Rioja

Fòr most of this trip we have been travelling through brown flat countryside- the massive high Spanish plain - that is used mainly for growing wheat, now harvested. Also mile upon mile of sunflowers ripening in the sun. This must be sunflower oil country rather than olive oil. No fields of olive trees like there are in Andalusia. Just once we saw a few cows in a field but there is not much grass here for them.
Today all that changed and as we left Burgos we encountered hills and now we are surrounded by mountains - and VINES! We have arrived in Rioja and everywhere there are vines covered in purple grapes just waiting to be made into delicious red wine. We are no longer in Castille y Leon we have crossed into Pays Vasco - Basque country and all the signs are in a strange language - a bit like Welsh.Read more