Roadboy Cycles Northern Spain 2021

Cycling Northern Spain: Basque, Navarre & Rioja Wine Regions

Hemingway's Pamplona, Cycling the River Arga and a Vineyard Ride

Days 1-3

When it comes to travel I count myself as very, very lucky. Circumstances have allowed me to circumnavigate our beuatiful planet And, with every journey I discover new insights into our world. 

When I was young travel was a rush. We had to move fast to "see" everything. Now, well into my AARP years, my pace is unhurried and I actually "see" the nuances of places I travel with a point of reference that has been enriched by life and decades by the little strands of history now magically knitting together rich stories all reinforced with every new image I encounter along the way. 

And these days, the pace of travel spent straddling an "e" bike is perfect.

So, for my second cycling adventure this year (first was Martha's Vineyard / Cape Cod) we chose Northern Spain. This is the trip we missed out on last year when it was cancelled due to covid. 

 

This year we confirmed the trip as soon as Spain reopened to vaccinated US tourists.

 

Travel in 2021, however required flexibility. We got a call informing us that the particular dates we'd booked were short of guests (so many Americans still timid about international travel) so Vermont Bike Tours (VBT) was only able to run two groups for this itinerary in 2021. And this is an itinerary that in a normal year would sell out. We were offered, and jumped on spots with an earlier group.

And rolling the dice paid off handsomely.  We joined some wonderful cyclists from Colorado and Minnesota. The trip began on a shuttle from San Sebaastián into the cloudy nearby mountains to a small village where we met our guides, received our orientation and become acquainted with our bikes. 

 

Then, we set off on a lovely 22 mile downhill "warm-up" ride through the tranquil Laurran and Araquil River Valleys. 

 

Bliss.

 

A Snack Stop on the Warm-Up Ride

After the warm-up ride we shuttled to Pamplona and the same wonderful hotel Earnest Hemingway called home wirting his two famous in two novels set in Pamplona. 

 

The evening was capped by a wonderful welcome dinner at Ábaco. The dinner included veal nigiri, tomato smoked sardine / garlic soup, squid ramen (so good!), pepitoria style chicken and a desert of pistache baklava and petit fours. I found everything both beautiful and delicious.

 

 

Hemingway & Pamplona; Inseparable

 

The very name Pamplona triggers imagery of crazed runners in white pants and red scarves chased through narrow streets by six bulls. The "running" still takes place every July during Pamplona's 9 day festival in tribute to Saint Fermin. 

I really tried to discern the legend surrounding Saint Fermin and simply came to realilze the legend really doesn't matter. There are just too many intertwined stories to sort out.  People  just come to be of the moment; many reckless enough to run with bulls.

 

There are only three rules to run with the bulls, You Must:

1. Be 18 years old

2. Run in the same direction as the bulls and 

3. Be sober

 

There is no requirement about sanity and every year between 50 and 100 people sustain serious injuries in the 2-1/2 minute run. In fact, 15 runners have died since 1910. One suffocated, the rest were gored to death. 13 fatalities were Spainish nationals, 1 was Mexican, 1 was American.

Gran Hotel La Perla Pamplona

 

Day two's ride had us cycling loops along the mirror smooth Arga River. This was a liesurely ride on trails with lots of locals. Very nice.

 

Upon return to Pamplona we had light a light pIntxo lunch and used a little free time to explore Pamplona. 

 

In the evening the hotel offered us a tour of Hemingway's lovingly preserved hotel suite.

 

 The Hemingway Room in the Gran Hotel La Perl

 

Afterwards we were pared with local college students to go sample local wine and beer while "pintxo hopping". Our two students were from Costa Rica. They had a great sense of humor and offered a very honest personal appraisal of thier time living and studying in Spain. They were adorable.

Pintxo Hopping with Local College Students

Pamplona Nightlife Was Relaxed and Fun

 

Assembling for the Rioja Vineyards Ride

 

Day three was an exceptional ride. A sunny, cloudless day, calm winds and a 30+ mile mostly downhill ride through the exquisite Temperanillo Vineyards of Rioja. Along the was proud growers encouraged us to stop and sample grapes fresh from harvest. We happily obliged.

 

Rioja's Tempranillo Harvest was in Full Swing

Perfection

Spain's Scenic Rioja, Navarre Wine Producing Area

The Temperanillo

My ride was made even better when we encountered the Ysios Bodega designed by Spain's master architect (and a very personal hero) Santiago Calatrava.

 

Calatrava's Ysios Bodega (Winery)

 

Ysios

We also encountered a number of Dolman sites along our route. We stopped at the most distinctive one known as the "Witches Hut". These are neolithic burial sites date back 3300 and 5000 years. This dolman was discovered in 1935 and houses human remains of 39 along with beads, pendants and arrowheads.

The Witches Hut Dolman (Burial Site)

Our ride ended at the walled hilltop town of Laguardia. Here we had lunch and visited the Bodegas Carlos San Pedro Pérez de Viñaspre (wine cave). This family has been producing exceptional Rioja wines for 300 years.

Lunch and WIne in Laguardia

Wine tasting at Bodegas Carlos San Pedro Pérez de Viñaspre (Wine Cave)

From Laguardia we shuttled to the village of Ezcaray to enjoy a stay at the exquisite Echuarren Gastronomic Hotel.

Roadboy's Travels © 2021 

 

San Sebastián - Food, Surfing and Inhaling the Breath of Life

 “You could make the argument that there is no better place to eat in Europe than the city of San Sebastián. There are more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita here than anywhere on Earth, but even the everyday joints are superb. The love of food, the insistence on the very best ingredients, is fundamental to the culture and to life here.”

Anthony Bourdain

San Sebastián's Santa Clara Island and La Concha Bay

I've been dreaming of vacationing in this Basque coastal city in Northern Spain for a decade. But when I finally made plans to visit in 2020 covid changed everything.

So this year, as soon as it was possible to return to Spain, my cycling buddy Ms. W and I made the trip.

My desire to visit here puts me in good company. Celebrities and Spanish royalty have always made San Sebastián a holiday destination. Isabella II and later Queen Regent Maria Cristina returned for 9 summers living in the Miramar Palace she built for this purpose.

So let me begin with a spoiler alert, after a lifetime of travel, San Sebastián is hands down one of the most beautiful cities I've visited on our planet. It has everything all packaged in a stunning setting. It's architecture is a cool mash-up between the glamorous belle epoque architecture of French Rivera and regal Spain. It's Basque cuisine is worth the trip alone. Crystal clear water fills the bay and is served by a lovely beach that is free of litter. In fact, the whole city is immaculate and mostly graffiti free. 

Oh, and the people are wonderful. 

So, with only two days to visit San Sebastián, we wasted no time. Our visit to San Sebastián bookended a vacation cycling through Rioja Vineyards during harvest, dinner in Excaray's El Portal (Michelin® 2-star) restaurant, a stay in Hemingway's favorite hotel in Pamplona and a visit to Frank Gehry's tour-de-force Gugenheim Museum in Bilbao. 

So good.

We stayed in a lovely beachfront AirBNB and booked a foodie experience to get fully immersed in Basque cooking. We'd learn about eating Pintxo's (vs. Tapas) and visit one of the City's renowned private Gastronomincal Societies.  

What my plans hadn't anticipated was becoming so engaged by the resiliency and incredibly rich history of the Basque people as they continue to emerge from the deep emotional scars inflicted during Franco's nightmarish 39 year "Make Spain Great Again!" dictatorship. 

But that is a much bigger subject than I can cover in this post.

Terminal 4 Madrid's Adolfo Suárez-Barajas International Airport

Our visit, began with an arrival into Madrid's wonderful airport. For those that travel to Europe a lot, Madrid's International Airport is a treasure. Even when my plans do not call for travel in Spain I frequently begin my European vacations here. I take a day or two to kill jetlag, eat well, enjoy art at the Prado and then fly off to wherever I need to be. It all works because fares from Madrid to (almost?) anywhere in Europe are frequently less than a hundred dollars on Air Europa, Iberia or Vueling.

The Beautiful 1905 Maria Christina Bridge Connects the Rail Station to The City

Arrival into San Sebastián (or "Donastia" in Basque) provided immediate clues to the soul of the city. Spacious Boulevards are filled with well tended flowers. There are monuments and tributes to its history and seaside heritage everywhere.

Major Boulevards Separate Pedestrian and Bike Lanes

San Sebastián's regal personna is punctuated by occasional surfers...on bikes. Similar to the Netherlands and Denmark, the proliferation of bicycles (and separate bike lanes) reassured me I was in a good place.

Off to the Surfer's Paradise of Zurriola Beach

After a good nights sleep in a lovely AirBNB Day One was spent strolling La Concha Beach from end to end. 

The View From our AirBNB

Along the lovely promenade locals and tourists enjoy cycling, sunbathing and swimming in the clear waters of La Concha Bay. Walking here is a joy. 

But, also along the way are plaques and memorials commemorating the history of the City good and bad. I was stunned that the infamous Ondarreta Prison had once occupied a beachfront site just below Monte Igueldo within view of Miramar Palace until its demolition in 1948.  

Upon arriving at the base of Monte Igueldo we caught the 1912 era funicular to the top of the mountain.  

The Monte Igueldo Funicular

The top of Monte Igueldo delivers breathaking views in all directions set amidst a 109 year old mountaintop amusement park complete with a lighthouse that looks like a castle tower.

After 13,000 official I-watch steps evening came and we continued on to Old Town to peruse its specialty shops and famous fish markets. 

Evening dinner was Pintxo's and beer. Pintxo's are Basque tapas. Here the "little bites" are bigger and elevated to high art. 

Even in the era of covid, you cannot be lonely when you hop from one bar to another enjoying beer and pintxos!   

Old Town is Home to San Sebastián's Colorful Fresh Fish Markets

Along the way we also found Constitution Plaza with its oddly numbered balconies. The story of the numbers was kind of amazing. The plaza was designed as the location for City Hall and its square was a place for staging special events (like bull fights). And whenever events took place those numbered balconies were sold as boxed seats to spectators. And ticket holders had the right to walk right through your apartment to gain access those balconies!

Constitution Plaza

Incidentally when gambling was made illegal in the 1920's the City purchased and relocated City Hall into the 1887 Belle Epoque grand casino where it remains today. 

Day Two was highlighted by a Basque wine tasting and pintxo AirBNB "Experience" hosted by Luis. 

This was a highlight of our time in San Sebastián. Our experience included a lovely couple from Ireland and newlyweds honeymooning from California. 

Together Luis introduced us to local Rioja wines, hard cider, an amazing 2" thick, melt-in-your-mouth, T-bone steak and a variety of pintxo's beginning with the ubiquitous "gilda". Our time with Luis confirmed once again that the true way to learn about a place is through interaction with locals.

Getting Ready to Enjoy an Amazing Steak

The Steak Came Sizzling to the Table to be Shared

We learned the hallmark of Basque cooking is a reliance on the freshest of seasonal ingrediants, the use of every part of the animal, all cooked precisely with minimal spices. 

Nothing is fussy.

A Delicious Oxtail Pintxo

At the end of our tour Luis escorted us into the private Gastronomical Society he has belonged for most of his adult life. There he proceeded to cook for us. His choice was a thick tuna steak with sauted peppers. All washed down with local cider. 

As these clubs are restricted to invited members and their guests, this special opportunity was not lost on me.

A Local Gastronimical Society in the Era of Covid

After Luis' tour I went back to watch Anthony Bourdain's original episode from San Sebastián. And only then did I realize Bourdain had visited, and cooked in, a club almost exactly like Luis' club. That episode may be found Here. 

 

When I awoke the next morning I realized I had gained a couple of pounds and grown as a human.

 

Now it was time to repack. In the morning meet the fellow cycle tourists from all over the US who would join us for an even deeper dive into this amazing part of the world.

 

Stay tuned postings of the rest of the trip to follow.

 

Roadboy's Travels © 2021

The Biltmore Estate - America's Versailles

George Vanderbilt's "Little Mountain Escape"

The Biltmore House Today

After the Civil War America became a nation of highly concentrated wealth. The industrial revolution and the perfection of vertical monopolies meant America's economy diverted the nations wealth into fewer pockets resulting in grave disparities between classes. This led to the American economy becoming fragile. The result was a series of financial panic's in 1893, 1896, 1901 and 1907. Yet, the rich just continued to get richer. 

Eventually the Great Depression, moves to enable labor unions and congressional moves to limit monopolies began to level the economic playing field. 

This, of course, was in stark contrast to much of America suffering from crushing poverty. The South was recovering from the devastation of the Civil War and rapidly decaying tenements in big cities became overcrowded with immigrants lured to America to supply the rapidly growing nation's industrial appetite for cheap labor.

Mark Twain called it America's "Gilded Age" as a bitingly satirical explanation of the increasing societal polarization of classes separated by "a thin artificial layer of gold".

As history tends to repeat itself, consider that we now live in a nation with an even larger income inequality between rich and poor.

But at the turn of the Century, in places like Newport Rhode Island, and along New York's 5th Avenue, America's "Robber Barons" were in fierce competition to find new ways to demonstrate their vast wealth. 

In 1883 Cornelius Vanderbilt II completed America's largest residence (taking up a full city block on New York's 5th Avenue). Cornelius and his wife christened the house in full King / Queen of France costumes. 

He died 5 years after its completion and his wife continued to live in it. Soon after her passing however, it was demolished to build the Bergdorf Goodman Department Store. The huge edifice endured less than 50 years.

At the same time, after many visits to the mountains of North Carolina with his mother, Cornelius Vanderbilt's brother George imagined the creation of a "little mountain escape" in Asheville NC. And, to this pursuit, George set about spending much of his epic inheritance. 

He retained the same superstar architect Richard Morris Hunt, who had just designed his brother's house. Hunt was also known for designing the base to the Stature of Liberty and the facade to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

He also hired the "father of American landscape architecture" and designer of New York's Central Park,  Frederick Law Olmstead. 

Together his little mountain escape grew in size easily surpassing his own brother's home in New York. And to this day, his Biltmore Estate stands as America's largest private residence. 

To fill the house he sought some of the best artists of the era. John Singer Sargent was enlisted to paint numerous portraits. James McNeill Whistler was also commissioned. His friendship with George grew to the point where George served as a pallbearer at Whistler's funeral. 

 Frederick Law Olmstead

(John Singer Sargent)

George and his team made numerous trips to Europe to acquire art, furniture and ideas. He purchased 125,000 acres and conceived of Biltmore as a self-sustaining estate.

The Atrium

Vanderbilt's French Chateau inspired mountain "escape" ultimately grew to more than 175,000 square feet with 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 54 fireplaces. Construction spanned from 1889-1895.

The Cantilevered Grand Stair 

The home initially featured direct current DC electrical power and lighting (due to Vanderbilt's friendship with Thomas Edison), a bowling alley, gymnasium and an indoor swimming pool.

Dining at Biltmore

The Dining Room

Some of the biggest artistic, industrial and political luminaries of the era were wined and dined at the Estate. Since travel was arduous they might plan to bring their own servants and stay for weeks at a time.

The Billiard Room

The "Bachelor's Wing" at Biltmore included the Billiard Room (complete with secret doors) and an adjacent gun room.                                             

The Gardens and Fish Ponds

(Wedding photos underway on the terrace above, note the bride posing in the photo)

The Immense Indoor Pool 

Indoor pools were rare in the Biltmore era, yet Biltmore had one. I understand that a modern attempt to fill it disclosed that it leaked all 70,000 gallons overnight to a subbasement. Note the amazing brick arch ceiling with ropes hanging down for tired swimmers to hang on to.

The Bowling Alley

The fledgling Brunswick Company personally installed the Biltmore's basement bowling alley. Not yet automated, it required attendants to position themselves behind the flared walls to return the bowling balls and reset the pins.

The family still owns and operates the estate. 

Self guided tours currently begin at $76 if you reserve your arrival time online.

Roadboy's Travels © 2021

 

 

The Euro Covid Travel "Catch 22"

Quarantines R US

UPDATES 1-11-22

Every day the world reconsiders its willingness to admit visitors from countries that have failed to address the Covid pandemic (the US scorecard now passes the mind boggling statistic that 1 of every 500 300 Americans has perished from Covid) and yet we still argue about minor measures to slow the spread. 

Currently in the EU some countries have opened their borders, some only admit vaxed and / or tested travelers, others are open to those that are vaccinated + quarantine, and still others have simply said stay away.

Conditions change frequently and it is hard to keep up. And all this uncertainty makes international travel planning a challenge. 

So how has the travel industry responded to all this chaos? I personally feel the airline industry responded pretty nimbly and fairly. When borders suddenly closed, most airlines stepped up and offered accommodations even on non-refundable / non-changeable tickets. 

And the reward for those airline efforts has been the emergence of dipshit passengers feeling entitled enough to physically assault flight crews who are just doing their job. 

The airlines have responded by placing these morons on "no-fly" lists. Frankly that is unacceptable to me. Anyone disrupting a flight and / or threatening airline staff should be escorted from aircraft in cuffs by Air Marshals and face fines equal to the costs of turning planes around and disrupting airport operations. A few well publicized cases and these cockroaches will crawl back into whatever mask-free, horse de-worming fantasy hole they emerged from.

Ahem, but....back to my blog post.

Along with airlines many hotels also stepped up. Most of the bookings I made directly through major hotel chains were adjusted with fees waived.

Conversely, bookings I made through third party travel services like Hotels.Com, TripAdvisor, Kayak, Expedia, Orbitz etc. resulted in a different story. With few exceptions those services just seemed to look at the ground, ignoring the pandemic. I also came to find out they have no customer service lines. I'll rarely use them again.

Last week I felt the chaos rise up again. I had a pre-pandemic hotel reservation in Rotterdam (I've been planning a visit to explore its amazing modern architecture). Then suddenly Holland imposed mandatory quarantines for fully vaccinated US visitors and Poof!, my vacation plans became worthless.

Yet, since the border is not "technically" closed, hotels contend that they need not offer any accommodation. So my $450 worth of Hotels.Com vouchers also became worthless.

So until the world gets back to "normal"(whatever that might look like) Roadboy says book only using refundable rates and stick to direct bookings from hotel chains.  

Update 9-16-21: After less that a week the Netherlands reversed itself leaving tens of thousands of travelers to (again) rework bookings. 

Update at Travel Time: When I actually traveled to Holland I entered on a flight within the EU (arrival from Spain). I landed and there was nothing; no customs, no check of my passport, I just got off my flight and walked to buy a ticket for a train into Amsterdam.  

When the music stops, sit down.

Roadboy's Travels © 2021 

Roadboy's Quick Summer Escape - Maine

Cool, Green, Surrounded by Water

And Home to Stephen King.......

Roadboy's final summer escape was spent with my friend from Austin. Our trips together are special as Ms. C and I have traveled somewhere annually in an on-going celebration of life, friendship and another anniversary of her being declared cancer-free. 

We go places that inspire us. And, at the end of each years trip, we select the destination for the following year. 

So, after last years trip to the pacific northwest, the "future destination dart" landed on Montreal for this year. 

But sealed borders made us reprogram our travel GPS for another great northern destination. 

We began by meeting up at Boston's Logan Airport. We boarded the Blue Line for State Street Station, checked the Club Quarters, found a spot for lobster rolls and called it a day. Slept like a pup. Traffic was light on Devonshire Street as a movie crew had the street all blocked off for a movie with Ryan Reynolds. Sadly, we never saw any stars....

We spent the next summer day walking through the Boston Commons, Boston Public Gardens on our way to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Boston is a compact and walkable city. This day we racked up over 18,000 steps according to my i-watch. 

  

The Boston Commons Wading Pool 

For those not familiar with it the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a Boston treasure that has become wildly popular, in part due to the recent Netflix documentary The Heist. 

  

El Jaleo "The Ruckus"

(John Singer Sargent 1882)

Isabella Stewart Gardner's dream museum, opened on New Years Day 1903 with champagne and doughnuts. It is a Renaissance Venetian palace specifically designed to showcase her incredible art acquisitions. The building is built around a sun dappled atrium space housing some very happy tropical flora.

The Gardner's Central Courtyard

We marveled at the spectacular art and furnishings in each gallery and imagined what used to fill the empty frames where the stolen Rembrandt's, Degas and Vermeer masterpieces once hung. The 1990 theft is considered the single largest property theft in the world with an estimated value in excess of $500,000,000. A $10,000,000 reward is still in force.

The Dutch Room 

(With the still empty frames)   

Ms. Gardner's attention to detail included strict instructions how the gallery would be maintained in perpetuity (nothing must change). Her love of the Boston Red Sox assures discounted tickets to anyone wearing the Red Sox logo. And, if you are named Isabella, or arrive on your birthday, your admission is always free. 

Isabella Stewart Gardner 

(John Singer Sargent 1888)

Although it would be considered downright prudish by today's standards, Jack Gardner felt Singer Sargent's portrait of Isabella featured too much flesh and requested it not be displayed until his after death.

Ms. Gardner not only acquired art, she inspired it. By maintaining friendships with such luminaries as John Singer Sargent (who used the Gothic Gallery as a personal studio) and James McNeil Whistler. 

Years of her correspondence is also preserved and displayed including letters from artists, religious leaders, entertainers and political figures of her era.

There is currently a special exhibit of the six Titian masterworks dating from the 1560's that have never before been reunited with The Rape of Europa (acquired by Gardner) since their delivery to Prince Phillip of Spain.

 

Lamentation of the Dead Christ

(Terra Cotta - Artist Unknown)

I found the the terra cotta altarpiece Lamentation interesting because as designed to serve at the altar it would clearly portray the agony of a mother to parishioners and a skull and cross bones (behind Mary) to the priests at the altar. I wonder if the artist was making a point to the priests?

Christ Carrying the Cross

(Giovanni Bellini 1505-1510)

I was also taken by Bellini's very small painting of Christ carrying his cross. His eyes are riveting. Anywhere in the room he seems to be staring directly at you and you cannot look away. Simple, and highly composed, it is only when you get very close to the painting that Christ's tear is evident.

Isabella Stewart Gardner in Venice

(Anders Zorn 1884)

Perhaps the most lovely painting of Ms. Gardner is Anders Zorn's painting above where she turns from a balcony in Venice to implore other party guests to come see fireworks. 

After visiting her incredible museum visitors feel a kinship to her and this portrait embodies a women full of the love of life.

After a walk back to the hotel we finished the day with a dinner at the Mast Sail Loft. I had a wonderful baked scrod.

The next morning we returned to the airport to collect a rental car. We programmed it and aimed it towards our AirBNB in Blue Hill Maine (via a side trip to the Atlantic Brewery in Bar Harbor for dinner).

Our cottage AirBNB turned out to be very special. And our host turned out to be very special too. She and her late husband restored and updated the circa 1860's cottage. He was an artist and she was a documentary film producer for the BBC and (W)GBH Boston. 

The cottage was an amalgamation of three sections and shared a large porch facing out over a rocky cove below. 

Our Cove Cottage in Blue Hill

The View from our Blue Hill Cottage

The next two days were spent sightseeing in Acadia National Park. Day one was spent on e-bikes riding its famous Carriage Trails.

Cycling Acadia At Eagle Lake

The Crystal Clear Waters of Jordan Pond

Outdoor Dining at the Jordan Pond House

(Home of the Famous Jordan Pond Popovers)

On Day two I purchased my Lifetime Senior National Park Pass and we circumnavigated the park in our rental car cruising the parks stunning coastline.

The View From Otter Cove Toward Little Cranberry Island 

The weather was cool and mostly dry. The lobster and blueberry pie was sweet and scenery was just wonderful. 

We finished up the trip with a drive to Bangor for our flight home. We stopped to see Stephen King's residence (my second time detouring past his home). This trip I admired the creepy sculpture he had created from the trunk from a huge tree.

 

 Stephen King's House in 2017 

(Note the old tree trunk)

 

 King's Tree Trunk Today

The trip was wonderful!

Carolyn and I have set our sights on Italy next year. Fingers crossed the world is able to reopen fully by then.

Roadboy's Travel © 2021