- IMG_2557
Leslie gets personal with some wine grapes. - Grapes
Leslie appreciates some wine grapes. We may have also sampled them. - IMG_2555
Vineyard and the small town of Briones. - Vineyards
The countryside was ridiculously picturesque. This shot was taken from the parking lot of an over-the-top museum about wine-growing/making/loving, looking toward the town of Briones. - IMG_2552
Storks' nest. We saw plenty of nests but no birds, which must have sought warmer climbs for the winter. Apparently storks are a whole big thing. - IMG_2551
random scene in town - IMG_2550
Bryan peruses some wine in a Haro shop. We left with a bottle each of Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva, three designations of various age and quality in Rioja wines. - Wine shopping
Our second day of driving took us from Basque Country into La Rioja, where you are basically required to shop for wine. Bryan picks out three bottles at a little shop in Haro: one Crianza, one Reserva, and one Gran Reserva. - IMG_2548
Even mid-day, the late-autumn light and the clouds often looked like sunset. - IMG_2547
There we are! Arm-out shot with the view from Haro. - IMG_2546
whoops, we're zoomed in - IMG_2544
mountain, valley, vines - IMG_2543
Most of the grapevines were sporting their red autumn finery. - IMG_2542
A street with two names. One of many, making navigation extra-special. - IMG_2541
Leslie and cathedral doors - IMG_2540
Bryan learns some facts. - IMG_2539
We believe this was part of our brief overlap with the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, evidenced by the occasional sidewalk seashell. - IMG_2538
We stopped in La Rioja's capital, Haro, for lunch. - IMG_2537
At some point, we popped out of a tunnel and found ourselves in La Rioja--wine country! - IMG_2535
approaching another tunnel - IMG_2533
craggy - IMG_2527
We rolled through quite a few long, long tunnels. - IMG_2526
random cool bridge - IMG_2525
The mountains were covered in a lot of intentional, grid-like reforestation, presumably lumber industry investments. - IMG_2524
in the car - IMG_2521
mountains - IMG_2520
We found the roads in Spain to be relentlessly marked with signposts, a boon to the foreign driver. - IMG_2519
Bryan on the road again - IMG_2518
Sick Leslie and Arti, balm for the spirit - IMG_2517
typical farmhouse