June 15-17, 2013- Laguardia La Rioja, Spain

Saturday June 15, 2013: 

We had to be at the bus stop by 8:15 am to go to La Rioja, one of the two regions where they make wine in Spain. It was a beautiful drive that wound through the countryside and we made a few stops along the way to the winery. I learned that there are over 300 vineyards in La Rioja and 8 wineries. 

In one of the 300 vineyards where they grow grapes for wine! 

Stunning  views of this vineyard. 

I learned that it is only a mountain range that changes the climate from Tropical to Mediterranean between Bilbao and La Rioja. Without this climate change it would not be possible to grow grapes and produce wine. In the La Rioja region, 90% of the business revolves around wine production. 

The mountain range that changes the climate in La Rioja. 

In the 14th century the Basque people were producing wine and labeling it with a French label. Out of anger the French destroyed all of the fields in La Rioja , but this plan actually backfired. Prior to the destruction, the Basque people did not know how to properly age the wine, so it expired after 1-2 years making it very hard to trade. Once they rebuilt and began producing wine again they learned from the French how to properly age their wine, and they have been known for trading and selling wine ever since. 

Next we stopped in a very small town to see the Saint Mary of the Assumption church. It was built in the 16th century, and then expanded in the early 18th century. 

Inside of the Saint Mary of the Assumption church.

We were able to climb up the tower and look out from the top of the church! So beautiful! 

Outside the Saint Mary of the Assumption church.

Next stop was the winery for a tasting. It was a very modern winery, with large metal barrels for fermentation. (I was a little disappointed to not see the old wooden barrels that some winery's still use.) It was still very interesting to learn how they make the wine. The tasting and tour was all in spanish and I understood most of what she said. I even translated it for one girl from Germany who did not know any spanish! It felt very empowering to understand and be able to explain it to someone else.

Wine tasting in La Rioja! 

We learned the proper way to taste wine, first by looking at it. Next to smell it by entering your nose into the glass. Then to swirl the wine and smell it again...we repeated this process many times before we got to the final step, tasting it! Once we did taste it, some people didn't like it because it wasn't sweet so they dumped it out. I do not believe in wasting good wine so there was no problem for me :)

After the tasting was over we went to a town, Laguardia, and had 4 hours of free time.

On the streets of Laguardia in La Rioja, Spain. 

Looking out over the vineyards. 

It was during this time that we ate pintxos and drank more wine, just enjoying the beautiful day! Pintxos are a category of food, basically small dishes that can be eaten as lunch or dinner. I ate one that was sausage with an egg and pepper on top. The other one was a boiled egg and bacon deep fried. The desert pintxo I ate was the most delicious! It was a small piece of bread with goat cheese, dried onions, a sweet sauce, and walnuts on top.

Pintxos for lunch! 

Finally it was time to head home, but we had a great day in La Rioja! 

On our way home from La Rioja. 

It was a great day, and while I was at the winery I bought 3 bottles of wine to bring home. After the bus ride, and the metro ride (total of 2 hours) I was finally at my metro stop. As soon as I got off of the metro, the bottom of my box broke and the bottles fell out! The white wine bottle shattered, spilling wine everywhere! The other 2 bottles just rolled around. I did not know what to do and security was approaching. It is a good thing my friends were there, and that the security guard was nice. He told us to just leave and he would clean it. We left and my friends helped me pick up my things.

The worst part about the wine bottle breaking was that I had boughten the it to give to my host family! When I got home I explained the situation...I guess it is a little comical no. But at the time I was so disappointed! I guess that this just means that I need to go to another winery when I am in Italy! :)

I had the most amazing day! I will remember this forever and hope to return again one day!

Sunday June 16, 2013:

Another beautiful day in Getxo with great weather! I went to a new beach, that is about 45 min away from my home in Getxo, but it was so beautiful! The beach was filled with people and a little more crowded than I prefer, but it was a Sunday. I hope that I can go back one day this week so I can relax a little bit more. All in all it was a nice day. After dinner I went back out to see my friends at a local bar called West Side. It is fairly close to my home, maybe a 5 minute walk. I was home in time spend a little time with my family, catching up! (They are out of the house most of the time on the weekend as well).

Monday June 17th, 2013

I was hoping to go to the beach today, but it is RAINING AGAIN!! This is horrible news! Oh well, when in Spain, one cannot really complain! I have just accepted it and I will enjoy this week with my new friends who will be leaving shortly. (Some people are only here for 3 weeks). Looking forward to meeting a new group of people though. This time they will be coming from all over the world to study with us! And best of all, one of my best friends Katie will be here on Thursday!