Monthly Archives: August 2026

We took the slow route, which is the easy route without having the giant mountain passes with nauseating switchbacks. Impressive tunnels some well over a kilometer. Again, a full day of driving without seeing a single pothole on roads that … Continue reading →

Stupidly hot with high of 102F. Side trip to Briones “Perched on a rocky outcrop in the Rioja Alta subregion of La Rioja, Briones is widely considered one of the most picturesque medieval towns in northern Spain.” But not quite … Continue reading →

The big day! Almost 100 degrees just before eclipse. First a visit to an archeological site. Two signs: one said open today, the other not. Not So, we drove to Logroño. A good town we knew from the walk on … Continue reading →

Hotel breakfast. Good rolls, coffee, cake. Stingy re yogurt. Not enough fruit. Meat and salami lovers paradise. Laguardia, a medieval hilltop town that is mostly pedestrian with two major churches, one on the north and one on the south side. … Continue reading →

Small town (950 population) next to a bucket list hotel- a Michelle recommendation- designed by Frank Gehry. It is our choice of where to see the event. Vitoria-Gasteiz, a stop on the way. Capital of Basque Country, site of 13th … Continue reading →

Sunday: the city is shut down. Food of course, and museums and little else.  mostly a rest day for us.  A landmark from days past a manufacturing brand name Just not in the mood to go past the … Continue reading →

Spanish breakfast before cooking class. Cooking class on other side of bridge. Paella and burnt basque cheesecake with three grades of wine and a slurp of horrible cider. Class started 11 in the morning. Excellent and very experienced chef led … Continue reading →

Breakfast at at local gastropub Guggenheim Museum Cafe Iruña Cortes Ingles Nice nap A very Spanish breakfast Not one of our favorites by a long long shot. A very large exhibit with an enormous number of wire turnings very few … Continue reading →

Start of a long Planned adventure and bucket list item Asked for coffee and this is what we got They met us at the plane at the foot of the steps, took us by car to and through immigration. No … Continue reading →

Heading off to Spain, leaving in the afternoon. A reflection from Adam Smith on necessities. What triggered this? Well we both purchased linen shirts for the heat of Spain. Adam Smith muses: By necessaries I understand, not only the commodities … Continue reading →