One of the joys of traveling is adjusting to a new hire car.
Whilst trains and buses can be a fabulous way off getting from A to B, if you want to see more remote spots then a car is the way to go. As we headed off to mooch around the Northern Spain countryside, with the final destination being Madrid next week, we had to cope with some challenges.
Firstly who knew there was a car called a SEAT Spaceback?? Not us! But for a mere 21 Euros per day who could complain? AND it fitted our bags in easily because there was so much space in the back.
First challenge of the day:
Driving on the right hand side of the road. Ewan is very proficient at this now after having endured a month of Erin yelling at him in Turkey every time he was about to venture down the left hand side of the road. The trick is to remember which side of the car to get into as the steering wheel is on the right hand side. Today we walked towards the car and both of us went to the wrong side of the car and had to swap, feeling rather foolish.
Second challenge of the day:
The tunnel: plenty of them on the way from San Sebastian to Pamplona and then to Logrono as we discovered. So Ewan had to work out how to turn the headlights on whilst doing 120kms - not an easy task as the usual turning/pushing/ jiggling of the lights control stick didn't appear to do much. When we finally stopped the lights were on but I'm not sure he knows how to do it again!
Third challenge of the day:
Somewhere between Pamplona and Logrono the heavens opened and it absolutely poured, and I mean poured. There were sheets of rain that completely obscured our vision and meant Ewan had to slow down very rapidly. AND find the windscreen wipers in a hurry. He managed to get them on but only for a few swipes and then they stopped! With some relief he found the right button and they stayed on, and worked perfectly well, which was a relief to both of us!!
Fourth challenge of the day:
Google maps goes mad. Having booked a very modern hotel in the Old town in Logrono I merrily tapped the address into Google maps so our best friend Gloria the GPS could show us the way. All good until we got to the last street which looked like a very narrow pedestrian street in the Old Town style: cobbled, overhanging balconies and very narrow (see photo). We both looked at each other and decided "maybe not". When we parked and walked to the hotel ( the Marques de Vallejo - very nice) the receptionist was horrified when we told her where Gloria had led us: definitely not a roadway. Phew!
Fifth challenge of the day:
Buying a parking ticket. Today we had the experience of a parking ticket system that only a Mensa member could work out. ....or someone who speaks Spanish I guess! There was an array of at least 30 shiny buttons with endless options and we had no idea. In the end we decided that probably Spanish parking inspectors wouldn't like the rain any more than Melbourne ones so we gave up and walked away. ...and didn't get a ticket. Another phew!
In between all of this excitement we had a lovely day driving through the base of the Pyrenees admiring the mountains and noting the increase in vineyards as we came closer to La Rioja country.
We had a quick look around Pamplona, a large town. There were no signs of any real bulls fortunately, but the streets in the old town where they run have distinctive red signposts...and of course there is no shortage of ghastly souvenirs all bull-related.
We did visit the very impressive Cathedral: we were in danger of going into cathedral withdrawal as we hadn't seen one for a few days. This one had a long history and included some Roman archaelogical ruins complete with skeleton and some very beautiful cloisters.
Logrono is known for its food so after a wander around and just one pinchos and a coffee for lunch we went in search of the Museo de La Rioja which of course was closed because it's a Monday!
So Ewan continued to wander whilst I went to the supermarket - not noted on the tourist list of things to do , but I love going to supermarkets in foreign countries to see what the locals really eat. It took me about half an hour to decide on some jamon/ ham and some cheese as there were so many varieties: so I stocked up on some basics and found Ewan at the hotel.
Equipped with our umbrellas as it was still drizzling we headed off for the famous tapas street only a block away from our hotel. The choice is remarkable but some of the most highly recommended bars were closed: Monday? Rain? Hard to say!
There were still plenty open and lots of people enjoying them, particularly some bowls of a delicious looking potatoes. So we found a bar with an array of pinchos and ordered some of the same potatoes and some of the mysterious pinxtos. The Potatoes Brava consisted of fried potatoes with sour cream and a bright red peppery sauce: definitely not diet food but delicious on a cool wet night. The wine was very cheap and very drinkable.
We spent some time chatting to an NZ couple who were having a rest day from doing the famous Camino trail which sounded very challenging, but very rewarding. My leg ached at the mere thought of it!
After finding another of the recommended bars closed we opted for ice cream instead before heading for home.
Your ever expanding correspondent
Dianne
No comments:
Post a Comment