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:

• Valença do Minho in Portugal
• Tui
• Santiago de Compostela in  Galicia
• Galicia Beaches

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

• Costa Brava in Catalonia
• Barcelona
• Girona

• Basque Country - Bilbao
• Basque Country - Guipúzcoa and San Sebastián
• Cantabria and Santander

• Granada and La Alhambra
• Sevilla
• Córdoba
• Cádiz and Costa de la Luz

• Toledo
• Segovia
• Monasterio del Escorial
• Madrid

• Mallorca
• Ibiza and Formentera

• Zaragoza (Tapeo in Zaragoza)
• Monasterio de Piedra

• Alicante

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

 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

• Costa Brava in Catalonia
• Barcelona
• Girona

- Basque Country

• Bilbo - Bilbao
• Getaria, Zarautz and Hondarribia in San Sebastián

- Cantabria

• Cantabria
• Santander, Comillas and Santillana del Mar in Cantabria

- Granada

• La Alhambra, Albaicín and Sacromonte in Granada

- Sevilla, Córdoba, Cádiz and Costa de la Luz

• 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

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

• 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

Next I would like to show you some pictures of the places I like the most of the town of Haro.

Haro

City Hall of Haro in La Rioja

Wine barrels beside the city hall of Haro

Old town of Haro in La Rioja

Street in the old town of Haro in La Rioja

Cathedral of Haro

 La Rioja Alta Winery

Vineyards in La Rioja Alta winery

Here we waited for the beginning of the tour around La Rioja Alta Winery

Tour in La Rioja Alta winery

Wine cellar of La Rioja Alta winery

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

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

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

- Catalonia

• Costa Brava in Catalonia
• Barcelona
• Girona

- Basque Country

• Bilbo - Bilbao
• Getaria, Zarautz and Hondarribia in San Sebastián

- Cantabria

• Cantabria
• Santander, Comillas and Santillana del Mar in Cantabria

- Granada

• La Alhambra, Albaicín and Sacromonte in Granada

- Sevilla, Córdoba, Cádiz and Costa de la Luz

• 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

LA RIOJA: ENOTURISMO AND CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

After having walked almost 120km along The Portuguese Way of Saint James in Galicia (from Valença do Minho and Tui to Santiago de Compostela), 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.

We also would like to go to La Rioja to enjoy the Enoturismo and visit some wine cellars, like La Rioja Alta in Haro and Mayor de Migueloa in Laguardia (Rioja Alavesa). Haro is actually the town of La Rioja which concentrates more wineries.

City Hall of Haro

Our hotel was in Logroño, so every evening we went to Laurel street to enjoy a glass of red wine with tapas.

Besides we spent previously two days in Zaragoza to visit some beautiful mudéjar churches.

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

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

Zaragoza

Basilica del Pilar from a bridge over the Ebro river

Palacio de la Aljafería in Zaragoza, a really beautiful palace

Logroño

Calle Laurel in Logroño, really lively at night

NH Logroño, the hotel we stayed during the days we spent in La Rioja and Navarra

San Miguel park in Logroño from the room in our hotel

Haro

Casks in Haro

Grapevines in La Rioja Alta wine cellar in Haro

Rioja Alta winery in Haro

Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada in La Rioja

Laguardia

Mayor de Migueloa wine cellar in Laguardia (Rioja Alavesa)

Calle Mayor in Laguardia

Vineyards in La Rioja Alavesa from Laguardia

Torre Abacial in Plaza de la Torre of Laguardia

Estella

Palacio de los Reyes de Navarra in Estella

A closer view of  this beautiful palace of Estella

Plaza de los Fueros in Estella

Los Arcos

Lively square in Los Arcos, a nice village of El Camino de Santiago

Bell tower from the cloister of Santa María church in Los Arcos

Los Arcos is a quiet place with a great pilgrim atmosphere

San Millán de la Cogolla

Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja

Glosas Emilianenses is considered the first text written in Spanish

The monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla is located between mountains in a quiet valley of La Rioja

Nájera

Cloister of the monastery of Santa María la Real in Nájera

Najerilla river in Nájera

Tarazona

Episcopal palace and mudéjar bell tower of the church of Santa María Magdalena in Tarazona

Monasterio de Veruela

Veruela monastery near Tarazona

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

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

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

- Catalonia

• Costa Brava in Catalonia
• Barcelona
• Girona

- Basque Country

• Bilbo - Bilbao
• Getaria, Zarautz and Hondarribia in San Sebastián

- Cantabria

• Cantabria
• Santander, Comillas and Santillana del Mar in Cantabria

- Granada

• La Alhambra, Albaicín and Sacromonte in Granada

- Sevilla, Córdoba, Cádiz and Costa de la Luz

• 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