homeless folks. However, very congested. 

America's influence on the world is omnipresent. Papa Johns, KFC, McDonald's, Starbucks, and Burger Kings are everywhere. Judging by T-shirts, many locals here went to Harvard or Yale or they live in Boston. Many must own Harley Davidsons. Many T-shirts just have random sayings in English. Most locals are Yankees fans as evidenced by their hats. 

However, nothing detracts from the charm of the city. All of its narrow city streets are adorned by trees. On each side of the streets are small stores and restaurants confined in a space about 12 ft wide. When the businesses are closed, they roll down a metal security shade. They've all been nicely decorated by artistic vandals.

We were off to Park Guell designed by the artist Antoni Gaudi. He is the same guy who designed the Sagrata Familia and the Casa Batllo. Once again, Dr. Seuss would be at home here (some of these are stock photos because the lighting was very poor due to the sun angle and pollution.)

We bid farewell to Scooter and Michelle who are off to the Picasso museum before heading home tomorrow. 

The rest of this blog covers the adventures of Chris and Jo over the next several days.

Sagrata Familia and 80s Pop

Our first stop was at the Sagrada Familia. Christianity's impact on  architecture (among other things, of course) is truly remarkable. It seems like the greatest architecture in the world is represented by cathedrals and this  cathedral for the Holy Family is a prime example.

Amazing place.  Flooded with colorful light from stained glass. It is fairly new (compared to most European cathedrals). Construction started about 100 years ago.  Supposedly, it will be finished in 2026. 

Back on the but to tour the rest of the city. They don't build hospitals like they used to.

More cathedrals.

The bus' regular stopping points are disrupted today due to protests. One thing we cannot escape here is the friction between the Catalonia region of Spain (where we have spent the whole trip) and the rest of Spain. Catalonia wants its independence, but Spain strongly disagrees. On every block we see Catalonia flags.

Today is "Spain Day" and groups are taking to the streets (and blocking them) to protest Spain's rule over this region. We were stopped at the main square. Here, a pro Spain bus was playing what I presume is the Spanish national anthem.

(As soon as the anthem was over, they switched to the 80s pop classic "Never Going To Give You Up" by Rick Astley.)

We then dined on the beach. Jo and I had a cheese burger and fries.

Scooter found his store.

Also, Michelle also found her store.

We walked for miles. We found another cathedral.

Here is a strange store. It featured this guy.

They sold t-shirts, doormats, figurines, and many other things featuring the same scene. I chose not to research it further.

We walked the baroque part of town. Scooter and I spent much of our time leaning against ancient street walls as Jo and Michelle shopped. However, when Scooter and I stopped for a beverage, this is what the wall looked like.

No spouses waiting for us to finish our German lagers. They were shopping. I guess we do not have equal relationships.

Jo's routine pose on every corner:

A shower and then tapes. (Don't let anyone fool you, despite the exotic sound to the word, tapes is just a small plate of anything such as macaroni and cheese or Doritos sprinkled with some pretty colored flavoring).  We were on the roof of a fancy hotel. Very nice.

We then went to Casa Batllo, designed by the same guy who designed the Sagrata Familia. But, the only thing missing from this bizarre place was Thing 1 and Thing 2.

We then spent the evening on the roof sipping Cava (Spanish champagne) and listening to live music. Sadly, he covered no AC/DC tunes. 

Then, it was bed time to prepare for another busy day of being tourists.