One day is not enough in Valladolid

We come upon this fountain just after our host drops us off in central Valladolid.

Upon arriving in Valladolid for a one-night stopover, our host takes us on a quick tour of his city. Much of what he shows us is a blur of churches and plazas, and when he drops us off in the centro de la ciudad, we aren't sure of where to begin. Although we know wine eventually will figure into the equation, (the city is within five wine-growing regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Toro, Tierra de León, and Cigales), we first head toward the tourism information office located just beyond the massive fountain in Plaza Zorrilla.

Statue in Valladolid, Spain

The TI staff is very helpful: Since we won't have time to visit any museums, they suggest a walking route that takes us through lush gardens, past several spectacular churches and through Plaza Viejo Coro. This unusual neighborhood used to be a bullring but today is a circular plaza of lovely homes.

Once a bullring, Plaza Viejo Coro is now a charming circular neighborhood in Valladolid.

Sculpture in Campo Grande in Valladolid

Valladolid has a grand collection of art, culture, architecture and history. Among its famous visitors was Christopher Columbus who died here in 1506.

Columbus's last years were a frustrating time for the explorer. He had fallen out of fashion and out of favor with King Ferdinand. His wealth was intact, but his health failed following a voyage by mule from Seville to Segovia. When he died in Valladolid, no one from the royal court attended his funeral, which didn't even garner a mention in the city's official registry. Five-hundred years later, the city of Valladolid opened the Casa-Museo de Colón, a house-museum recreating the palace in which Columbus's brother Diego lived in Santo Domingo. The museum focuses on Christoper Columbus's life and the impact of his explorations.

Fountain in Valladolid

Miguel de Cervantes was another short-term visitor to Valladolid. The author lived here between 1603 and 1606, while writing some of his most famous works. According to a tourism brochure, "... some authors even argue that he might have worked here on the second part of 'Don Quixote.'" The Museo-Casa Cervantes recreates the house he lived in and features "simple decoration according to the possibilities of a seventeenth-century Spanish nobleman."

Plaza Mayor in Valladolid

Building in Valladolid

Doorway detail of Iglesia de San Pablo in Vallalodid

Alas, our time in Valladolid is too brief to visit these house-museums, but I don't despair: Valladolid's location is conveniently en route to many other places in Spain we plan to visit. So I'm confident we'll be back — perhaps our next visit will coincide with the city's annual festival of drama and street performance or its film festival. If not, we certainly will allow enough time to explore Museo Patio Herreriano (contemporary art) and Museo Nacional de Escultura (sculptures), as well as look for more whimsical fountains and statues which dot the streets of Valladolid.

Fountain in Valladolid's Plaza de España

Fountain in Valladolid

Exploring the Spanish Basque capital Vitoria-Gasteiz

With one more long, rainy month of winter ahead, we head south to explore Spain and Portugal. Our first stop is Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Autonomous Community. (Vitoria is the Spanish name, Gasteiz is the Basque.) We have chosen Vitoria as our first destination for its proximity; our itinerary spaces out each city so we don't exhaust ourselves driving and have enough energy and time to see the sights and relax. It doesn't take us long to realize we've made a good choice: Two days is the perfect amount of time to get acquainted with this city's charms.

Strolling the streets of Vitoria-Gasteiz in northern Spain

Moving sidewalks help to climb steep streets in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Vitoria's medieval district is considered to be one of the most beautiful and well-preserved in this area of Spain. Four church towers dominate the skyline, and our stroll passes lovely examples of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical architecture. All that stone is livened up with splashes of color provided by the many murals around town.

Skyline of Vitoria-Gasteiz

An arch frames the courtyard of a municipal building
in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Memorial to victims of Franco's regime in Vitoria-Gasteiz

Colorful mural in Vitoria-Gasteiz

Basque man in bronze near los Arquillos in Vitoria-Gasteiz

On Day 2, we follow one of the routes suggested by the tourism office. Parque de La Florida contains a Giant Sequoia, which we former Northern Californians must see. We then take a leisurely promenade along Senda Street passing notable mansions, and continue several kilometers along wide, tree-lined paseos, eventually arriving at Basilica of San Prudencio in Armentia. This Romanesque church is one of the Basque Country's most emblematic.

Originally a house-hotel, Zulueta Palace was built in 1902
by Alfredo de Zulueta who made his fortune in Cuba.

Caryatids adorn the main façade of Casa de las Jaquecas in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Villa Sofia was designed by architect Julio Saracibar. The building is now
headquarters of Álava's museum department.

Vitoria's fine arts museum is housed inside the Augusti Palace.

Paseo Fray Francisco de Vitoria

Basilica of San Prudencio in Armentia is one of the most important
Romanesque churches in the Basque Country.

Detail of Basilica of San Prudencio in Armentia

A play structure in Parque de El Prado in Vitoria-Gasteiz

Back in the town center, we're ready to relax and enjoy una cerveza and un vino tinto before we embark on a search for the perfect pintxo. The lively Plaza de la Virgen Blanca is a perfect spot to unwind, bask in the company of the local vitorianos/gasteizterrak and watch the moonrise.

Moonrise, Basque-style

Sauveterre-de-Guyenne is doing it right

An original stone gate serves as an entrance to Sauveterre-de-Guyenne.

The pretty bastide of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne is doing something right. On our recent visit to this small village in the Entre-Deux-Mers area of the Gironde department, my husband and I are impressed with the array of shops that line the four sides of the arcaded square. Where we often see empty storefronts in many villages we visit, this tidy town of around 1,800, seems to be thriving with boutiques, a florist, a used bookstore and several cafés along with the usual supects: boulangerie, pâtissere, tobac, pharmacie, boucherie and immobilier. Clearly, this is a village that benefits from support and cooperation between its government, merchants and residents.

Sauveterre-de-Guyenne contains a healthy array of stores, eateries
and other commerce beneath its 14th-century arcades.

Charming touches and attention to detail add to the appeal of
Sauveterre-de-Guyenne.

Although Sauveterre isn't a huge tourist destination, the greeting we receive at the Office de Tourisme is among the most friendly and helpful we've had. Daniel provides us with a map of the Entre-Deux-Mers and offers us suggestions of places to visit. He also gives us keys to two attractions. Since we've promised to return les clés before lunchtime, we directly head to the post office at the end of the block, open a gate and descend into well-preserved stone cellars which house informational exhibits and artifacts.

 

Well-preserved cellars beneath the plaza in Sauveterre-de-Guyenne
contain artifacts and information about neighboring villages.

All four original stone gates at the entrances to Sauveterre are standing: Porte Saint-Léger to the north; Porte Saint-Romaine to the east; Porte de la Fonte to the south; and Porte Saubotte to the west. The second key given to us at the Office de Tourisme unlocks a door to Porte Saubotte. We climb the narrow steps all the way to the top where we enjoy a breezy view of the entire village and its environs. On the way down, we step inside a couple of chambers that contain displays detailing the history of Sauveterre-de Guyenne.

Climb the steps of Porte Saubotte in Sauveterre-de-Guyenne and you're
rewarded with a bird's-eye view of the village and surrounding countryside.

Although not crazy about heights, my husband manages a smile
atop an ancient stone gate in Sauveterre-de-Guyenne.

What's on my mind after my visit to Sauveterre-de-Guyenne's
gate is what's for lunch.

It's market day in Sauveterre, but the vendors are just closing up as we return to the central square. We're hungry and have a choice of several places to eat. We choose a small resto and enjoy what may be the best kebabs we've ever had.

After lunch we check out Église de Notre-Dame. Much of the 13th- to 14th-century church was damaged during the French Revolution and a fire, and was subsequently restored in the 1800s. A sundial is embedded in an exterior wall at the back of the church.

Église de Notre-Dame in Sauveterre-de-Guyenne was
built in the 13th to 14th centuries.

Perhaps the walls that once protected Sauveterre-de-Guyenne should
have been higher: The bastide changed hands 10 times during
the Hundred Years War.

Sauveterre-de-Guyenne's war memorial

This vast triangle-shaped area east of Bordeaux between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers — hence the name Entre-deux-Mers — contains a wealth of charming attractions and natural beauty, which I look forward to exploring in the upcoming months and sharing with you on this blog.