- 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. - 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. - Grapes
Leslie appreciates some wine grapes. We may have also sampled them. - IMG_2506
The main room made for excellent lounging. - IMG_2527
We rolled through quite a few long, long tunnels. - IMG_2574
okay, and popular art - IMG_2518
Sick Leslie and Arti, balm for the spirit - IMG_2507
The walls and chimney are original to the 17th-century blacksmith's. The guest rooms have been built around the edges of the large store room used to pile coal. Lots of stone and dark metal and wood. - IMG_2580
view from our hotel balcony in Logroño - 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. - IMG_2512
We started our day with a little walk on a trail that passed the hotel. - IMG_2515
Bryan on the trail - IMG_2509
staircase - IMG_2568
corks-in-progress - IMG_2575
purportedly the world's largest corkscrew collection - IMG_2583
cathedral in the dark - IMG_2510
Next door is the tower built by the same family in, oh, like the 1400s. - IMG_2519
Bryan on the road again - IMG_2579
We were very excited to see this bull silhouette, which was featured on the cover of our guidebook, until we drove a little more and realized they're all over the damn place. - IMG_2521
mountains - IMG_2558
Leslie, vineyard - IMG_2513
Leslie and cows. Leslie is, at this point, quite sick with a cold. - IMG_2514
a little shrine built into a hill that reminds Leslie of guerilla Buddha shrines in Thailand - IMG_2543
Most of the grapevines were sporting their red autumn finery. - IMG_2525
The mountains were covered in a lot of intentional, grid-like reforestation, presumably lumber industry investments. - IMG_2533
craggy - IMG_2557
Leslie gets personal with some wine grapes. - IMG_0066
including the inevitably naughty ones - IMG_2517
typical farmhouse - IMG_2526
random cool bridge