Dos Chicas en España

In the seven months since I last posted a travel adventure (Cuba), my life totally changed. As regular followers and friends know, I sold my house and moved in with my daughter and her family, which overall has been great. But I’ve been anxious to get back on the road, so y dear friend Sharon and I planned a little trip to Spain for cooking, eating and wine tasting.

Yesterday we flew into Bilbao and were met by our guide and organizer for the next eight days, Ramón. We immediately set off for the lovely city of Logroño, widely considered the capital of this region, Rioja. On the way we passed vineyard after vineyard. After a refreshing siesta, the two of us set off to explore the old city, with its streets lined with over 200 tapas bars. Though it was early (most establishments don’t open till 8:30), we were able to find a place to enjoy a glass of Rioja and a ham and cheese tortilla. From there we moved on to a place aptly called Ummmm, where we had a better glass of wine and far superior tapas (called pinchos,or pintxos, in this region).

We enjoyed two bocadillos, one tuna and the other pulled pork, and delectable morsels of caramelized fig atop a disk of foie gras. The pinchos on display were so tempting, it was hard to choose. After a stroll through the old city, we were ready to call it a night.