Just got back from a trip to Spain and no doubt our day of wine tasting with Jenny / Taste Rioja…read morewas a highlight. This is NOT a tour bus experience. Jenny keeps groups small so you can get the most out of your day. Our first of three wineries on the Architecture & Wine tour was Campo Viejo, a large producer who ships worldwide (found them in my local supermarket once home). The tour was very educational, in a beautiful location, and a great start to the day. Next was Bai Gorri, the place of the "glass cube." Because Jenny worked there before starting her business, we met the winemaker and she was able to give us the full tour, which concluded with a fantastic 5 course lunch, and of course 5 wines. Shared liberally. Our last stop was Marques de Riscal which boasts a recently added Gehry-designed hotel along with wine caves a few hundred years old. This was the only "big tour" on the list but Jenny was able to add valuable information along the way. Now for Jenny - what a fun, vibrant, and knowledgeable guide. Felt like we were with an old friend from the start of the day. And before we left her, Jenny shared more on other wineries to visit throughout La Rioja area and even a few tasting rooms in Haro, which is something you often hear you can't find in this region of Spain. Booking was a breeze, her team is quick to respond to all questions by email or phone. Really enjoyable and highly recommend for your trip to the region!

The bus station in Vitoria, capital of Álava in the Basque Country, was inaugurated on March 16,…read more2015 after almost twenty-two years at the old Los Herrán station. It is located in the Euskaltzaindia square in Vitoria, next to the headquarters of the Basque Government. The building is modern, ample and very big...lots of platforms. If you are visiting the Old Town, which is what most tourists would do, it is not walking distance (about 30 min). The easiest thing is to get a taxi or a tram to the Old Town. The tram can be riden after buying the Tram/Bus card on the machines and adding some money for fares.

Bodega Classica - Hacienda Lopez de Haro is just outside the walls of San Vicente de la Sonsierra…read moreand affords magnificent views of the Ebro river and the church/village. The wines are complex and quite enjoyable. The tour was the big attraction. The management was very accommodating of our schedule. Ainhoa Mouriz Ibarra was our guide for the tasting and the tour. This noble Basque woman spoke elegantly about the history of wine in La Rioja. Her presentation had us enthralled. We could have stayed much longer that the 2 hours we did. She graced us with a sampling of a non-traditional/experimental wine using 100 year old local Garnacha grapes. It was startling in its quality. It was ageing in a cement egg. We sampled right from the barrel. Not for sale. Later she took us to another experimental wine in another cement egg for a "barrel" tasting. Once again spectacular wine. Once again, not for sale. This tour reinforced the concept of the rules of La Rioja where the production that bears the DOC must be of an exact terroir and grape mix. That does not limit winemakers from showing their skills in other ways with other wines, just not for sale under he DOC label. Totally recommend, but plan ahead and contact them before you visit.

This statue made of bronze of the festive symbol of the City par excellence, can be seen in this…read moreplace since August 3, 2005. Celedón is the character that opens the patron saint festivities of Vitoria and he does so by descending with an umbrella through the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca. It is obviously a doll, which after the aerial acrobatics goes out from a balcony converted into a person to encourage people to enjoy the festivities. Its author was Angel Benito Gaztañaga, its face being inspired by the face of José Luis Isasi, who died in 2007, the first person to incarnate Celedón between 1957 and 1979. Its location could not be more ideal: looking at the Patroness of the City: The White Virgin.

Santo Domingo is a pleasant town that is located on the Camino Santiago and near the La Rioja Wine…read moreCountry and the twin Monasteries (Suso and Yuso) at San Millan de Cogolla. Gayle and I stayed at the Parador Santo Domingo Bernardo de la Fresneda, walked the streets, visited the Cathedral. rubbed elbows with Pilgrims, say the Chickens in the Cathedral, and climbed its Tower. Santo Domingo also has a curious history, mostly connected to the man of whom it was named. Born n 1019, Domingo dedicated his young life to the Pilgrims. He built a Hospice, a bridge, and generally improved the quality of the path. As such, he is also known as the Patron Saint of road workers and engineers. Gayle and I also took a nice drive south to the small charming Village of Escaray, which is more hilly and scenic. In particular, there was a cool Church outside of Town that had a nice view of the Valley below. The Valdezcaray Ski Station (in season) is also close by as our beautiful stone bridges over the Oja River.

The new bus station in Vitoria, was inaugurated on March 16, 2015 after almost twenty-two years of…read morebeing located at Los Herrán station. It is located in the Euskaltzaindia square in Vitoria, next to the headquarters of the Basque Government. The traditional options of going to the station by taxi, city car, car or bicycle are joined, in the new terminal, by the alternative of the tram, since the two branches of the Vitorian light metro have separate stops close to the station. When I arrived at this station, I weighed my options to get to the Old town and I chose the tram. I went to get the tram card and topped it off with a small balance. Then I asked where the tram stop was (which was only 2 blocks away) and after about 4-5 stops I was in the Old town. The good thing about the tram card is that it can be used in all buses in the Basque country, so if you are visiting Bilbao and San Sebastian, this card can be used there.

We found La Ilera (ilera), a wonderful Casa Rural or "bed and breakfast" via booking.com or maybe…read moretoprural.com--- and I just had to share it on Yelp. We had a wonderful stay overnight here. The owner, Lourdes, is a great host. We stayed here the first night of a three night trip to the Rioja wine region and San Sebastian, and her recomendations and suggestions, along with help booking visits with wineries/bodegas, was a huge huge asset and served to shape our trip. The hotel itself is very clean and cute, traditional but nice. In the middle of a quiet town, there are a few bars nearby and two very good restaurants in town that serve as destination dining experiences for many people visiting Rioja. The town is also only a 5 minute drive from Haro, where tasting rooms for many wineries are located, and it's not far off a major freeway that you may be following to get to the area. I couldn't say any more about how great it was. We also really appreciated that the bath towels were "sheet" size, huge! It's such a small but worthwhile luxury. Breakfast was mostly home made and served with jams Lourdes made herself! Amazing. Don't hesitate. Beds are also very comfortable.

Easy booking, easy checkin and we had no problems with getting into our room…read more We had 2 rooms for 2 couples, which were really nice, large and both had a balcony. It has a kitchenette, dishwasher, clothes washing machine, large TV and all the dishes, pots and utensils needed. It is very close to the main historic plaza, and most restaurants.

We spent four nights in the Crianza Suite in February and our stay was delightful. This studio…read moreapartment is a half block from the main plaza and an easy walk to most everything in the Haro area. The Suite has a vibrant decor and the wine theme is a lot of fun especially since our choice of Haro to visit was for the wines! Daniel greeted us and was most gracious, including recommending a wine tour guide that was awesome. Our friends booked the adjacent Reserva Suite, also very nice. The Reserva is a one-bedroom apartment, so a little larger than the studio. Haro comes alive on Saturday nights, so I recommend a Saturday if you want to see the locals in action