We heart Spain

La Rioja, and the neighboring Basque wine country in Arabako were sublime. Great weather, country, and people. We spent our mornings in the town of Haro, doing the shopping and errands before the heat. Midday was time to ride and explore the country via bicycle...the hottest part of the day. This is siesta time, and in most towns, the locals are either in their homes not moving, or more likely, in the local bar keeping cool. Think of the Spanish bar as a British pub; its the social hub of the town, and if you are lucky, the only place with air conditioning. We would try to stop at everyone we could find as we'd enter a town...its a nice rest, and a great way to practice the ol' Spanish. In the evenings, it was back to Haro, for drink and tapas around 9-10pm, then back to our farmhouse/B&B outside of town. Next day: repeat.