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

EUSKADI: HONDARRIBIA

After the three days we spent in Santander, Comillas, Santillana del Mar and Bilbao, we arrived at Gipuzkoa, where we visited:

• Donostia (San Sebastián)
• Getaria
• Zarautz
• Hondarribi (Hondarribia) 

Below I would like to show you some pictures of Hondarribia, a beautiful village I liked a lot. The old town of Hondarribia is really nice, with lovely squares and colourful houses inside the well preserved city walls.

Hondarribi (Hondarribia)

We spent one day in Hondarribi, where we visited:

• Marina and Beach
• Bidasoa River
• Guipuzkoa square
• Streets of the Old City
• City Walls

The Beach of Hondarribi, between mountains and the Bidasoa river, belongs to the leisure area, together with the Sports Center and the Marina



The Hondarribi marina is close to the beach and the Sports Center



You can ride easily on your bike from the old town of Hondarribia to the beach and the Sports Center



The Bidasoa river is a natural border between the Basque Country and France. In the right bank Hendaya appears



These colourful houses can be seen throughout the Hondarribi old town. Here we were in the former Parade Ground, the main public space and where the Carlos V castle is


A view of the Bidasoa river from the old town of Hondarribia. Hendaya appears shyly in the background




More typical colourful houses, now in Gipuzkoa square


I found really beautiful the Gipuzkoa square in Hondarribia


A street of the old town with more colourful houses. This buildings give a nice and bright look to the old town of Hondarribia



The walls of the old town of Hondarribia can be clearly seen here

In this trip we visited too:

• Cantabria and Santander
• Comillas and Santillana del Mar

• Bilbo - Bilbao
• Donostia - San Sebastián
• Getaria and Zarautz

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



- Catalonia

• Costa Brava in Catalonia
• Barcelona
• Girona

- 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

- Zaragoza, La Rioja and Navarra

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

- Alicante

• Alicante, Elche and Isla de Tabarca

EUSKADI: GETARIA, ZARAUTZ AND HONDARRIBIA

After the three days we spent in Santander, Comillas, Santillana del Mar and Bilbao, we arrived at Gipuzkoa, where we visited:

• Donostia (San Sebastián)
• Getaria
• Zarautz
• Hondarribi (Hondarribia) 

I must say that I really liked these places.

Donostia (San Sebastián)

A fantastic view of Ondarreta beach and the Igueldo mountain from the Miramar Palace in San Sebastián


Ondarreta beach from the promenade in San Sebastián



Beach of La Concha in San Sebastián

La Concha Beach from Urgull mount in San Sebastián

Getaria

This picture, taken from a point of the road which links the coastal towns of Zarautz and Getaria, shows the beach and the harbour of Getaria and the Mount Sant Antón, popularly known as "Mouse of Getaria"



The "Mouse of Getaria" was an island until the 15th century. But it was joined to the town by way of an artificial arm. The church of San Salvador appears also in this photo



The beach of Zarautz can be seen from the beach of Getaria. This two beaches are linked by a seafront that makes possible walk from one town to the other in less than an hour's time. I find this landscape wonderful :)



This is the high street of Getaria, which has as end the church of San Salvador. Considered one of the jewels of the gothic era in the Basque Country, as well as its great artistic value, has a historical importance: in 1397 the "Hermandad Guipuzcoana" was founded here, the origin of the current historical territory of Gipuzkoa



The monument to Juan Sebastian Elcano represents a large ship's figurehead, inspired by the "Victory of Samotrace" and commemorates the heroic deeds of this illustrious seaman



The current town hall of Getaria and in the foreground, an anchor which reveals the fishing essence of this lovely little town

Zarautz

The beach of Zarautz, which is The biggest beach in Gipuzkoa, extends alongside 2,500 metres. Waves flooded largely the sand creating a lot of puddles

A lively very long maritime promenade appears over the colours of its peculiar tent cabins. The promenade of Zarautz is excellent for an afternoon walk, especially in a sunny day. In this picture you can see the puddle I spoke about in the previous image

This building than looks like a Castle is actually the restaurant of Karlos Arguiñano, a well-known cook in the Basque Country


The Mount Sant Antón is known as "Mouse of Getaria" because of its shape, really similar to one of a mouse

Hondarribi (Hondarribia)

We spent one day in Hondarribi, where we visited:

• City Walls
• Guipuzkoa square
• Streets of the Old City
• Marina and Beach

The old city of Hondarribi is really beautiful, with lovely squares and colourful houses inside the well preserved city walls.

The Beach of Hondarribi, between mountains and the Bidasoa river, belongs to the leisure area, together with the Sports Center and the Marina



The Hondarribi marina is very closer to the beach and the Sports Center



These colourful houses can be seen throughout the Hondarribi old town. Here we were in the former Parade Ground, the main public space and where the Carlos V castle is



More typical colourful houses, now in Gipuzkoa square


A street of the old town with more colourful houses. This buildings give a nice and bright look to the old town of Hondarribi



The walls of the old town can be clearly seen here

In this trip we visited too:

• Cantabria and Santander
• Comillas and Santillana del Mar

• Bilbo - Bilbao
• Donostia - San Sebastián
• Hondarribia

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



- Catalonia

• Costa Brava in Catalonia
• Barcelona
• Girona

- 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

- Zaragoza, La Rioja and Navarra

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

- Alicante

• Alicante, Elche and Isla de Tabarca

EUSKADI: DONOSTIA - SAN SEBASTIAN

After the three days we spent in Santander, Comillas, Santillana del Mar and Bilbao, we arrived at Gipuzkoa, where we visited:

• Donostia (San Sebastián)
• Getaria
• Zarautz
• Hondarribi (Hondarribia) 

I must say that I really liked these places.

Tuesday, 28th july 2009

Donostia (San Sebastián)

Donostia is an elegant and lovely town with a fantastic beach, a genuine old quarter and a magnificent and an harmonious urbanistic design, as I will try to show you in the next pictures. I really liked this town. These are the beautiful places we visited in Donostia:

• La Kontxa (Concha) Beach
• Ondarreta Beach
• Miramar Palace
• Peine del Viento by Chillida
• Urgull Mount
• Kursaal
• Gipuzkoa square
• Constitución Square and Old Quarter
• Cathedral and New Quarter

La Kontxa (La Concha) Beach

As soon as we arrived at Donostia, we went to the wonderful beach of La Kontxa. In the background, the Urgull mountain

From the same point than the previous picture, but in the opposite direction, we can see the Igueldo mount and Santa Clara island

Igueldo mount and La Concha beach in San Sebastián

Ondarreta Beach

A bit later the sunshine caressed warmly our faces and we started to see some bathers in La Concha beach who were eager to enjoy this hot and shining day in San Sebastián


Ondarreta beach and Igueldo mount in San Sebastián

A fantastic view of Ondarreta beach and the Igueldo mountain from the Miramar Palace in San Sebastián

A little garden we saw walking along Ondarreta beach. Gardens in Donostia are splendid

Miramar Palace

Miramar Palace is a really colourful building in "Cottage" english style. From here we could enjoy fantastic views of La Kontxa Bay in San Sebastián

Peine del Viento by Chillida

Under the Igueldo Mountain in San Sebastián, and after walking for almost one hour, we arrived at the "Peine del Viento". The "Peine del Viento" is a monument created by the famous sculptor Chillida in a windy place

A panoramic view of La Kontxa in San Sebastián. In the background, on the right, the Igueldo Mount

The building on the right, between the Kontxa beach and the Urgull mountain, is the City Hall of Donostia. The old quarter begins just behind this bulding

The building of the City Hall of San Sebastián was built originally to be a Gran Casino. In front of it, the Alderdi Eder Gardens

Urgull Mount

Everybody had told us that the view of Donostia from the Urgull mountain was wonderful, so we went up to the top of the mountain


Already on the top of the Urgull mount in San Sebastián, we could see, on the left, the Kursaal (a bit hidden) and the Zurriola beach



This is the view of the Kontxa beach in San Sebastián. This beach gives an special charm to the city. Its 1,370 metres of length draw a gentle curve and relates harmoniously to the mountains and buildings of Donostia-San Sebastián. On the left the old quarter appears between the trees and the City Hall



Here, in the background appears the old city of San Sebastián



The cathedral of Donostia can be better seen in this photo, where the City Hall appears too together with In front of it, the Alderdi Eder Gardens

Kursaal

After coming back to Donostia from Zarautz, we went for a walk and we could admire the Kursaal at night

The San Sebastian's Congress Centre is an amazing architectural built in 1999 by Rafael Moneo. In the Background a light arrives from the Mount Urgull

Wednesday, 29th july 2009

Donostia

Gipuzkoa square

Probably one of the most charming places in Donostia-San Sebastián is Gipuzkoa square, whose gardens appear full of small surprises. Donostia offers an oasis of peace in these romantic gardens, From this lovely square we went by bus to Hondarribi, a beautiful little town in the border with France with a wonderful old town

We came back to Donostia in the afternoon, so we could spent a good time until the evening, when we had to get on our coach to come back to Santander. From there we would catch our flight to Barcelona.

Old Quarter

For centuries, Donostia-San Sebastián was reduced to the group of streets located at the foot of Mount Urgull, what nowadays is known as the Old Quarter. The Old Quarter is the festive axis and a friendly area where the people from Donostia meet.

A typical street of the old quarter of San Sebastián. We walked along one of this streets to reach the Constitución Square



Constitución square in San Sebastián is surrounded by arcaded buildings. Among those buildings, we can stand out the former Town Hall and its emblematic clock



Everybody walking or sitting at the pavements cafés surprises at one detail: each balcony in the square is numbered. As Donostia didn't have a bullring, bullfights took place in this square, always lively, and the 147 balconies were the boxes



The two towers of the City Hall of San Sebastián stand out at one of the ends of La Concha Bay. This emblematic building keeps the same splendour as when it was the Grand Casino

Cathedral and New Quarter

After the demolition of the walls in 1863, Donostia-San Sebastián could extend between the Urumea River and La Concha Bay by means of the enlargement Antonio Cortázar designed. This romantic area, with several pedestrian axis blocked by the Boulevard and the Libertad Avenue, nowadays makes up the urban centre, characterised by the elegance of the buildings.

The 75 metres high tower of the Buen Pastor Cathedral in San Sebastián, the most striking element of Donostia's cathedral, can be seen from a good part of the city. This neogothic church was built between 1888 and 1897 using stone blocks extracted from Mount Igeldo's quarries

Inside the Buen Pastor Cathedral in San Sebastián we could observe all the characteristic elements of gothic style



The Buen Pastor Cathedral in San Sebastián dominates the Buen Pastor Square, with gardens and two outstanding twin buildings, the present headquarters of the Post Office and the Koldo Mitxelena Cultural Centre, at the back



On the left the current Post Office and, on the right, the Koldo Mitxelena Cultural Centre, are two twin buildings at the back of the Buen Pastor Cathedral in San Sebastián

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



- Catalonia

• Costa Brava in Catalonia
• Barcelona
• Girona

- 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

- Zaragoza, La Rioja and Navarra

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

- Alicante

• Alicante, Elche and Isla de Tabarca