Vino, Pintxos, y Toros

We just got back from a two day excursion to Logroño and Pamplona! We left yesterday morning and took the bus to the town of Logroño, which is apparently the wine country of Spain. Once we arrived, we took taxis to a bodega, where we were able to learn about the history of wine, the wine making process, and finished our tour with a wine tasting, which was very fun! After the tour, we went back to downtown Logroño, where we had a couple of hours to eat before we needed to catch the bus, so Arielle, Ellen, and I decided to go Pintxo (Tapas) hopping. Down one street, there are all these tiny, mostly standing room only, shops that offer many, but usually specialize in one specific type of Pintxo. At our first stop, Ellen ordered the snails, which are actually very good, and I ordered octopus served in its own ink...totally something Andrew Zimmern would eat...and it was actually really yummy once you got past the look of it. We went to another store and got chicken kabobs with guacamole on bread, which was also delicious!

The Girls at the Wine Tasting

At the Pinxto place, I realized that I left my camera in the back seat of our taxi, but thankfully Logroño is a very small, safe place and not only did the taxi driver drive back to give me my camera, but he told me how he had driven to the bus station earlier to try to find me there. What a great guy! Anyway, we hopped another bus after lunch, and rode to Pamplona. We stayed at the Hotel Blanca de Navarra hotel, which is very nice and is where the King and Queen of Spain have stayed in the past! We had the night free so Summer, Natasha, Arielle, Ellen, and I walked downtown to find dinner and ended up in this cute, two story restaurant in the center of town and got a three course meal for a very good price!

This morning we woke up, ate breakfast at the hotel, and met our tour guide in the lobby. We had a great tour of the city, which included a visit to the beginning of el camino de Santiago (where people begin their 800km pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain), a tour of the streets where the Running of the Bulls takes place, and a visit to the 3rd largest bull fighting ring in the world! After our tour, we went out for more Pinxtos and chocolate before we left for Bilbao. Pamplona and Logroño are both beautiful places with friendly people and amazing food!

Fun at the Bullfighting Ring

Vino, Pintxos, y Toros

Pamplona, Spain