Thursday, September 2, 2021

Haro

Bike Route: Laguardia to Haro, 17 miles, 1200 feet of climb

The sun was out but there was a little nip of fall in the air when we left the guest house this morning. As we crossed through the portal from Old Town and dropped down the hill toward the highway, we descended into a thick mist. It wasn't long before the mist cleared, the air warmed, and we stopped to shed our jackets.

Today was a short, easy ride, mostly on a medium-sized highway with a good shoulder. The scenery is so different here: wide expanses of vineyards, small fortified stone villages atop scattered hills, olive groves, sunflower fields, and grain fields.

We made it to Haro a little after noon and settled at an outdoor table in the main square to eat a late breakfast while we waited for our apartment to open at 2:00. The apartment is large and clean and comfortable. Our host, Pedro, rode up on a Triumph Sportster to turn over the keys and show us around. He gave us a map showing an area we had cycled through on the way into town, with a complex of 500-year-old wineries. We showered and then headed back down the hill, hoping to catch a tour. By that time it was after 4:00, and the tours had all ended at 3:00. It was still interesting to walk around the area and peek into open doorways at vast rooms full of wooden kegs, tasting rooms with tables and stools, shipping and loading docks. 

Back in town, we walked to a couple of restaurants that looked very good but didn't open for dinner until 8:30. We did not want to wait that long, so we decided to take advantage of our nice kitchen and bought groceries to make a paella with langostinos. We were just looking for something special for dessert when we heard thunder and a crack of lightning. We quickly paid and started running, pushing through the door to our apartment just as it really started to pour.

The paella was incredible. I enjoyed a glass of the complementary wine that came with the apartment. We slept well until a little after 1:00 when our neighbors returned from dinner, but they quieted down soon and we fell back to sleep.

Tower of the old church in Haro.

Doorway of the church.

All the langostinos we can possibly eat.