octubre 2012 ~ Beautiful places of Barcelona and Catalonia

martes, 30 de octubre de 2012

NAVARRA: ESTELLA AND LOS ARCOS

During the first three days of our trip to La Rioja we visited Logroño, Haro and Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The fourth day we went to Laguardia in the morning, a lovely village surrounded by vineyards located in La Rioja Alavesa (Basque Country).

In the afternoon of this fourth day we visited Estella and the charming village of Los Arcos, where you can feel the atmosphere of The Way of Saint James.

You can see below all the places I visited in La Rioja, Navarra and Aragón during this trip:

Days 1 and 2

Zaragoza and Logroño

Day 3

Haro
Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Day 4

Laguardia
Estella
Los Arcos

Day 5

San Millán de la Cogolla
Nájera

Day 6

Tarazona
Monasterio de Veruela

In Estella and Los Arcos we visited the following places:

Estella:

Church of San Pedro de la Rua
Palace of the Kings of Navarra
Plaza de los Fueros (Fueros Square)

Los Arcos:

Plaza Mayor (Main Square)
Church of Santa Maria
Puerta de Castilla

Estella (Lizarra)

Church of San Pedro de la Rua in Estella

Gothic doorway of the church of San Pedro de la Rua in Estella

Street of Estella The Way of Saint James passes through. At the end of this street the Palace of the Kings of Navarra appears

Palace of the Kings of Navarra in Estella

Palace of the Kings of Navarra in Estella from the staircase which leads to the church of San Pedro de la Rua

Plaza de los Fueros in Estella

Los Arcos

City Hall of Los Arcos in Navarra

Bell tower of the church of Santa Maria in Los Arcos

Main Square in Los Arcos

I really liked the relaxing atmosphere of this square in Los Arcos

Church of Santa Maria in Los Arcos

Gothic cloister of the church of Santa Maria in Los Arcos

Bell tower of the church of Santa Maria from its cloister

Street in Los Arcos, a nice village in Navarra

Puerta de Castilla in Los Arcos

Other cities I visited during this trip in Zaragoza, La Rioja and Navarra were:

Finally, other beautiful places you can visit in Spain are:

- Catalonia

- Basque Country

Bilbo - Bilbao
Getaria, Zarautz and Hondarribia in San Sebastián

- Cantabria

- Granada

La Alhambra, Albaicín and Sacromonte in Granada

- Sevilla, Córdoba, Cádiz and Costa de la Luz

- Toledo, Madrid, El Escorial and Segovia

Toledo, Segovia, Monasterio del Escorial near Madrid

- Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera

Sóller, Port de Sóller, Deià and Valldemossa in Mallorca

Palma de Mallorca

Beaches and Las Dalias Market in Ibiza

Ses Illetes beach in Formentera

- Galicia

Santiago de Compostela in Galicia
Costa da Morte
Baiona, Islas Cíes and more Beaches in Galicia
Tui and Camino de Santiago Portugués

- Alicante

Alicante, Elche and Isla de Tabarca

domingo, 28 de octubre de 2012

SPAIN: EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO FRANCÉS

After having walked almost 120km along The Portuguese Way of Saint James from Valença do Minho in Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, I wanted to visit some villages of The French Way of Saint James. As we were going to La Rioja and Navarra some weeks later, we visited some of these villages and towns (but this time we went from one town to the next one by car):

Estella-Lizarra
Los Arcos
Logroño
Nájera
Santo Domingo de la Calzada

I really liked the Jacobean atmosphere of these towns and the fantastic churches, cathedrals and monasteries I could visit there.

Next I would like to show you some pictures of the places I like the most of these towns.

Estella-Lizarra

The Camino de Santiago enters the town of Estella by Curtidores Street. At the end of this street appears the Palace of the Kings of Navarra

Yellow arrow of The Camino de Santiago and the church of San Pedro de la Rua in Estella

Palace of the Kings of Navarra in Estella

Los Arcos

Shell of The Camino de Santiago near Puerta de Castilla in Los Arcos, a lovely village in Navarra

Bell tower of Santa María church in Los Arcos

Sculpture of Saint James inside the church of Santa Maria in Los Arcos

Logroño

The Camino de Santiago enters Logroño by the Puente de Piedra and crosses the old city by Rua Vieja and Barriocepo streets

Church of Santiago in Logroño

Nájera

Shell of Camino de Santiago near the doorway of Santa María la Real monastery in Nájera

Sculpture of Saint James inside the church of Santa Maria la Real monastery in Nájera

Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Shell of Camino de Santiago in Calle Mayor near the cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Santo Domingo inside the cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Pilgrim hostel in Santo Domingo de la Calzada in Calle Mayor

Convent of San Francisco behind the Pilgrim Monument in Santo Domingo de la Calzada

A closer picture of the Pilgrim Monument in Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Along The Portuguese Way of Saint James I could visit many interesting places like:

Finally, other beautiful places you can visit in Spain are:

Mallorca
Ibiza and Formentera

Alicante

sábado, 27 de octubre de 2012

BASQUE COUNTRY: LAGUARDIA IN RIOJA ALAVESA

During the first three days of our trip to La Rioja we visited Logroño, Haro and Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The fourth day we went to Laguardia, a lovely village surrounded by vineyards located in La Rioja Alavesa (Basque Country).

Vineyards in Laguardia

You can see below all the places I visited in La Rioja, Navarra and Aragón during this trip:

Days 1 and 2

Zaragoza and Logroño

Day 3

Haro
Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Day 4

Laguardia
Estella
Los Arcos

Day 5

San Millán de la Cogolla
Nájera

Day 6

Tarazona
Monasterio de Veruela

In Laguardia we visited the following places and a Wine Cellar, called Mayor de Migueloa:

Town Walls and Gates
Plaza Mayor (Main Square)
Streets of the Old Town
Church of Santa María de los Reyes
Plaza El Gaitero (El Gaitero Square)
Torre Abacial (Abattial Tower)
Visiting Wine Cellars
Paseo El Collado (El Collado Promenade)

Streets, Town Walls and Gates

One of the gates of the town walls of Laguardia, which are two metres high and are thick and topped by a battlemented parapet that, in the past, could be walked all around. There are five gates that lead into the town

Plaza Mayor (Main Square)

Plaza Mayor is a fortified square in the town’s centre of Laguardia. Here we can see the old town hall with the imperial coat of arms of Charles 5th, and the current town hall, with the town´s coat of arms

Streets of the Old Town

Main Street of Laguardia

We enjoyed a relaxing walk along streets like this one of Laguardia

As Laguardia belongs to La Rioja Alavesa, famous for its wines, there are many wine barrels in the streets of Laguardia

One of the lovely corners of Laguardia

Santa Maria de los Reyes

Church of Santa Maria de los Reyes in Laguardia

Plaza El Gaitero

Plaza El Gaitero in Laguardia

Plaza El Gaitero beside the church of Santa María de los Reyes and the Abattial Tower

Torre Abacial

Torre Abacial is a military tower built in the 18th century. It has lost its battlemented finish as a result of the various modifications

Visiting Wine Cellars

Wine Cellar Mayor de Migueloa in Laguardia

Laguardia, which belongs to La Rioja Alavesa, famous for its wines, gives you the possibility of visiting some of its wine cellars and have first hand information about the process of wine making, from the vintage to the bottling of our prestigious wines, and you can even taste different types. In Laguardia we visited the wine cellar Mayor de Migueloa.

Paseo El Collado

"El Collado" is a beautiful promenade around Laguardia

Castle "El Collado" in Laguardia

From El Collado you can enjoy the majestic Cantabria mountain range, and how the Navarra, Castilla and Aragón lands open up to our feet

Other cities I visited during this trip in Zaragoza, La Rioja and Navarra were:

Monasterio de Piedra near Zaragoza (Tapeo in Zaragoza)
Haro in La Rioja
Camino de Santiago Francés
Tarazona, Veruela Monastery and Sanctuary of Borja

Finally, other beautiful places you can visit in Spain are:

- Catalonia

- Basque Country

Bilbo - Bilbao
Getaria, Zarautz and Hondarribia in San Sebastián

- Cantabria

- Granada

La Alhambra, Albaicín and Sacromonte in Granada

- Sevilla, Córdoba, Cádiz and Costa de la Luz

- Toledo, Madrid, El Escorial and Segovia

Toledo, Segovia, Monasterio del Escorial near Madrid

- Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera

Sóller, Port de Sóller, Deià and Valldemossa in Mallorca

Palma de Mallorca

Beaches and Las Dalias Market in Ibiza

Ses Illetes beach in Formentera

- Galicia

Santiago de Compostela in Galicia
Costa da Morte
Baiona, Islas Cíes and more Beaches in Galicia
Tui and Camino de Santiago Portugués

- Alicante

Alicante, Elche and Isla de Tabarca

viernes, 26 de octubre de 2012

SPAIN - LA RIOJA: HARO

Haro is known as La Rioja Wine Capital. In this town you can visit a lot of wineries where you can learn all you want about wine. We visited La Rioja Alta winery and we liked a lot the tour and the wine tasting at the end of this tour.

You can see below all the places I visited in La Rioja, Navarra and Aragón during this trip:

Days 1 and 2