FROM GETARIA TO LAGUARDIA, RIOJA

I shall begin this blog by showing the proper way to serve Traxoli:

GUGGNEHEIM:  On Tuesday we drove from Getaria to the large city of Bilbao in order to visit the Guggenheim Museum.  This world famous museum was opened in the early 1990's, after the Canadian architect Frank Gehrey was commisioned by the Bilbao city officials to design a museum that would rival the Sydney Opera House in terms of style and beauty.  After seeing both it is my opinion that Gehrey failed in that quest.  Although the inside is very impressive I find that the outside reminds me of a structure a child would build with sheets of tinfoil.

The art inside is primarily abstract and also not to my taste.  Thus, I was quite happy to escape to a wonderful little pintxos bar for another great Basque lunch.  In fact, I think the Basque pintxos are even better than the tapas that we liked so much in Barcelona.

GUERNICA:  On the way back to Getaria we drove through the city of Guernica.  This city was flattened in 1937 by Hitler's and Mussolini's planes after Gen. Franco offered up the citizens for German target practice.   Hitler wanted to try out his new technique of saturation bombing.  At the time Franco was particularly unhappy with the Basques who were opposing him in the cival war.  The city was rebuilt after WWII and is interesting architectually as the buildings are all of the same era.

EATING IN ASADORS:  For our first five nights in northern Spain I had fish for dinner.  The last three were in Basque Asadors (grills).  When I think of a grill I think of steak or hamburg.  However, in this area an asador is a grill for cooking fish.  The menu in each restaurant offers a wide varity of fish (but not much shellfish) and one only token meat item.  As the fish is cooked whole most of the items offered are for two persons.  The fish is grilled over wood coals and then served smothered in olive oil and thin slices of garlic.  The turbot we had last night and the bass the night before were quite amazing.  Finally, we learned to ask for something to accompany the fish and on our fifth night we managed to get a bowl of lettuce and onions.

RIOJA:  On Wednesday we drove to Rioja Alavesa for three days of wine tasting.  We arrived at our beautiful hotel which is set in a vineyard just outside the walled city of Laguardia.  The hotel turns out to be perhaps the nicest hotel in which we have ever stayed.  Although it is expensive by Spanish standards the price is still less than an ordinary hotel in downtown Halifax.

Upon arrival we were invited to join an English-speaking tour of the vineyards cellars.  For that tour we were joined by an Amerian couple and a young couple from Hong Kong.  The winery has 2 kilometers of man-dug tunnels/caves going under the hotel and area.  The caves hold not only the wines from the winery but those from most of the local restuarants, as well as wines belonging to private persons who live as far away as China.  The walk was made easier as the young man from Hong Kong insisted on holding Betty's arm and assisting her over all the stone steps.

At the end of the tour we tasted wines and discussed politics.  The American woman had been up all night watching elections returns and she is very stressed over her sense of what is happening to her country.

Although there are many restaurants in nearby Laguardia, one has to park outside the walls.  To save Betty's knee we chose to eat at the hotel.  After a glass of rose in what is called the "living room" we went into the dining room for a superbly prepared 5-course dinner.  Interestingly there was no choice of any of the courses.  Also there was no charge for the wine, but we did have to pay for any accompaning bottle of water.

At the breakfast buffet wine was again on offer.  However, my liver insisted that I should stick to coffee.  After breakfast we headed out for a day of touring Bodegas and tasting wines.  The area is quite lovely with the leaves on the vines having turned colors to reds and yellows.  In a way it is almost like the colors of fall in Nova Scotia.  Tonight we have decided that we don't want to drive and are looking forward to five surprise courses in the hotel restaurant.