Roadboy Cycles Northern Spain 2021

Days 5-7 Roman Bridges, Haro Wineries and The Guggenheim Bilbao

Day 5 

Day 5 rewarded us with a stunning 41 mile ramble through the Oja Valley along La Rio Oja with a lunch stop in Haro. Haro is a hilltop city that self-proclaims itself as the capital of the Rioja region.

Community River Laundry 

The River Oja, Banares

Our first stop, Banares, was especially picturesque. The Banares community maintains some beautiful public spaces including an public outdoor laundry pavilion (fed by the Oja River). The community also has a prominent stone jai alai fronton along the river, as well as public plaza's and beautiful churches.

Not far from Banares was the tiny village of Cihuri where we diverted off our main cycle route to view an elegantly arched Roman Bridge dating back to the second century.

Roman Bridge in Cihuri

Over my lifetime I keep being reminded that, while the Greeks presented civilization with its most heroic advances in ancient art, the Romans stand as the world's most accomplished ancient engineers.

The fact that we viewed one, and safely crossed another, Roman bridge in today's ride tells a story about building for the ages. 

While modern American society lately tends to opt for the least costly way to build public structures, bridges and highways (resulting in a nation filled with crumbling infrastructure) these elegant arched bridges make the case for designing beautiful structures that last.

From here we pedaled along the River Oja through rich farmland and huge aligned groves of tall poplar trees (harvested for use in making crates) on our way to Haro.

Haro

Haro turned out to be a wonderful spot to enjoy food and drink. We began with plates of its famous spicy potatoes (patatas bravas) washed down with wine or beer. After that we found a local pub known for its skewers of mushrooms. 

After lunch we set off to find Haro's famous, and indescribably soft, chocolate wine truffles. I bought some to transport home, but precious few actually made it home.

Haro is also known as the home to the annual "Battle of Wine". Every June 29, after a mass is held, throngs of participants take to the streets of Haro to throw thousands of liters of wine at each. Think of it as the boozy version of the Buñol's annual tomato throwing event.

The festival is the offshoot of a disagreement between Haro and Miranda de Ebro over the rights to some cliffs. In this part of the world many disagreements are resolved with wine.

After lunch we rode over a second Roman bridge this time spanning the River Ebro on our way to the little village of Briñas and another beautiful hotel; the Palacio Tondón.

The River Ebro from the Hotel Palacio Tondón

We gathered for a wine tasting in the Hotel's own Bodega and then dinner in a local restaurant that served the piles of the most wonderful grilled lamb chops I have ever eaten. 

After lots of wine and a mountain of lamb chops I crawled of to my room and slept like a pup. 

 

Day 6

Upon awakening we boarded a shuttle up to the hillside village of Berganzo to embark on our last major ride. Today's ride took us downhill into the rich farmlands of the Canyon of Billium. The roads through farms and vineyards were quiet; some hugging hillsides and others passing through rock hewn tunnels. On two wheels the ride was spectacular. 

 

Farms of the Conchas de Haro

Gloriously Empty Roads

Once again we ended our ride in Haro at the Bilbainas Winery. But today we enjoyed a wine tasting in the gardens of the Bodegas Bilbainas before being shuttled into the vineyards themselves for an elegant picnic lunch served in an ancient stone structure. The wine industry in the Rioja region is clearly in its ascendance.

Bodegas Bilbainas

Our Guides Itziar and Jose

As with all VBT's tours the last evening we gathered for a farewell dinner. 

After 9 European cycling adventures, this one was really special. We made friends with amazing riders from all over North America. We experienced wonderful cycling, ate amazing food and enjoyed remarkable wines. But more than that, we came to love the people, history and beauty of Spain's extraordinary Basque region.

 

Day 7 

The morning of our final day we boarded a shuttle, bid our terrific guides adieu, and set off to Bilbao.

Saying Goodbye to Jose and Itziar

For an architect today's shuttle ride was full of anticipation as our destination in Bilbao would include a visit to Frank Gehry's 1997 Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

IMHO this is the masterwork that served as the tipping point in Mr. Gehry's career (a reputation reinforced in 2003 by LA's Disney Hall).

 

The building merges a remarkable site which presents the structure differently from nearly any angle. Although it enjoys a waterfront location, trains and buses run through the building and a major highway runs right over it.

 

The Guggenheim

 

The 120,000 square foot building completely overwhelms most of the artwork it was built to house. The glass, limestone and titanium building itself is a sculpture meant to be walked through. 

 

Since this building speaks for itself. I will rely on images, rather than words, to describe it.

 

The Building in Model Form Demonstrates its Complex Relationship to its Site.

 

Special Software had to be Developed to Create the Building

A Composition of Sensuous Shapes

 The Largest of the Guggenheim's Nine Galleries Houses

Richard Serra's The Matter of Time

 

After our brief visit to Bilbao we boarded return flights to Madrid to overnight. In the morning I continued on to The Netherlands for a quick visit to Amsterdam and on to Rotterdam.

 

 

Roadboy's Travels © 2021

Roadboy Cycles Northern Spain 2021

Cycling the Way of St. James and a 2-Star Michelin Experience

Days 4-5

When we checked into our hotel in Ezcaray we knew we'd arrived someplace special. Guest rooms in the Echaurren Hotel Gastrónomico are beautifully designed. My room had the bed perfectly centered to the room with a closet designed to be thoughtfully accessible from both the entry and the dressing / bath area. A plush mohair bed topper turned out to be the creation of by local weavers who, coincidentally, weave specialty products for design houses like Prada and Gucci.

 

The hotel's main claim to fame is its multi-generational family ownership and well earned international reputation for fine dining. It's signature restaurant El Portal opened in 2002 and quickly garnered recognition from Michelin.

 

After sleeping like a pup I awoke the next morning and enjoyed a hearty breakfast. We then set off to collect our bikes and I, at this point, realized I had not planned well as I could see my breath in the crisp morning. 

 

 Crisp Alpine Cycling in the Morning

 

The frosty morning ride began uphill in the lovely alpine Oja Valley. A valley that, sadly, remained in complete shade the whole ascent (I'd have killed for my tights and a pair of full finger gloves).

Coming down we stopped in a little family run cafe for coffee and some free general warmth before returning to Excaray. From Excaray we then began our afternoon ride. This ride was (gloriously) in full sun 🙂 and chills from the morning melted away quickly.

Stopping for a Warm Cup of Coffee

The stretch from Excaray to Santo Domingo de la Calzada was spent on a lovely very quiet rail to trail cycle path. This route delivered one beautiful vista after another along the way.   

Glorious Rail to Trail Cycling

 Every Stop Along the Way Delivered Beautiful Vistas

Upon arrival in Santo Domingo de la Calzada we encountered lots of pilgrims on the Way of Saint James as it is part of the "French Way" routing. The symbolism for the pilgrimage is a seashell which is etched in stone pavers designating the route through the city. It was a great spot for lunch and the perfect place to try the famous Rioja wine truffles created there.

Pilgrims Frequently Sport Shells on their Backpacks

Upon arrival back to our hotel we dressed for dinner wondering what a 2-star Michelin dinner would be like. First off we were escorted to a lovely room with a fireplace to enjoy an infusion and some appetizers. We agreed the olive s were the best we'd ever eaten. When pressed our waiter confessed they were an amuse bouche. The chef created them from cheese, anchovy and red pepper to look like olives, but they weren't olives at all. 

Faux Olives, an Herb Infusion and Heart Tartare on Oyster Leaf

It is safe to say we'd have been hard pressed to consider something like heart tartare, but it turned out to be magnificent.

Second  Stop the Pintxo Bar

We started the pintxo course with El Portal's take on the classic "Gilda" (center) accompanied by sweetbreads and caviar (left) and choicero pepper with crusty corn on the right.

Each course was more colorful and creative the the one before. There was oyster and nettles, marrow and green beans, red scorpionfish, foie and speculoos. In a meal featuring 27 courses(!) I found only one item I did not really love. 

The Creative Force Behind our Dinner

 

Memories of our dinner at El Portal will always conjure up a smile. If you are lucky enough to secure a reservation here you will soon come to fully understand why! 

After dinner it was off to bed knowing we would be cycling to Haro in the morning.

Roadboy's Travels © 2021