part 3

Zaterdag 15 September 2018

An important reason for our stay in Lerma is the proximity to Burgos with its beautiful cathedral. It is about a half hour's drive to Burgos on the A1. We can park the car in a underground car park right in front of the city gate. After a cup of coffee on a terrace in the sun - in the shade it's pretty cool early in the morning - it's time for the Cathedral. For an entrance ticket to the Cathedral, we first have to enter the visitor center, which is located under the church. There are also lockers, where we have to leave our rucksacks. Then back outside again, and to the left up the stairs to the entrance. The cathedral was the first gothic church in Spain and an example to follow for other churches in Spain that were built during the reconquering of Spain from the Moors. It is a gigantic building with numerous chapels, some of them, like the Capilla del Condestable, seem like a cathedral in the cathedral. This chapel was built for Felipe Pedro Velasquez as a burial chapel for him and his wife. He was an important adviser and chamberlain of King Enrique II of Castile. He died in 1492. The sculptures, including the tomb, are by the hand of the Flemish artist Gil de Siloë and his son Diego de Siloë. Also special is the Golden Staircase, which connects the main body of the church with the northern entrance doors, which - because the church is built against a mountain wall, is 30 meters higher. The staircase dates from 1523 and is also a work by Diego de Siloë. El Cid (1044-1099) is buried in the middle of the church, the Spanish knight who had great successes against the Moors, but who occasionally also offered his services to Arab kings. This aspect is usually forgotten in the worship of El Cid in Spain. Apart from the grave of El Cid, the church also has a suitcase that belonged to him. This is kept on the top floor of the beautiful cloister. There is a fixed route through the church, which ends at the ground floor of the cloister and then comes out in the souvenir shop.

After our visit to the cathedral we walk along the tree-lined boulevard Paseo del Espelon along the banks of the river Arlazón. Then we arrive at the spacious Plaza Mayor, which unfortunately is now being thoroughly renovated. We have lunch at Cerveceria Morito. Apparently a landmark in Burgos. As soon as the place opens at 1 pm, it completely fills up in a few seconds. Orders are only taken at the bar. The best dishes are the combined dishes of meat, vegetables, egg and fries. It is a lively business. In no time the dishes are on the bar. You have to keep an eye up  for your order. The dishes are simple, but tasty. Paying up is also very well organised. Despite the enormous crowds, the staff know exactly who ordered what.
We want to go to the monastery de las Huelgas after lunch, but that is closed due to the siesta. That is why we return to Lerma. We look at the Vuelta in our room.
In the evening we eat a delicious dinner in the Parador.

Weather: in the afternoon to 30 degrees (86F)

Sunday 16 September 2018

Lerma - Logroño: 184km / 3:04 uur

We drink coffee in Lerma first and then drive on to Logroño, the capital of the Rioja region. There is the big festival going on. The festival of San Mateo, which marks the beginning of the wine harvest. Actually too early, because the harvest only starts in a few weeks. The whole city and region have converged on Logrono. Bands walk through the streets, everywhere there are drinks and food stalls on every square is a stage for performances. The important streets are a big procession of visitors and the terraces are full. It is also very noisy. We are staying in the trendy boutique hotel Marques de Vallejo, in the middle of the old town. We can drive in front to unload the suitcases. Then we can park at a discount in a parking  in the newer part of the center on the other side of Paseo del Espelon.

We visit the concatedral, where  mass is celebrated. Beautiful church, but no comparison with those in Burgos. During the service, the party noise penetrates into the church and the priests sermon completely drowns out when the door opens. We return to the hotel. Then we eat some tapas.
In the afternoon we walk to what remains of the city walls. Small part of it can be visited. An artillery tower from the 16th century. At 6.30 pm we will eat tapas at Pasion por ti in the busy street Calle Laurel. A small and happening joint where they serve delicious and beautifully made up tapas or pinchos. We choose some delicious tapas and drink a nice wine with it.

weather: 30 degrees with sun

Monday 17 September 2018

After breakfast we drive to Haro, about 50 km north of Logroño and the center of the wine production of the Rioja region. We are going to visit the winery Muga. We get a 1.5-hour guided tour through this traditional family business, which produces an extensive collection of quality wines. 900,000 bottles of crianza per year are bottled here. Of the Torre Muga, a signature wine, only 4,000 in a year that the harvest is good enough. The lastest one to have come on the market was 2010. The next one is from 2015. The Crianza - the entry-level wine - is allowed to mature here for 3 years, where most wineries use 2 years old wine. In fact, this crianza is a Reserva. We are guided through all stages of the production process, making a distinction between the different wines that they make here. From young white wines, to Cava and the top wines, which have to mature for 5 years. Muga only works with oak barrels, which they make from French oak. They only use new vessels. The used barrels are sold (to whiskey distilleries). Their master cooper is already getting on in his age and now he is training his son as a successor, just like he also succeeded his father at the time. All tradition ...
After the tour we get a sample of the white wine and of the crianza.
Back in Logroño we wash the car in a car wash. Then we have lunch in a tapas bar. Around five o'clock we go outside for a coffee and a cocktail. Around 9pm we  eat at La Iruña. A good restaurant with regional dishes. I take the tuna salad, followed by a beef entrecote.

Weather: sunny, around 28 degrees in the afternoon. In the evening heavy thunderstorms, but later dry again

Tuesday 18 September 2018

After breakfast and coffee in a café on the Paseo del Espolón we go to San Sebastian. We take the highway to Pamplona. In the outskirts of Pamplona there is a remarkable connection to the motorway to San Sebastián, as they only build them in Spain. We arrive in the city around 12.30 and the Garmin leads us unsuspectingly into the old city, on our way to our Pension Ur Alde. At the Plaza de Constitucion we cannot get any further and it appears that we have penetrated deep into the pedestrian zone. Only delivery van are allowed here. Just before the police intervenes I take the bags out of the car and take them to the pension. Erik leaves the square on the orders of the police. By phone we find each other again and drive to the parking garage just outside the old city. San Sebastian is a rather expensive city to stay and a simple pension like ours (without breakfast) costs 145 euros per night. It is brand new, the room is modern and spacious. We have the Amsterdam room and the decoration theme is Holland, complete with tulips and windmills.
We have a break and have lunch in the form of some pintxos on Puerto street at Meson Portales. It is a kind of self-service. You pick up a plate and put as many pintxos as you want. Then you pay up. They taste reasonably well. In the afternoon we go to the beach, the Playa de Concha, which is located in the middle of the city. The beach is located in the bay of San Sebastian and is very flat. In the middle of the bay is a pontoon, from which boys show off their diving skills. After swimming we drink a beer on a terrace.

At six o'clock we are picked up by Iker Bardaji, our guide for the pintxos tour through the old city of San Sebastian. Iker talks a lot about the history of the city since the Romans, through the kingdom of Navarre, to the Napoleonic occupation. The English expelled the French in 1813, but destroyed the city by setting it on fire. Except for one street, where they wanted to house their soldiers. That street is now called the Callle 31 agosto, after the date of the looting. The rest of the old town is from after 1813. In the belle époque, San Sebastian became a popular seaside resort for the elite from both Madrid and France. There are many Art Nouveau buildings, a casino, hotels, a theater and a bathhouse. Everything to amuse the well-to-do tourist. We visit the fresh market, which is underground, because of the food safety regulations. Iker buys bread, cheese and sausage here ( Pata Negra grade). We walk into the old town with Iker and enter our first tapas bar, Goiz Argi in the Fermin Albeton street. Here we eat a Mari Juli, a Pintxo of salmon and shrimps (on toasted bread) accompanied by Txakoli, the traditional Basque white wine with a slight sparkle. She is poured like the Cider in Asturias. We walk to the Plaza de Constitucion. Bullfighting took place here in the Belle Epoque. The windows of the buildings around the square are numbered. These were the sky boxes for the wealthy citizens in those days. The then city hall served as the royal box. We visit our second pintxos address, Astelena 148 and get racion with risotto and white mushrooms and a pintxo with pork cheek. Iker is a member of a cooking club (Sociedad Gastronomica) for men. He is very proud to be a member of this exclusive, tradition-rich club. He takes us there and shows us the rooms. We may sit in the kitchen while he is serving the purchased cheese and sausage with bread and uncorking a Txakoli. The purpose of the club is to cook together with club members, exchange recipes and enjoy the company. There are a number of these clubs in San Sebastian and membership is only possible if you are nominated by others. There are all kinds of rules about cleaning and stocking and bringing in introduces like us.

We walk further into the newer city and see the modern Kursaal - a concert hall from 1999 -, the neo-classical Victoria Eugenia Antzioka theater (1912) and the chic Maria Christina 5-star hotel (1912). All three buildings play an important role in the International Film Festival, which starts on Friday. Top guest is Danny de Vito. We continue past the administrative building of the provincial government of Guipuzkoa province. Then we are back at the bay and the beach and the tour ends. We say goodbye to Iker and go back to our pension. We take a few pintxos before we go to bed.

Weather: morning cloudy and cool. In the afternoon it gets warmer to 24 °

Wednesday 19 September 2018

We have a delicious breakfast at Maiatza, a small coffee shop at the Kale Enbeltran. Then we rent a bicycle from the Dbizi system. We buy a day ticket from the machine and pull a bicycle from the rack. That does not go that easy. We have to enter a lot of data and the e-bike is difficult to release from the stand. We cycle along the bay and the beach towards the Funicular, with which go to the summit of Mont Igeldo, a viewpoint. We pass the former summer residence of the Spanish royal family, which now serves as a cultural center. The nearest dBizi station for the funicular is a good distance away. We have to take a bus from it to get to the funicular. With this cable car we go up the mountain for a beautiful view of the bay and the city. We take a drink on the terrace of the Mercure hotel, which is located on top of the mountain. We look out over the Bay of Biscay and the Concha bay. After a while, we go back down again. We take bus 16 for one stop and walk back to the issue point of the bikes. We cycle around in the newer part of San Sebastian, after which we  have a simple lunch.

At 4 pm we visit the Basilica de Santa Maria. The church was spared in the devastation of 1813, but it only became a basilica in 1973 after a papal visit in 1966. The interior of the church is nice with an altarpiece with a painting from the 19th century that represents Saint Sebastian (young man, pierced with arrows). Sebastian was an army officer under Emperor Diocletian, who was put on trial because of his Christian faith. In the back of the church there is another museum with ecclesiastical art.
We take another Dbizzi bike for a trip around the Urgull Mendia, the rocky peninsula, on which once  a fortress stood. Now a large statue of Mary towers over the city. We cycle along the base of the rock and then drive over the river Urumea to the Kursaal in the Gros district. This auditorium was completed in 1999 on the spot where a casino stood until 1924, when gambling was banned under the rule of dictator Prima de Rivera. The old Kursaal was demolished in 1972 and the lot was empty for more than 20 years. The architect Rafael Monea won the competition with his design, which is reminiscent of two large basalt blocks that are used here as breakwaters in the estuary.
In front of the Kursaal is the Zurriola beach. In contrast to the Playa de Concha, it is not sheltered by a peninsula and therefore popular with the surfers riding the high waves.
We drink a cocktail at Dioni's gay bar and later in the evening we visit a number of pintxos bar: Txepetxa (specialized in many variations on Achovis), Zeruko (somewhat pretentious modern tapas), A fuego Negro (modern and innovative and fusion, but pleasant) and finally La Viña (famous for the cheesecake). To round it of we have a nightcap at Bar Martinez.

Weather: light to cloudy with sunny periods. 24 degrees

Thursday 20 September 2018

San Sebastian - Gernika - Bilbao: 216km 2:06 hrs

We have breakfast at Maiatza again and then go back to the pension to pack and leave. Receptionist Aitor is also back at his post (yesterday we were without reception) and gives us the bill. On the way to the car we drink coffee on the boulevard. Then we drive out of city on the motorway towards Bilbao. At Gernika we turn off the motorway and drive to this town with its eventful past. In 1937 the city was destroyed by German and Italian bombers in a support of General Franco's rebellion against the republican government. It did not serve any military purpose. It was  primarily an exercise for the German Luftwaffe, which had been built up under Hitler in preparation for the Second World War. In that sense, Gernika was a rehearsal for Rotterdam. In Gernika we visit the Peace Museum. Impressive is the living room, where the story of the day is told from the perspective of a housewife in the days before the bombing. The threat was there, but the attack itself came as a surprise and certainly the devastation it brought about. At the end of the story we hear the air alarm, the aircraft and the explosions. Then the devastation becomes visible behind a screen, that was at first a mirror wall.
Furthermore, much attention is paid to the concept of peace and  achieving it in many places around the world, such as in Northern Ireland, South Africa and Guatemala.
After the museum we walk to the Batzarretxea. In this building the representatives of the villages of the Basque Country had been meeting for centuries until 1879. First under a tree, later in a parliament building. The stump of the tree is still there, under a roof. Kings who ruled the Basque country confirmed  the autonomy of the Basque Country under this tree. The Provincial Council of Bizkaia has been meeting here since 1979. Everything is strictly guarded by the Basque police. We drink something and eat a pintxo before we drive to the coast. The mouth of the Mundakako Itsasadarra river forms a beautiful estuary here. We drive along the coast past Bermio and Bakio.
Then on to Bilbao. Our apartment is in the old city, behind the San Nicolas Church. The apartment is small, clean, tidy and the kitchen and bathroom are in good order. The bed is very narrow (1.40m) and it is quite noisy. A connecting door with the adjacent apartment is covered yp, but we hear the neighbors having lunch. Probably our room has been separated from the neighboring apartment for the purpose of rental.
In the afternoon we go up the mountain with the funicular to enjoy the view of the city. We take the street car to get to the base staton. A very modern and new line. The cars still smell new. From the tram stop we cross the footbridge Zubizuri, designed by architect Calatrava. From the mountain Artxanda we see of course the Guggenheim Museum and also the stadium of Atletic de Bilbao.
Back in the old town we drink something on a terrace. In the evening we eat dinner at the Plaza Berri or Plaza Nueva (at  La Olla) and we take a nightcap at the Bizitza gay bar.
Weather: sunny 28 degrees

Friday 21 September 2018

We have breakfast at cafe Bizuete. Busy, but quick, an reasonably good. We take the tram to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The building, located on the banks of the river, by the American architect Frank Gehry from 1997 is spectacular: the size, the reflective material and the fantastic shapes make it an unforgettable and unique building. For the city of Bilbao, it was the starting point for a revitalization of the dilapidated industrial city, which eventually made it a lively cultural center in the Basque country. The permanent exhibition is sometimes spectacular, but also often far fetched. There is a temporary exhibition with work by Van Gogh and Picasso and that is very nice. The building may be photographed, but the art inside may not. After the visit to the museum we walk to Azkuna Zentroa, a former wine warehouse, which has been spectacularly converted into a cultural center. The central room has a suspended ceiling, supported by 43 pillars, each designed separately by the Frenchman Philippe Starck. In the hall, as at many other locations in the city a piano forte has been places with the text "¿Quieres Tocarme?" printed on it. It means: "Do you want to play me?". Anyone who can and dares can have his piano skills heard and that happens with brio.
We take the metro back to our apartment. In the afternoon I take a look at the covered market. This was  restored and rebuilt in 1983, after a major flood. Unfortunately, the market is closed in the afternoon.
In the evening we eat at the michelin star restaurant Etxanobe in the Esanche district in the new center. In the Atelier of chef Fernando Canales we have a 14-course menu with wine pairing. It is wonderful, spectacular and very well cooked. Some courses are prepared by Canales at our table. Erik may even assist with one dish. This star restaurant does not stand alone. Basque Country and Bilbao and San Sebastian in particular count many very good restaurants with stars in the Michelin Guide. It was a worthy conclusion to our journey through northwestern Spain.

Weather: sunny, 25 degrees

Saturday 22 September 2018

We get up early around 7 o'clock, after a rather difficult night. The room was far too hot, but the window could not be opened because it was too noisy outside with sounds of nightlife. Breakfast is hard to find, because everything is still closed, except for a café, which is still full of night owls, who are still pretty drunk. A coffee with a sandwich, is the maximum we can get here. We then drive to the airport of Bilbao, from where we leave with KLM at 11.50 am to Amsterdam. We arrive there on time at 14.00. We have to wait a while for the luggage. The Intercity Direct train service brings us in 27 minutes to Rotterdam Central, where an Uber taxi is waiting for us. It's raining in Rotterdam, but it's good to be at home again.

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