For the last couple of days we have been driving the highways and byways of northern Spain from Logrono to Leon to Salamanca and everywhere in between.
After the seemingly endless vineyards of the Rioja Valley we started with a visit to the Museo de La Rioja at the vineyards of the Vivanco family.They had the largest collection of anything to do with viniculture we had ever seen. From beautiful old Roman wine goblets and jugs to modern art by Joan Miro and Picasso to videos of barrel making to a display of hundreds of bottle openers!
There was lots of very serious and dramatic commentary initially but sadly the audio guide was so useless that Ewan said I had to give it a negative rating. The audio guides were Nokia phones and impossible to operate. So we were forced to give up and admire the very impressive collection without any information! The old statues of Bacchus and the ancient pottery and machinery was really great to see.
After a coffee to revive us we headed for Leon, and as the vineyards decreased the fields of sunflowers and stubbled sunburnt pastures increased. As it's the end of summer I guess they are waiting for rain before planting the next crops. Finally we started to climb until there were impressive mountains all around. Many of them with wind turbines slowly rotating.
Today in our travels we also saw some fields of solar panels. Apparently Spain is quite progressive when it comes to sustainable power.
We decided to be brave and do a Truckstop for lunch. So Ewan edged our little car through the heaps of trucks to find a park. Surprisingly there seemed to be a fine dining area with white tablecloths etc but we chose the cafeteria which sells beer and wine to travelers: a sobering thought when you consider the size of some of the trucks parked outside!! I was expecting ghastly food but we had potato tortilla filled with tuna, salad and mayonnaise - delicious and healthy!
Leon turned out to be a lovely old city which was the seat of power for all of Spain at some point. The 13th century Cathedral was huge and had a free and very useful audio guide which described the history of architecture and then described the specific architecture of the Cathedral itself, and even the reasons why it almost fell down: poor quality stone and a baroque roof in the middle of Gothic arches. It did have some of the most beautiful stained glass we had seen, which unfortunately doesn't photograph well. I gave the audio guide a 10 but Ewan thought it was too long - it's hard to please everyone!
One of the joys and frustrations of travelling is trying to anticipate when attractions may be open. You have to factor in that many close on Mondays and EVERYTHING closes for siesta time in the middle of the day for a few hours - just when we are ready to go there. However there is always the unexpected. I was keen to go to a Casa Museum which was in a old house next to the Cathedral. We checked the website - times were no problem - but arrived to find the door firmly shut. It was the 1st September and they were closed for renovations in. .you guessed it! !....September! I give up!
Today we pulled off the highway into a town we had never heard of: Astorga. I was delighted to see lots of signs advertising chocolate and wait for it: a CHOCOLATE MUSEUM!!! After multiple cathedrals, castillos, fortresses, basilicas and museums it was time for a change l thought. This region was famous for Chocolat in the 17th centuries when cacao beans were traded across the Atlantic and everyone drank chocolate. But it wasn't meant to be so for me: we arrived in siesta time and alas! It was closed. Aaaaagh!
Our other eating experiences today were a surprise.
We both needed a mid morning coffee so we followed the signs into a tiny town next to the highway. It appeared to be totally deserted: honestly I wouldn't have been surprised if tumbleweeds had rolled down the streets. After driving around aimlessly we finally found a tiny Cafe/Bar all on its own. A young guy with no English made some strong coffee and served it with a tiny magdalena - a mini cupcake with no icing. Apparently you're supposed to dunk it in your coffee. It was just what we needed to get us going. On the way out of town we did see a bit more activity but we were glad to leave!
For lunch we decided to head for the nearest town and have a picnic in the local Park as my supermarket trip had left us with an array of delicacies - jamon, cheese, a range of brightly-coloured tiny tomatoes, and a bakery at our previous stop had provided crusty rye bread and an apple tartin slice. So we headed for the nearest bit of green on the map and arrived at a Park with an ancient town wall along one side and two huge old buildings on the other side of it. One was clearly an impressive Gothic church, and the other turned out to be a Palacio designed by Gaudi himself. How serendipitous!! We feel as if we have stumbled onto a Gaudi tour as we had seen another Gaudi building in Leon the day be before.
After lunch Ewan was in danger of falling asleep at the wheel so I drove. Let me say that I haven't driven in Europe before so it was with some trepidation that I took the wheel. Mind you I drove about 120kms down an almost deserted Highway with only a few trucks to contend with. I bailed out when we neared Salamanca as I wasn't sure how I'd cope with traffic.
We came across a number of the 'pilgrims' trudging along the Camino Trail. Some of it looks very monotonous and boring but it would be quite an achievement I am sure. Even a couple of donkeys were making the trip!
The only other place we stopped today was Ponferrada to see a Castle of the Knights Templar that looked a lot like a Hollywood version of a castle. Very old and nicely restored with a moat and drawbridge and all. Ewan was pleased to see some stairs to climb to the top - made his day!
Happy to have finally arrived in Salamanca,
You're weary writer
Dianne
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