Spain, Portugal, and the Camino, May 19 - June 12, 2019
We had pondered cycling the Camino de Santiago for many years and finally decided this was the year. After researching, reading books, and talking to others that have ridden it, we decided to give Experience Plus a shot. In total it would be over 500 miles.
This trip would be different. We decided to take a few days before and after the trip to drive and be "regular" tourists. So our trip started in Madrid with a 4 hour drive north to Bilbao for a night, then up the coast to San Sebastian for two nights, then head south to
Pamplona for the beginning of our cycling trip. After 12 days of cycling we rented another car and drove south to Porto, Portugal, then east along the Douro river to Quinta de Pacheca then onto Salamanca, Spain, and ending back in Madrid.
You can click on any picture to enlarge it. Many are worth the "click".
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Click on the image to see the map larger
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Madrid to Bilbao
A beautiful drive from the airport in Madrid. We crossed countless rocky mountains with beautiful vistas displaying expansive valleys as far as the eye could see. As we neared Bilbao on the northern coast we gained elevation and entered a densely forested area. Spectacular.
Bilbao was a bustling city and most known for the Frank Gehry designed Guggenheim museum which was our main reason from coming. The museum architecture was stunning as it sat next to the river. The museum visit was a let down, but it did not take away from the scenery. All in all, worth the visit.
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| The Guggenheim |
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| "Pintxos"- the bread is just the plate |
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| First night gin cocktail- only the beginning |
San Sebastian
This town is a major "foodie" destination. They say it has more Michelin star restaurants per capita than any other city in the world. The town is nicely nestled within the shores of the Bay of Biscay in what is called the Bahia de la Concha. To say it's idyllic is an understatement.
We enjoyed the many pintxos bars and an excellent one star Michelin restaurant called Kokoxta (pronounced co co sha). We were also introduced to more amazing gins. A return trip to this town is a must.
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| The view from our hotel room |
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| Another gorgeous sunset |
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| Our favorite pintxos bar, Bare Bare |
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| Hams or "jamon" were everywhere |
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| Incredible local liquor store with over 70 gins |
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| Our one star Michelin restaurant. Worth every penny. |
Pamplona/Roncesvalles
From San Sebastian we headed back southeast to Pamplona where we met our tour group. A 45 minute van ride to our starting town of Roncesvalles. This quaint Pyrenees village is the official "Spanish" start. We were called pilgrims, or as the Spanish say, "pelegrinos". We would see hundreds of pilgrims throughout our trip. Some 300,000 people walk, bike, or ride by horseback, the Camino every year.
A Brief Camino Introduction
Our route would take us over 500 miles, crossing through three main geographic landscapes; the Pyrenees, the Meseta, and Galicia. The Pyrenees are the big mountains to the east that are the border between northeastern Spain and France. We have spent two weeks cycling these giant mountains in 2012. But, on this trip we were lucky to go mostly downhill as we approached Spain's central section, the Meseta. The Meseta translates to "high plains". The is one of the major agricultural areas of Spain. We saw mostly wheat in its young stage, all green. We had imagined this to be flat but boy were we wrong. It was miles of rolling hills. Surprisingly enough, this area actually was one of our most memorable landscapes. The final section was to the west, Galicia. This is west of Leon (about the midpoint), with lush green hills, many of which were very steep, but the views rewarding.
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Our Camino passports which had to be stamped at two places everyday,
and the iconic scallop shell which represents all the routes one can take. |
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| La Posada, our first night's hotel |
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Still descending from the Pyrenees heading towards Burgos.
The beginning of many wheat fields.
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| Irache monastery offering free wine to pilgrims. |
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One of the many Camino signs along the way.
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Rioja
On the way to Burgos you pass through one of Spain's most famous wine growing areas, Rioja. Some tough riding getting there, but it was spectacular.
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| At the top of the climb admiring the views of the valley below |
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| In heart of Rioja |
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| Our hotel/ castle/"castillo" |
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| The magnificent view from our room |
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| Marques de Riscal / Gehry designed winery |
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| A "chozo" hut built in the 1700's for watchmen to protect the vineyards |
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| Two of the greatest things in life; tandem riding and vineyards |
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| Our favorite Rioja winery. It was right on our route! |
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| R. Lopez Heredia winery is 141 years old. A real treasure |
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| Could not leave the tasting empty handed |
The Meseta- Burgos and Leon
From Rioja we continued our pilgrimage west along the Meseta to Burgos. We climbed, then rode the "plateau" for hundreds of miles of rolling hills.
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| Endless fields of flowers on the Meseta |
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| As far as the eye could see both ways |
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| Remnants of an old hospital dedicated to helping peregrinos |
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| Amazing wheat fields that looked like golf course fairways |
Burgos
This was our first major cathedral, and what a site it was. Our hotel was literally next door. The town of Burgos was lots of fun. We found a great pintxos bar and some local gin- a win-win!
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| Cathedral view from our hotel room |
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| Spectacular night view |
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| Stuffed mushroom pintxos |
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| Delicious Burgos made gin |
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| The life of cyclists on the road- daily laundry |
Leon
Outside of Compostela, the cathedral in Leon is one of the most famous in Spain. It's ornate and colorful stained glass windows inside date back to 900 AD. Back in those days the entire town was filled with craftsmen building them. As the sun light changes during the day, the views are accentuated. Stunning.
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The bronze foot was seen throughout the city
showing where the original Roman wall stood. |
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The infamous scallop shell of the
Camino marking the "trail" in Leon |
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One of two Gaudi structures on our tour. It was designed as a
residential house with a warehouse to store fabrics. |
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| Famous for Storks as well as their cathedral |
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| One of the best bars on our trip, the Majestic. Incredible selection of liquors. |
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| The talented and gracious bartender. We became good friends. |
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Plaza Mayor where our hotel was located.
Typical gorgeous evening. |
Astorga
Another medium size town on the "trail" famous for its chocolate and the other Gaudi structure on our trip, the Episcopal Palace of Astorga. What we found much more interesting and fun was the cool bar away from the tourist area.
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| On our way to Astorga we passed through Hospital de Orbigo. Known for its medieval fair. |
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| Lots of great food |
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| Grilling was king here |
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Sometimes you just don't feel like a fancy meal so
one opts for a Doner Kebab. Dinner for two, 12e. |
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| Plaza Espana |
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| Gaudi's Palace Episcopal |
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| One of our favorite "local" bars |
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| Loved the free tapas sliders with our gin tonica |
Galicia
Before reaching the region of Galicia we had to cross mountains to reach the summit at O'Cebreiro and cast our stone on the pile of rocks. This was hands down the toughest climb of the trip, and in our top five toughest climbs we have ever done. The 7km (around 5 miles) was all at 11% - 15% grade. Truly a BEAST. The panoramic views at the top were were gorgeous.
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| Steepest climb of the trip, 11-15% for 5 miles |
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| View at the summit of O'Cebreiro |
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| Casting our rock on the pile |
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| A well deserved veal steak lunch for only 10e |
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| Quintessential Galician views |
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| Roads are much steeper than they appear much to our dismay |
Santiago de Compostela
The final days into Compostela were green and beautiful. Our stop at the "epicenter" for octopus or known locally as pulpo was a real treat. The ride into Compostela was wet but we were prepared.
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| One of Spain's most famous restaurants for octopus |
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| Each octopus is cut with scissors and boiled |
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By using only olive oil, paprika, and salt,
you get an incredibly tasty and very tender result |
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| We couldn't resist the padron peppers |
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| Stately family mansion was our hotel for the night |
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| 4 generations of hunters |
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| Let it rain, we were prepared |
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| The cathedral in Santiago de Compostela- a triumphant finale. |
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| Just couldn't get the bike over my head.... |
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| 7am the next morning when no one was there |
Portugal
After riding the bike for two weeks in Spain, were anxious to get back in the car and drive two hours south to Porto, Portugal where we would spend two nights. As lovers of port wine, it's a city we've wanted to visit. The Douro river views were spectacular as were the ports and the food.
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| Views of the Douro river from our lunch spot on arrival |
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| View looking to the ocean from the top level of the Ponte Luiz I bridge |
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| View looking east |
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| A man in a wet suit preparing to jump? |
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| Traditional boats that would bring the port wine from vineyards |
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| Our favorite port and a real classy place |
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| Two stellar "vintage" ports, 1985, 1994 |
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| Quintessential Sandeman. Couldn't resist a shot. |
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| "100 years" tasting; 10, 20, 30, and 40 year tawnies |
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| Incredible find, Cube. They give In-N-Out a run for their money. |
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| Famous Porto train station murals |
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| Portugal is the largest producer of cork, so why not a cork bike. |
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We fell into this world class restaurant
walking back to our hotel. What a find! |
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| Delicious steak tartare |
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| Decadent veal risotto |
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| Sharish Portuguese gin, really good |
Douro River Valley
Two days was perfect in the city of Porto. It was time to continue our adventure east along the Douro river valley driving to Quinta de Pacheca. Quintas are wineries, and this one was special. Besides a fully operational winery, It incorporated a small boutique hotel and a first class restaurant. Truly memorable.
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| A lunch stop view on the drive to Quinta de Pacheca |
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| You can actually stay in these wine barrels. We opted for a regular room. |
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| Views looking back to the mountain range that lines the Douro river. |
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| Beautiful grounds |
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| Production area |
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| Restaurant view |
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| Incredible 25 year Portuguese brandy |
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| She liked it... |
Salamanca
Our final night was spent in Salamanca about a 3 hour drive to Madrid. Salamanca has the oldest university in Spain dating back to 1243. We had low expectations for this town but it ended up be one of our favorites.
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| The cathedral |
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| To the left, the wall of the university |
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| A fantastic fish lunch |
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| Plaza Mayor |
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Appetizer at our "famous" hotel restaurant.
What looked good ended up being a bust. |
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| When in doubt, find the best bar you can. An we did. |
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| Incredible bar with fantastic and generous bartenders. What a gem! |
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| New Spanish gin #1 |
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| New Spanish gin #2 |
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| New Spanish gin #3 |
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Bartender recommended this outstanding brandy,
with a free taste of course. |
Finale
All in all one of our top three trips. We rode over 500 miles and drove close to 700. Northern Spain and Portugal are a must see. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the landscape, people, culture, food, and of course the GIN! Salut!
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| Lucky us, our final Norweign gin on the flight home. |
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