
The Land of Grapes
I have never been a big wine drinker. I don´t mind having a glass or two socially but it has never been something I would just buy for pleasure. Rum of course, but wine not so much. When I planned my trip Logroño seemed like a natural step. Even though wine as a drink is not of interest to me, I am always interested in seeing where things come from or how they are made. I realised that the city is the capital of La Rioja. {"type" : "www", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Rioja", "date" : "13th August 2020", "title" : "La Rioja - Wikipedia"}Despite its size of only 5 045 km2 {"type" : "www", "url" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_communities_of_Spain", "date" : "13th August 2020", "title" : "Autonomous communities of Spain - Wikipedia"} and being the smallest of the 17 autonomous regions in Spain, the people of La Rioja produce wine of the highest standard in the country and that´s what makes it such an important part of Spain. The name comes from Rio Oja that flows through Oja valley and into the Tirón river.
Logrono has been created on the banks of river Ebro. This is the second time I met this river, after Zaragoza, but unfortunately it's also the last one. A lot of people pass through this city while walking the Northern Spain route of the Camino de Santiago, therefore wherever I went, I had to explain that I am no part of that journey, that I have my own :)

Along the 300 metres route of Calle de Laurel, you can find an impressive 72 different places to eat and/or drink. {"type" : "www", "title" : "Calle Laurel de Logroño: ruta de tapas y pinchos - Todos a comer", "date" : "15th August 2020", "url" : "https://www.todosacomer.net/planes-gastro/viajes/calle-laurel-de-logrono-ruta-de-tapas-y-pinchos"}
During the week it was easier as the places had to close at midnight but I think during the weekend they were allowed to stay open much longer as one night I didn't fall asleep until 4am :)
The Walk
I had arrived on Thursday evening, thefore I didn't have too much time to explore until the weekend came. This time I wanted to have another 20+km walk but outside of the city. I chose one point on the map that looked interesting - Laguna de las cañas, a small nature reserve located just beyond the border of La Rioja and Navarra. Usually that is all I need. On pin on a map to kickstart the hike and then the instincts take over. The first pin is necessary, so that I don't wonder aimlessly and negatively.First I had to get to the top of the Monte Cantabria. No clear paths, just a sign peligro..


To Go or Not to Go
The weather for the first 3 hours wasn't great. At the top of the hill, even after all this climbing and walking, I felt cold. I checked the weather forecast and they said by 1pm the sky should be clear. It was past 12am and I was yet to witness it. For a moment I considered turning back but decided against it. Thankfully the clouds did go away at some point and I could enjoy some sun, and some better photos.I reached the nature reserve and changed my focus to the little living things. It is great to shoot landscapes but appreciating those lives of insects, be it snails, dragonflies, or butterflies, and be able to get a good close-up of them, is where the micro-beauty lies.