Christmas eats, lights and merrymaking

A bit late but it has been a busy few months..... here's a miscellaneous selection of the run-up to Christmas and all that it involves--food, drink and lots of chatter:

A seafood feast at Oscar's house

Christmas lunch at the cooking school Las Carolinas with my favourite doctor students

Christmas dinner

We went to a local restaurant and had lobster rice (famous arroz con bogavante....local lobster that's bigger than what I am used to--they do sell Canadian lobsters too!)...mmmm....

Typical "cocido montañes"--a stew with lots of beans, veggies, meats etc--very popular and common during the winter months

Sunday breakfast--toast with olive oil and tomatoes, cured ham and a glass of OJ--very typical, healthy and yummy! :)

Beans with chorizo--hearty and warm. This second attempt came up perfectly even though I didn't know what I should have been making.... ;)

Our attempt at lobster rice looks pretty but lacked the flavour of the restaurants. Oh well, it was yummy anyhow and a good first try--there will be more to come!

We went to the hotel balneario in Puente Viesgo with a 2 for 1 coupon to enjoy the spa--here you see the water circuit and then you head outside to the heated jacuzzi (top left corner) and finish off with various saunas and Turkish baths (far right behind the benches) and a relaxation room. Estimated time 2.5 hours but we stayed almost 3.5 and a girl came to warn us about staying too long--said your blood pressure gets too low and could be dangerous..... Very nice and fun!

Cute English-style teashop in Ruente, in the valley...who would have figured they would find this in a small town in Spain??

Christmas tree in Plaza Porticada.

The 3 kings (Three Wise Men) arrive on the camels, bringing presents to the good children and coal to the bad....

We went for a weekend down to Madrid to check out the Christmas ambience, but were a bit disappointed with the reduction in lights....crisis crisis means saving money on small things here and there.... =P

Lots of people in Plaza Mayor, checking out the booths. It's typical for people to buy silly hats and wigs and wear them around town....very Christmasy?!?!

Cool cafe called "The Secret Garden"...it was difficult to find but inside was very cool and even has a tree!

Gran Via and the famous Schweppes sign (it changes colours constantly)

People scrambling for last-minute Christmas lotto tickets. This place is known for winning tickets so there's lots more buyers. More buyers, more winners, right??

Metropolis building

La Puerta del Sol and the big hollow tree

You can go inside!

The view from the inside is much cooler!

Some lights along the streets, but not as spectacular as previous years, we're told...

Plaza Mayor at night

Government building--the congress or house of representatives/parliament...

Don't remember what this was, but in the area of the government buildings... =P

Some kids climbed up for a photo but were shooed away by a guard

Little lake in Retiro Park

Canoes for rent for a relaxing paddle around the lake

Busy and yummy eats at this Galician restaurant

WIning and Dining in La Rioja

A few weekends ago, we headed off to learn more about wining and dining in the famous La Rioja region. The weather was nice, crisp and sunny, and we spent time exploring the capital, Logroño, plus visiting some of the bodegas in the area.

Each bar has its own specialty--but a famous one in the area are the "cojonudos"... ;)

Pintxos sampling in bar number 1

Even the lights in this bar are grapes! ;)

Warding off vampires from the market

Cathedral in the heart of Logroño--buildings like this are always more beautiful at night!

Calle Portales, one of the central areas in downtown Logroño--very pretty with the arches and all lit up at night! :)

We ventured to the famous Calle Laurel for tapas and drinks--each bar in this area has its own specialty, ranging from mushrooms (mmmm...) to squid, to a toast covered with red pepper and a quail's egg (AKA cojonudo)....

Hungry people fill the narrow streets

Saturday morning, we headed out to visit the first bodega of the day--Dinastia Vivanco. It's set in the valley and more modern than the second place we went to, but still very cool. We joined a tour and the guide explained to us how wine-making works (we're not connoisseurs by any means!) and then led us through a tasting of several reds.

Not only a winery, but also a museum

The hand offers you the fruits of labour

Even the chandeliers are grape-themed!

Fermentation vats

I wouldn't want to be responsible for sorting out all these oak barrels....

Brindis!

Cin-cin!

The fog over the mountains creates a mysterious atmosphere against the autumn colours of the vineyards!

The town of Briones overlooking the bodega

In between visiting bodegas, we went to a nearby town called Laguardia to take a look. It was recommended by other people because of it's medieval feel, and quaintness.

"Peace to those that arrive here, greetings to those that live here and happiness to those that leave here."

Isn't this age discrimination against older riders?

The cute little town centre of Laguardia

Later that same afternoon, we went to the famous bodega of Marques de Riscal, one of the most well-known wineries. They have a modern section and an older part, and we went on another tour with tasting.

Can you see the squashed grapes?

Frank Gehry, architect of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, also designed this funky hotel

Old-style cellar

Special barrels just for the king's wine!

The guide explains that some of the bottles in this wine cellar are over 100 years old!! Sometimes for very very special events they open them (still drinkable) but must be consumed inside, so as not to be exposed to light and temperature changes....no flash photos allowed here!

Old old bottles covered with dust....

At the end of it all, we learned lots about wine-making and the varieties that exist in the world. Unfortunately, I still don't appreciate it though it was interesting enough to learn about. The overload of this weekend didn't convince and convert me to be a wine-lover, but it was fun and a short getaway!