Leaving Montrondo, the Taliban take over Afghanistan, meeting Nellie, figs from our garden, trip to La Rioja to celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary and other stories.

 Briñas, La Rioja, Sunday 22nd August, 2021

Photo taken last night during our anniversary dinner

Good morning everyone from the famous wine area of La Rioja in Spain. Many of you reading this blog post will be familiar with the wine but I wonder if after reading this, that I may have whetted your appetite to actually visit the area which I sincerely recommend you do one day. Put it on your bucket list if you haven't already been here. 

It has been a very full week so let me rewind to start from last Sunday. This time last week marked the end of our stay in Montrondo. It was hot, 30ºc and an unbelievable 41ºc in Madrid. We were not looking forward to coming home. The heatwave which began over a week ago is now receding but I don't remember it ever having been as hot as this. I reported last week that in Spain the highest temperature ever recorded was in a town in Córdoba when mercury reached over 47ºc. Most of southern Europe has been sweltering and we all attribute it to climate change. So, I was surprised to read that the current highest temperature ever recorded in Europe was in 1977 when mercury reached 48ºc somewhere in Greece. 

The heatwave continued in the news as did Covid. Once again, I start my Sunday blog post reporting on the lastest figures worldwide. If this time last week the total number of those infected and those who died was 202.987.420 and 4.299.760, today these figures stand at 212.165.567 and 4.436.957. So, yes, once again, the numbers are going up. Here in Spain or in my little bubble somehow I feel immune not necessarily to the virus but to the news. We have never caught it, we have lived through tough restrictions and come out safe and life seems relatively normal, except that it isn't. On the plus side we really can do nearly anything we want so I feel lucky.

On Sunday morning last week I was up early and by about 11.15 or so we were all packed into Oli and Miguel's big station wagon type car with so much stuff it looked like a gypsy caravan inside. Eladio drove, Oli was the co pilot and I sat in the back with Pippa at my feet and Elliot in his car seat next to me. I was surrounded by all his stuff and the journey was not to be smooth I'm afraid.  We were stopping in León, the capital of the province, to see Eladio's 99 year old mother at her care home. 

We had last seen her in May and that was the first time in a year so my husband was looking forward to a reunion. I was looking forward to seeing my mother-in-law but above all I wanted her to see her great grandson, Elliot. We arrived just a few minutes late as it was damned difficult to find anywhere to park. The idea was to take her out for a coffee so we could all be with her as otherwise only 2 people are allowed inside. We parked and Eladio rushed to get his mother only to be told it was nearly her lunchtime and he only had 20 minutes. Meanwhile Oli, Elliot and I were waiting at a designated cafe only to receive a call from Eladio to go quickly to the care home if we wanted to see his mother. That wasn't easy. It was boiling hot, our car was far and Oli, being nearly 9 months pregnant walks very slowly not to mention Elliot with his little legs. I got there first and was allowed in to the visiting lounge. The window was open so we wheeled Ernestina to the window to see Elliot and Oli who had just arrived but couldn't come in. We were "caught" by a member of staff who went ballistic. She said it was against the rules even to take a resident to a window to see relatives! I couldn't believe it. It made no sense that she could go out and see as many people as she wanted yet only 2 can come in and she is not allowed to go to a window to see people. I mean how stupid is that. With little Elliot waving at his great grandmother who was being dragged away, I'm afraid I burst into tears. I was too distraught to argue with the staff who were more interested in their resident getting her lunch on time than seeing her far off relatives. I didn't like the way they referred to her either when they called her "this one" saying she was happy and easy to feed. I think she would have been far happier to go outside with us and have her lunch late. It was just too much for me and for us all. Thus, no photo to record this very disappointing visit. 

As we left León, I rang a few places on the way to book a table for lunch but it was mission impossible. Sunday 15th August is perhaps one of the busiest days for the hospitality industry. It is the middle of the high season but also 15th August is the Feast of the Assumption and  a bank holiday. Oli suggested we eat in León and found us a restaurant she though was   a cider house but it turned out to be an "oriental" restaurant, a quaisi one at that. The food was nothing special and I didn't particularly like much on the menu but then again I am something of a fussy eater. Elliot was happy mostly about an old red scooter in the dining room which was there for decoration.

Elliot with his grandfather, Eladio, at the restaurant in León where we had lunch last Sunday on our way home. 

We were out by about 3.30 and resumed our journey. Elliot slept for a while, thank goodness. It was around 4 pm when Oli got a call from Miguel, her partner, to say her father had taken a turn for the worse.  A few minutes before we were talking about buying an ice cream at a petrol station but after this bad news I was in no mood for ice cream. A week ago last Sunday, Paco, his  father had been admitted to hospital with terminal stomach cancer. He had been diagnosed with metastasis in June and had rapidly deteriorated since then. Since he was admitted to hospital his digestive system stopped working and he was getting worse by the day.  How sad. I watched Elliot who was blissfully unaware of the news I have only met Paco on a few occasions and they were happy ones; at the birth of Elliot and on New Year's Eve at a party at our house in December 2018, just before the pandemic.  I had hoped he would live to see Juliet but it was not to be.

Just as we had the bad news, Oli's relatively new and state of the art mobile phone stopped working; the screen was broken. Thus she had to use mine to communicate with Miguel. Then Elliot had to use it to watch Peppa Pig to calm him down. Usually my phone is out of bounds for my not yet to be 2 year old grandson but on that stressful journey home, I had to let him have it. Thus communication was somewhat stressful too. I couldn't wait to get home. However even that would be difficult as we entered hot, hot Madrid at about 5ish. Oli didn't have her house keys so we drove first to our house to get the key. Eladio returned with her to help her unload and carry all her stuff with loads of baby paraphernalia to her flat. Thankfully I was allowed to stay at home. Mysteriously since then Elliot's bag of summer clothes and Oli's kindle never appeared and we suspect someone broke into the car during that stressful journey home. There is no other explanation. 

I walked into our bedroom and it was like a sauna. The temperature was 32ºc inside. I switched on the air con immediately and it was left on until the early hours of Monday morning. After unpacking, greeting my father and taking a shower, I went to look for my new guest, an Australian woman called Jenelle (Nellie) just 3 years younger than me  who has been "back packing" for a year and a half with her sister since the pandemic began in January 2019.  She and her sister had sold up their properties, put the proceeds into stocks and shares and  left for a 2 year trip around the world. They argued that now was the time to do it before they had grandchildren or were too old. Their first destinations were India and Nepal and they were in Kathmandu when the pandemic broke out. They had two choices, return to Australia or carry on their travels. They chose the latter and have been doing slow traveling ever since, staying long periods of time in Greece, Turkey, Egypt and now Spain. Their next destinations seem to be Italy and Cyprus. They have no fixed return date so are taking their trip slowly. Oh, how I envy them. 

We met by the pool and I immediately loved my new guest. I could tell she was the kind of guest who would turn out to be a friend. One of the great advantages of hosting people in our home is the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and to make new friends. I knew that Jenelle - aka as Nellie - would be one of them. 

We spoke for a while and then went to to the kitchen. My Aussie guest, true to her British origins, wanted a drink - i.e. something alcoholic. She offered me  vermouth, something I never drink so I got out a half full (notice I said half full and not half empty) bottle of chilled Bornos white wine from Rueda. Felipe, our Russian born lodger was having his dinner so we joined him on the kitchen patio. The encounter turned into a little drinks party; the sort I like best. There we were, an Australian, me and Felipe hybrids of Russian Spanish and Russian English origin and then my husband  who joined us, added another nationality; Spanish. It was like the United Nations. I should also count another nationality for Lucy who is from Paraguay. When the wine was finished I got out a bottle of Asturian cider and some gazpacho. 

A scene from our impromptu international drinks evening with our guests on Sunday night

I also offered my guests some of my leftover apple crumble. We sat around the table exchanging information about our origins and our lives and it was the most wonderful end to a very stressful day.

It was last Sunday when the Taliban entered the Afghan capital of Kabul. The fall of Kabul marked the end of a 20 year mission from western forces. In just one day freedom came to an end. The country's president, Ashraf Ghani fled the country, seeking refuge in Uzbekistan. Anyone who could get out was trying but there were no commercial flights leaving the country. Last Sunday and in the following days, the capital's airport, protected by US troops - those that were still there- was mobbed by thousands desperate to escape. Thousands are still trying to leave. There are many people who collaborated in the last 20 years with foreign forces, notably translators, and they know they will be a target for revenge. Many of them are trying still to get out. 

Photo courtesy of The Times

But only military planes are leaving and taking home their nationals and some Afghans who had worked for their countries. Last Sunday marked too the beginning of the second era of Taliban rule and all that means, mostly for women. Women who had abandoned the old blue burqa were buying that awful curtain like overall again and there was  a roaring trade for them in markets everywhere. Imagine having to wear one of these?

Buying a burqa in Kabul

Imagine being a woman in Afghanistan today. Young women don't remember the previous Taliban rule but their mothers do and they are urging their daughters to wear these repressive burqas. The Taliban who never really disappeared, returned after Biden, the US President, ordered his troops home a few months ago. It has taken just this time for them to rule again. Oh how I hate the Taliban. Oh how I feel for women in this country, one of the most oppressive for women in the world. America was not looking good and it was on Monday that Joe Biden gave a press conference which offered a simple explanation. What I understood was that they left after training and funding a new Afghan army to fight the Taliban and that it was not the mission of the US to rebuild the country. Biden basically blamed the new army for not standing up to the Taliban. From what I have read and know, it is pretty obvious this would never work as allegiances are easily changed in Afghanistan and thus many soldiers either stopped fighting or joined the Taliban. This has happened over and over again so all of the US money to build a new army has come to nothing without them supervising. Then in an unprecedented move on Tuesday, the Taliban held a press conference for the world to watch and listen. The message was more moderate than in previous times but for me whatever they said that was moderate was for western ears only. Women, they say, will have rights but within their framework. We cannot believe a word they say because we know them for what they are. They will install a government based on the hardest version of Sharia law that exists, the hardest in the world. So yes they say girls can go to school but the reality is that probably they will only be taught religion. Not much more. Women will be confined to their houses, TV and music, not to mention internet, will be banned and no doubt hands will be chopped off of those suspected of stealing. There will be probably be a return to public executions. We are already seeing signs of it. What a mess. 

In our little drinks party on Sunday evening we briefly mentioned this news and thanked our lucky stars we live in the west which even with all its faults, is paradise compared to life under an oppressive regime. I went to bed at around 11 pm feeling exhausted after a very long and stressful day but thankfully I slept quite well.

I was awake at 6.30 on Monday morning.  I got a message soon after from Miguel who was on his way to the hospital. He asked us to take care of Oli and help her with Elliot as she is exhausted, mostly because she is heavily pregnant. We would do so of course. Oli needed either to mend her phone or buy a new one, so I suggested we go together and leave Elliot with his grandfather. The idea was to give Oli time off too which she badly needed. So there we were out shopping together at Spain's flagship department store, El Corte Inglés. I told her I felt like a criminal but it was also a thrilling feeling to be out shopping and on our own if only for 1.5 hours. Mending her phone was too costly to be worth it so my daughter decided to get a new one. I'm afraid I got one too. Mine is not old but the battery life is not what it was and I thought I deserved a new one after all my work this summer. We both got a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE with 250 GB which should have enough capacity even for me. It's not the latest model which is the S21 but I preferred the S20 because it has room for a memory card and you don't have to rely on Samsung's Cloud storage. This model is 5G so is quite up to date. There were none in stock but hopefully we should get our new phones quite soon. 

Soon to be my new phone

While at the department store I splashed out on a new bottle of perfume as I was completely running out. I bought a new one this time, one I had tried out a while ago which is so fresh and lovely for the summer. It's by Guerlain and is the mandarin fragrant EDT. Love it, love it.

My new perfume - love it

We were home by 1.30 and shortly afterwards, Suzy arrived to make the family complete. We all had lunch together which I think made not only myself pleased but my father too. He looked on at little Elliot's antics with a great grandfatherly smile. 

We all had a siesta in air conditioned rooms and convened again at around 5.30. Suzy had gone but we would see her later in the week. It was hot, Elliot was playing up and Oli was frankly exhausted so we took over. We both put on our bathing costumes and took him down to the pool where we spent the afternoon.

Oli and Elliot in the water on Monday afternoon with Pippa looking on

Little Elliot was completely oblivious to the fate of his other grandfather as he enjoyed life with us. Oli was permanently on the alert for news and so were we. We finally got the fatal news when Miguel called my youngest daughter shortly before 6 pm. Even though we were expecting the bad news, it still shocked us all. The only thing that comforted me was the fact that both his sons and his wife were with him until the end. I reflected that when my mother and my brother died I was not able to be with them. I would have loved that privilege however awful the moment would have been. We wanted to join Miguel and his family but he told us it would all take a long time and not to go until the next day when the coffin would be placed at the big funeral parlour on the M40 ring road in Madrid. In Spain it is customary to take the deceased person to lie in a funeral parlour so family and friends can pay their respects. Then 24 hours after death the body is either cremated or buried. We would go to the funeral parlour the next day. My heart went out to the family and I was upset that Paco would never meet Juliet soon to be born. He did however get to know his little grandson Elliot and that brings me comfort. 

I'm sure Oli would have liked to be with Miguel in those dreadful moments but we advised her not to go. She is  too pregnant to be driving far from home. Thus she stayed and we had dinner together. Lucy made us some Spanish tortilla some of which I saved for Nellie, my Australian guest. When they left I spent some time with my new Airbnb friend by the pool. It helped me relax after such bad news.

Tuesday came and it was to be a somber day. Oli picked us up at about 10.30 and we went in search of flowers before getting to the funeral parlour. We only found closed florists with owners and staff on holiday. In August Spain almost grinds to a halt. Thus I had to get them online and that worked fast. I was very ashamed later to see that ours were the most humble of all the flowers people sent. We arrived soon at the big funeral parlour which I have seen countless times when I have driven on the M40 but never imagined myself going inside. But I did on Tuesday. I wore black out of respect but also because I don't really have a smart summer dress suitable for a funeral. I did, at least, get Eladio to wear long trousers and a long sleeved shirt. It was so good to finally be able to hug the family. Maybe we shouldn't have because of Covid but we are all vaccinated and we needed to hug. Elliot, of course, hadn't a clue what was going on. As the parlour assigned to his other grandfather was on one of the upper floors he was delighted to see all the cars on the ring road, shouting out "car, car, .car". He was also delighted without knowing why to suddenly be together with his two grandmothers. He had never experienced that since he was a baby and of course he can't remember. He kept holding both our hands and he just brought a breath of joy to an otherwise very sad occasion. 

We stayed for about 2 hours comforting the family who was distraught just as I was when I lost my mother and then my own brother. There is no preparing for the death of a parent or child. We came home for lunch which dear Lucy made and in the early evening returned for a little service called a "responso" before Paco was taken to a cemetery on the other side of Madrid to be cremated.  I hoped his family would be able to rest too. They will be going through the mourning or grief period, one I am very familiar with. Time helps and heals but it's early days and now they are distraught. I hoped they would at least be able to sleep.

Once home, we were all exhausted, especially my heavily pregnant daughter Oli. I made a huge effort to come up with something for dinner as our cupboards were practically bare. When Oli and Elliot left I sat with my guests Felipe and Nellie. We spoke about the Taliban press conference. Neither of us women were on the same page as our Russian born guest who argued that it was sort of ok for women to be second class citizens in Afghanistan as that was the country's culture. Obviously we heartily disagreed.

There was no rest for the wicked that night as I got into bed tired after a long, hot and sad day, because I started getting messages from potential swimming pool guests for this weekend. I finally got a reservation for 12 who are coming today while we are away. That had me messaging to and fro until well past midnight.

Wednesday came and my priority was shopping. Eladio's was to mow the lawn. Good for him; it needed doing. He was up early to beat the sun and still hadn't finished when I left to do the shopping. I took Nellie with me as she hadn't left the house since her arrival and her cupboards were bare too. It was lovely to go out with my new friend. For her, food shopping here is rather different to in Australia of course. We went to Mercadona then to the more exclusive BM after which I took her for a coffee to Alverán, our local little cafe I am fond of. We sat there for a long time chatting away - we are both chatterboxes. Thankfully by Wednesday the weather had cooled down to 34ºc max (that's still a lot) and life was pleasanter outside. 

We came home to unpack the shopping and that's when I spied fruit on a fig tree just under the garage roof. I looked up and could see a few. How exciting. Our fig trees are quite young and until this year had not borne any fruit. Although I have lived in Spain since 1980, I still get a thrill from fruit growing in our Mediterranean garden or when I spy orange trees lining the streets of some of Spain's towns and cities. I still find it exotic as I was born in England where picking figs or peaches from your garden is almost unheard of. 

Eladio on the ladder picking figs

Eladio only picked 4 as the rest weren't ripe enough. We then went to inspect more fig trees which are smaller than the one by the garage but didn't find any fruit. I admired Eladio's freshly mowed lawn and had to have a photo of him posing with Pippa. Here they are, two of the loves of my life.

Eladio and Pippa posing on the freshly mowed lawn on Wednesday

Lucy was in charge of lunch that day so after picking the figs I had half an hour to myself before lunch. I chose to lie on the new sunbed in the shade by the pool with my kindle. I would spend the rest of the afternoon there too, all by myself and in peace with no household or family responsibilities; what luxury. There was time too for a skype call with Amanda, my oldest school friend who lives in Devon. It was good to catch up as we had missed two weekly calls. There she was inside her home with a thick jumper on and there I was sitting by the pool clad in light summer clothes. After catching up with my friend I had half an hour more to myself. I chose to ring Oli who I was missing as I was missing Elliot. It was my first day without them for more than 10 days. Oli was resting at home, rest she needed. 

Dinner time came, the highlight of my day in the summer. I love our dinners in the evening at this time of year on the kitchen terrace. We were joined by Nellie who I just loved hosting. I got Eladio to take a photo of the two of us. Here we are enjoying life. 

Dinner with Nellie the night before we left for La Rioja

It was to be our last night with Nellie. She has been a pleasure to host. I wish her well on her travels and hope to see her again. 

That night we watched a documentary film about the Spanish poet and play writer, Federico García Lorca. It was on because Wednesday 18th August was the 85th anniversary of his death at the hands of a nationalistic firing squad at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Lorca is one of Spain's most famous poets and I studied his life and work when I did my degree in Hispanic Studies at Nottingham University. Lorca is loved in Spain by many but he is revered so much more by English and American Hispanists. I'm not sure why he is so revered by them. I think it has something to do with the fact that first he was gay - so taboo in Spain at the time and also because of his works on the repression of women. That's what made me fall in love with his work. Of all the Spanish writers I studied he is still my favourite. So, I watched the documentary film avidly on Wednesday night.

Thursday 19th August dawned, a day I had been looking forward to for a long time. We were leaving for our 5 day holiday and anniversary trip to  La Rioja  - the famous wine growing area in Spain - to celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary which was yesterday, 21st August. Gosh, 38 years, that's a long time. We always celebrate our anniversary and in the past few years have gone on holiday to do so. The idea is to celebrate it every year as we really cannot know how many years we have left of good health. Inspired perhaps by Nellie, it was in La Rioja here that an idea formed in my head for next year's trip. The idea is to go on a long and slow road trip all the way to Iran. I have long wanted to visit Iran after receiving Iranian guests from Airbnb. They assured me the country was very safe but that may not be so for UK independent travelers or so I was told by someone in the know. If that is so we shall take his advice and head to Georgia and or Armenia instead Eladio loved the idea so watch this space. This is something very special to look forward to; the trip of our lifetime. So, thanks Nellie, for the inspiration. Maybe we will meet in Georgia. Imagine!

Hopefully next year's anniversary road trip - from Madrid to Teheran (6000 km 63 hours) and if that is not possible we shall go to Georgia and Armenia.

 

For now it was to be just a road trip in Spain. By about 10.30 on Thursday morning we were in the car and off. I had booked a table at one of my favourite places in Spain, the Hotel Landa Palace just outside Burgos, the lovely cathedral town you may have heard of. It was a good job I had as there were huge queues for the cafeteria and all the tables at the restaurant were booked. We sat down at a little table for two in the magnificent Castillian style dining room and we knew exactly what we would order; suckling lamb. It's the speciality of the house and typical in the Burgos area.

Lunch at Hotel Landa outside Burgos on our way to La Rioja. A great start to our anniversary trip. 

We did not have a starter and I resisted the desserts sharing a plate of fresh figs with Eladio.

After a long and delicious lunch we set off again. It was only an hour or so to our destination, Briñas. Briñas is a little village outside Haro, the supposed capital of the Rioja wine region. We had been there before in 2008 when I was organising a big summer party for employees and partners of my former company, Yoigo. We were to stay at the same hotel, one we loved and always vowed to go back to; the Hospedería Señoria de Briñas. It's a small 18th century palace turned into a hotel which is built with the local sandy coloured stone.

Our lovely hotel in Briñas - Hospedería Señorío de Briñas

We soon found it and easily parked outside. Check in was simple though complicated a bit by anti 

Covid rules - we had to say what we wanted for breakfast the next day as they cannot serve a buffet which was unfortunate but understandable.

We loved our large and quaint room. I unpacked and put everything away or out, like my Nespresso machine and travel kettle to make coffee in the morning (very important) or tea in the afternoon. Breakfast at this hotel isn't until 8.30 and I wake up early and the first thing I need is a coffee. Once I had done all that I went down to the hotel garden while my husband rested. It was charming and I had it all to myself.

The little garden belonging to the hotel. 

I read a silly old book on my kindle and felt at peace with the world. I also felt very content and happy to be away on this small but quite luxurious trip. We hadn't been to a hotel for possibly 2 years and I knew I was going to love my stay here.

At about 6.30 or so Eladio joined me and we both agreed it was time for a walk. We had missed our walks in Montrondo because of looking after Elliot and had missed them too in Madrid where it had been far too hot. La Rioja is in the north of Spain and the temperature is much more acceptable. We had remembered from our trip her 13 years ago that there was a pretty walk along the River Ebro to the town of Haro and we headed there. Oh what a beautiful path.

On the path along the River Ebro from Briñas to Haro

The path by the river led us to a big bridge Eladio suspected was made by the Romans - he usually knows. We loved it and took some photos there.

Photos taken on the bridge (Puente de Briñas) over the River Ebro as you enter Haro.

We crossed it to carry on our walk to Haro and the distance was far longer than we had calculated.Our walk took us across vineyards with rows and rows of the famous Rioja grape vines nearly ready for picking; perhaps next month. I was in awe of what I saw. Rioja wine is superb and there I was seeing the grapes ripening and soon to be picked and turned into the wonderful wine from this area. I learned on this trip that wine as we know it today was first made on a big scale in this area when an epidemic called "phylloxera"   ruined the crops in the Bordeaux region which has a similar climate to La Rioja. This happened in the late 19th century. Thus the French wine makers came over to Spain and started making their wine here. They showed the locals how to make it their way and thus wine making in La Rioja as we know it today took off. The rest is history. Although there are many wine making regions in Spain, Rioja is the most internationally recognised of all Spanish wines. 

Vineyards and grapes to be seen everywhere in the Rioja region

I was interrupted by more reservation enquiries and had to attend to them - there is no rest for the wicked. We walked past huge bodegas which looked so enticing. I knew some of the big names such as CUNE or Muga but not all of them. 

We headed to the old town which we vaguely remembered. It was teeming with people - a lot of tourists and some  of them - not many - from abroad - in the main square where we took more pictures and finally sat down at a bar which looked popular.

In the main square in Haro, the capital of Rioja wine

Would you believe we didn't order wine being in the wine capital? We didn't but Eladio had "mosto" a drink like wine but made without alcohol. It was dinner time and the tapas, renowned in La Rioja, looked enticing but we were just not hungry. Instead we decided to buy some fruit to have in our hotel room and went in search of the local supermarket. We got a few peaches, apricots and kiwis. Too tired to walk again we got a taxi to take us back to our hotel.

I think we were out of practice and my legs were killing me especially my right groin which sometimes gives me a problem. We ate our fruit, brushed our teeth and were soon lying in the great big bed watching the news about Afghanistan which was dire. I feel asleep soon, woke up at around 12 to answer another reservation enquiry and then slept till 6. I couldn't get up so early and made myself stay in bed until 7.30.

It was so cool the next morning but would get warmer as the day progressed. Breakfast wasn't served until 8.30 am so I spent the time writing this blog and catching up with the headlines. We had breakfast in the garden and it was lovely. Again I felt happy and at peace with the world.

Breakfast in the garden at our hotel in Briñas on the first morning here

We had plans for the first day of our anniversary trip. We were going to a bodega. We could have gone to any of the big ones but decided on a small one. Called Señorío de Líbano and located in the pretty little village of Sajazarra (try saying that), it had been recommended by the host of the Airbnb house we are going to today on the second part of our trip. She, in turn, had been inspired by a tweet from one of Spain's most famous journalists - Jordi Evole. He had been on holiday in Sajazarra and visited the bodega. I rang and got a slot for a visit starting at 11 am on Friday morning. As we drove the 20km or so past rows and rows of grape vines we spied what we thought were people picking the grapes - immigrants of course. I had to have a photo. I got it although the workers protested. I later heard they weren't picking the grapes but pruning the bushes. This is it.

Immigrants labouring the vineayards

We arrived in Sajazarra just on time for our visit and soon found the Bodega.

My husband at the entrance of the winery in Sajazarra on Friday

We were the first visitors of the day and got an exclusive visit around this small but beautiful and traditional winery. Señorío del Líbano makes wine for domestic use but most of it is exported; some to Israel as it also makes kosher wine - interesting. Wine here is made the traditional way with very little machinery involved. We were impressed.

At the end of the visit we were escorted to the winery terrace to sit and taste some of the wine - the most exciting part of the visit. It was midday and as neither of us usually drinks in the day or in between meals so we only drank cursory sips. We loved both the "crianza" and "reserva" and ended up buying a case of 12 bottles. 

Me trying the wine at the Señorio de Líbano winery in Sajazarra on Thursday morning. I was in my element. 

We then explored the village, considered one of the most beautiful in La Rioja and we were not disappointed.

The main square in Sajazarran considered one of the prettiest  villages in La Rioja

There were some enticing places to eat but we had a table booked in the even prettier town of Ezcaray where we had been before. We were to have lunch at Echaurren Tradición which was guaranteed to be good and it was. The hotel Echaurren has two restaurants, one run by the mother and one by the son. We have tried them both and they are exceptional. Celebrities and other people come from afar to stay at the Echauren hotel and enjoy its restaurants. Apparently Julio Iglesias has been many times. We love it too.

Lunch at the Echaurren restaurant in Ezcaray on Friday, a highlight of our anniversary trip

I chose light dishes and made up for it with the stupendous chocolate tart - wow. We later wandered down to the river Oja, the "Río Oja" to which Rioja owes its name for a walk along the river bank. We discovered this lovely walk last time we were here and were keen to see it again. It is beautiful just as Ezcaray is beautiful.

My husband by the River Oja in Ezcaray on Friday - rather dry it was. 

It was too hot for a long walk this time so we drove back to our hotel. At 5.30 I was due for the best massage I have ever had. I had booked one at the hotel spa and Lola was waiting for me in a delightful little massage parlour. She was just great and just what I needed. Lola found my back, shoulder and neck very very stiff. I knew that of course. Lola surmised that judging by the state of the muscles on my back that I was a very active and responsible type of person and a bit nervous too.  She may be right. I felt great after the massage and wandered down to the garden in my bath robe  - I felt completely at home at this little hotel. It was still too warm for an evening walk and Eladio and I read in the garden until about 8 pm. We then left the hotel to explore our village - Briñas. We spied the "Mirador de Rollo" (Rollo view point) which we hadn't seen before and loved it. It has views of the village, the river and  of course vineyards.

Eladio posing by the Mirador de Rollo in Briñas overlooking the Ebro river

We did walk along the river afterwards as that is the most obvious place to walk in Briñas. This time apart from swans and ducks we saw apple and fig trees, blackberries and other flora which we admired. Again we were not hungry that night and had a bit of fruit in our room instead.

Saturday 21st August dawned, the day of our 38th wedding anniversary, the reason for this trip. Ours has been and is a good marriage. To quote my friend Anne it is "as good as it gets" and I have no regrets. I love my partner to the moon and back and without him I think my life would never have been so stable or happy. Thank you Eladio. The years have passed indeed - 38 of them. This was us, two young things on our wedding day on 21st August 1983. I have to say I am glad Eladio never went  bald or developed a beer belly (hahahaha). 

On our wedding day 38 years ago

We would celebrate in the evening but felt happy and like young lovers all day. We decided to explore some of the pretty little villages we hadn't seen before and which had been recommended to us. We started with Briones which is a bit bigger than Briñas the village where we have been staying. It's not far and we loved it as soon as we saw it. The village is perched high up over the River Ebro with great views from the old walls which once must have surrounded it in the times of the wars between neighbouring Navarra and Castille before the country was united. That's why there are so many castles in Spain. Ah and because of the "Reconquista", the reconquering of Spain from the Moors who were finally expelled in 1492 (the year Colombus sailed the ocean blue - remember that from school?). So La Rioja may be all about wine but there is a lot of history too. We had our photo taken by the walls with amazing views of the river and vineyards which is one of the few photos of the two of us on this trip. 

Yesterday, the day of our 38th anniversary - 21st August -  saw us in Briones, another pretty little village in La Rioja. 

We also saw a bit of the old city where as in nearly all towns and cities in Spain there is a main square always called "plaza mayor". 

The Plaza Mayor in Briones. The house on the left is the oldest house in La Rioja. It's from the 16th century.

We are not really museum going people but our interest was piqued when we saw a sign saying "casa encantada" at the town hall, another beautiful palace and building. Casa Encantada means enchanted house and we only realised why when we had seen it all because we were enchanted with the visit. The house is a museum full of domestic items from the 19th and 20th century with exhibits of how houses used to be in the area. We loved it. Eladio having been brought up on a farm in the second half of the 20th century recognised many of the items. 

From Briones we drove to San Vicente de la Sonsierra, another town with lots of wineries. We had already seen one and bought enough wine so were more keen on seeing another pretty little village and we were not disappointed. We especially loved the "Plaza Mayor" with its wine motif spring with fountains of water in the shape of swans. Everyone was drinking from them and taking photos. I did too. 

In the main square of San Vicente, having a coffee

We had read that the main attraction of San Vicente was the castle and the views over the River Ebro - supposed to be one of the best in La Rioja. We got as far as the steps of the castle and as it was so hot we stayed below but still enjoyed the views which were as good as promised. We could see Briones from there where apparently  a peace treaty had been signed between the Kingdoms of  Navarra and Castille. It was signed in 1379 between Enrique II, King of Castille and Carlos II of Navarra. At the time San Vicente belonged to Navarra and Briones to Castille. Only the river separated the two kingdoms. It's hard to imagine that now. 

The view from the castle of San Vicente de Sonsierra of the River Ebro and the medieval bridge that separates it from Briones.

We only had time to visit one more village on our bucket list and decided it would be Cuzcurrita de Río Tirón, another medieval village but by a different river this time. The main attraction was another castle, the parish church and the river and river bank. We loved it immediately. 

In Cuzcurrita yesterday

My dear husband walking across the River Tirón yesterday in Cuzcurrita

Normally we would have had a slap up lunch somewhere good where I would have booked a table but we didn't as we would have a slap up dinner to celebrate our anniversary. So when we were hungry we went in search of the nearest bar to have tapas. Tapas in this area and in the Basque Country are more usually called "pinchos" (pintxos in the Basque Country). What they are is a sort of tapa on bread with a tooth pick like stick holding the topping to the bread. All the toppings are delicious. I went for prawns and croquettes and Eladio went for cod. Being in La Rioja we both had a glass of local red wine which tasted delicious. 

Sticking to our usual routine, we drove "home" - to the hotel to have a siesta and seek refuge from the heat. The air con was much appreciated and our bed very comfortable. I couldn't sleep though and after a while when I had rested, came down to the lovely little garden of which I have become very fond. Eladio later joined me and there we sat at one of the tables each of us with our laptop. I wondered if on our wedding day we had envisaged what our lives would be like together. We were only starting out then but very soon formed a family. The rest is not yet history. It is a life together well led with its ups and downs but built upon a rock of love.  

Eladio in the hotel garden yesterday afternoon.

Soon it was time to dress up for dinner. I had booked a table ages ago at the Palacio de Tondón which has the best restaurant in the village.It had good and bad reviews but we were not disappointed. The restaurant is right by the river where the hotel also has a wonderful terrace. 

The restaurant terrace by the river, a lovely spot

I only wished we could have eaten by the terrace which was much more romantic. The dining room was luxurious and well appointed  though so all was good. Before sitting down to our anniversary dinner we took some pics of us dressed up. Again I was wearing my little black dress which has held me in good stead for years now. Here we are by the river.

Posing on the terrace by the river just before dinner.

Our table had views of the river so it was well placed too.

We enjoyed every minute of our dinner. Everything was delicious. We chose to share dishes and had prawn carpaccio, a dish of vegetable and risotto. Dessert was crème brûlée made with maracuya. It was definitely one of our best anniversary dinners ever. Later we took our bottle of wine and bottle of water down to the terrace to enjoy the view.

We were in our room by 10 pm. Eladio got engrossed watching the final of the  triathlon world championship of all things and I read my book. I think we were asleep by about 11 pm both of us feeling happy and good with the world.

This morning I woke at 6 but stayed in bed until 7.30 and here I am now finishing this blog post in the hotel garden and waiting for Eladio to come down and for breakfast to be served. It will be our last breakfast at this divine little hotel. We are leaving today for Nájera - another pretty town in the area - where we have booked 2 nights at an Airbnb. I hope we like it as much as the Señorío de Briñas.

Now my friends I have come to the end of my tales of the week which I hope you have enjoyed reading about. Thus I shall leave you to publish this post and you will hear again from me next Sunday when we will be back in Madrid.

Cheers my friends until next Sunday,

Masha