Our quick stop in Burgos had come to and end. We breakfasted and thought we’d take a quick walk through what would surely be quiet streets after the night’s revelries. But there was no quiet here. By 10am the bands were back out playing and bars were beginning to open (on a Sunday no less!) so it was time to move on.
Back through the rabbit warren of access roads to get us out of the old city and on to the road north. Destination: Laguardia, a medieval town in the middle of the Rioja wine region. This trip would involve backroads and villages rather than motorways. The sun was scorching and the scenery expansive.
We reached our destination to realize I had not correctly interpreted the descriptor “medieval” correctly- it is in fact a walled city with no room for cars. Finding a parking spot outside the city was a challenge- there seemed to be a LOT of people doing the same thing. We squeezed our little Fiat into a space on the side of the road and made our way into town to find the hotel.
Where we found out that today is the end of the local festival and we were just in time for the running of the cows. Not quite Pamplona, there were half a dozen or so small bulls set loose to run down the main street several times. Along the route it seemed to be a thing for local men and boys to try to touch their horns. Interestingly but very odd.
After watching the cows, it was time to get settled in. The hotel had a garage outside the city where we could leave the car safely. Then some lunch in the shade – caprese salad for Frank and a local bean and chorizo soup for me. We spent a little while wandering the city and watching how the locals celebrate: at one point there were dozens of people sitting at tables in the street partaking of the largest paella I have ever seen!
Then, of course, siesta. Given the obnoxious heat that has settled over many parts of Europe, it was very nice to escape to the air conditioned hotel for a few hours of kip.
The new routine then continued: wake up, shower (again), change (again), go out and get sweaty (again). We opted to break with local tradition and have dinner at 20.30 instead of 22.00. We chose a winery/restaurant that had lots of GF things on the menu. It was a lovely meal with local steak and wine made in the building where we ate. We even got a tour of the cellar from the winemaker himself.
Heading back to the hotel at 22.30, we watched as the last of the festivities continued in the streets. There was still music and dancing for an hour or so before we said good night to Laguardia.
Memorable moments from today:
- Another set of local traditions with traditional dress. And music.
- A mere 14k steps, mostly within the walls of the thousand year old city.
- More English spoken by visitors here than in Burgos.
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