Espana!

After a week with us in London Mum and Dad took off for Spain to catch up with Michael and Silvia (my brother and his girlfriend).  So as soon as school had finished for the summer and after a busy last day of prize giving, goodbyes and a massive staff lunch, I raced home to collect Tim and our bags and we were on our way to Stansted for our 7pm flight.  Every time we fly with Ryanair we hate it so much and  vow to not do so ever again, but somehow we can never resist the cheap deals!  This one wasn't too bad, the flight was only two hours to Madrid and was made quite exciting as the semi final of the world cup between Spain and Germany was being played while we were in the air.  The captain gave us updates throughout the flight and then just before landing announced that Spain had won, resulting in a huge cheer from all on board!  Michael and Silvia picked us up from the airport (where we were shocked to find it was still 35 degrees at 11pm!) and drove us to the hotel that Mum and Dad were staying at where we had a quick catch up before calling it a night.

The next day the plan was for all of us to head north, but of course being on Spanish time there was no hurry and we spent a leisurely morning getting organised for our trip.  Eventually Tim and I set off to pick up a rental car (a brand new mini with only 6 km on the clock!) and navigated our way back to Michael and Silvia's flat. There we packed up the cars and set off in convoy with Tim and I in the mini and the others in Silvia's car.  We headed for Cantabria which is in the north, passing beautiful countryside and many iconic bull silhouettes marking the landscape, Tim driving on the right hand side of the road like an expert as usual!

We arrived at a town called Reinosa in the early evening where we picked up supplies at the local supermarket, before carrying on to the tiny village of Pesquera, where Silvia's family owns a holiday home, a little bit like a batch in New Zealand.  The house was very old and quaint with creaky wooden floors and low beamed ceilings, but very cosy and there was plenty of room for all of us.  Surrounding the village was beautiful farmland with a lovely little creak meandering its way past the houses.  Being further north it was much cooler up there and that night we were entertained by a thunder and lightening storm which made for a cosy sleep as we listened to the rain on the roof, an experience we so miss living in London.

Friday morning we headed out to explore the countryside, walking through farm land home to dairy herds complete with bells around their necks (it was just like being in Switzerland!)  We eventually made it to a track that had been built in Roman times, winding it's way through woodland.  The track was pretty steep and slippery, but very cool as you could still see the wheel ruts in the stone that would have been made all those centuries ago.

After a couple of hours of walking we eventually made it to the next town, a pretty place which also seemed very Swiss-like where we stopped for a beer and some lunch, before catching the train back to Pesquera.  That afternoon while Mum and Dad had a rest we headed out to the local bar (a tiny place that doubled as the local shop) for a coffee, stopping along the way to pat the horses and mules in the paddocks.

That evening we embarked on an exciting drive that took us high into the mountains and over to the lovely hamlet of Barcena Mayor.  The journey was incredible with spectacular views and herds of cows and horses roaming freely on the roads!  At Barcena we took a short walk through the woods to a lovely waterfall before heading to a restaurant for dinner, where we were treated to the local speciality of cocido, a kind of stew that is particular to the region we were in.







Saturday morning we let the Spaniards sleep in while Tim and I decided to make the most of having the car and took off for Rioja, the most famous wine growing region in all of Spain, where wine has been cultivated since Roman times.  The region is classic wine country where vineyards cover the majority of the landscape, making the journey very picturesque, not to mention the fields of sunflowers and wheat in between.

Stopping for several photo opportunities we eventually made it to Haro, the capital of La Rioja's wine-producing region, which boasts a lovely central plaza where we stopped for lunch.  Haro is a place we would like to some day return to, as we saw in various shop windows photos of an annual festival that had recently taken place, the Batalla del Vino (Wine Battle).  Apparently each June the usually mild mannered citizens of Haro go temporarily berserk, squirting and chucking wine over each other in the name of various Saints, making sure that a fair amount of it goes down the right way also!

After lunch we carried on to Laguardia where we had planned to spend the night, and what a beautiful spot we had chosen!  Laguardia is strategically placed, completely walled and on a hill top against the stunning back drop of the cliffs of Sierra Catabrica.  The town is virtually traffic free because of the maze of 300 or so wine bodegas only a few metres below ground.  We stayed at a hotel recommended by the Lonely Planet and were lucky enough to score one of the rooms that the back which had it's own terrace with sweeping views out over the vineyards and towards the mountains.

After a siesta to escape the scorching heat we ventured out to embark on a DIY wine and tapas tour!  First stop was a tour of a wine cellar where the history of the town and the region were explained.  It turns out that nowadays very few of the caves are in use for actually producing wine, but several are still used for its storage.  We ventured underground with our guide where it was beautifully cool, and we were able to peer into the huge vats, see where the wine was stored and have a taste.

After being educated it was time for the real fun to begin, we basically hopped our way around the many, many bars in the town, sampling the most amazing wine and tapas as we went.  With the wine so cheap (mostly around 60 euro cents per glass) it was brilliant!  As our grasp of the Spanish language is pretty much non existent we ordered tapas by pointing at the ones we wanted, an interesting method as we had no idea what we were ordering really, and ended up at one point with what we think was deep fried pigs ears and later on a plate of frogs legs - interesting to say the least!  One of the bars we ended up in later that evening allowed us to take our drinks outside where we sat and watched the sun go down over the vineyards from our vantage point above them, the perfect end to an amazing day!



Sunday morning after a late start we took our time driving back to Madrid, stopping at a couple of places along the way which I can't remember the names of!  We wanted to get back with enough time to drop off the rental car and then get set to watch the world cup final between Spain and Holland.  After meeting up with Michael, Mum and Dad we headed into the city to watch the crowds gathering to watch the match on the big screens.

It was still a good three or four hours before the game was actually due to begin, but huge crowds were already gathered, dressed in all their red and yellow gear.  We decided to join them, and purchased a t-shirt for Tim along with an iconic Vuvuzela, and for me a giant Spanish flag which I wore like a cape.

Deciding to watch the game in the comfort of Mike and Silvia's flat, we stopped for a beer and tapa before picking up some more drinks and food to take back.  The game of course was very tense, but ended spectacularly and it was incredible to be there.  Mike and Silvia live in an apartment which is very central, so of course when Spain finally scored it was amazing to stand on the balcony and listen to the cheering, tooting and general noise from down below.  It was also the perfect place for everyone to have their obligatory turn with the Vuvuzela, an instrument which is incredibly hard to actually make go if you are female I think!

After the game Tim and I couldn't resist heading out to celebrate with all the Spaniards, Mum and Dad decided to head off to bed and because Silvia had an exam the following morning she and Michael decided to have an early night too.  Down on the streets it was absolute madness with people going completely crazy in celebration.  There were groups of people singing and yelling, blowing Vuvuzelas and waving flags.  On the roads cars were tooting their horns while their passengers hung out of the windows.  As we got closer to the centre of the city near the Triumphant Arch the traffic had come to a complete standstill with everyone just going mental, standing of the rooftops of cars and even buses, dancing, singing and shouting.  Further on we reached the media area where there were TV trucks and cameras galore, with the crowds continuing to go crazy.  Everywhere we looked there were people celebrating like mad!  What struck us was the lack of alcohol, obviously everyone had had a drink or two, but no one was really drunk or causing any trouble, it felt so safe and was just a really happy atmosphere.  I think both New Zealand and England could learn a lot from the way the Spaniards celebrate.  After a couple of hours walking the central streets and joining in the party it was time to head back to the flat to rest our weary feet and get a good night's sleep.

Monday was our last day in Madrid and we spent it doing a bit of shopping and enjoying one of our favourite Spanish treats, calamari bocadillos (sandwiches) and a cold beer.  Then it was time to head out to the airport where we said goodbye to Michael and Silvia and boarded our plane back to a thankfully cooler London!  Although brief it had been an amazing trip to a country we seem to fall more and more in love with each time we visit.