Rioja

Here is Iglesia de Santo Sepulcro at Torres del Rio, which is apparently a sort of miniature of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is, if we're being honest, more interesting to consider than it was to visit.

Here is a truly stunning cat I saw while walking around before dinner:

This is a view from the next day on my way to Viana, the site of Cesare Borgia's untimely(?) death (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Borgia#Mortal_remains)

Some marvelous textures in Viana:

The bridge to Logrono, the capital of La Rioja:

Now under many circumstances, Logrono would be the place I would most like to visit in Spain, but I'm sort of crowd-averse at the moment, so I passed through. Hopefully this will be corrected at another time.

Instead I went on the Navarette, which is a very cool town built up a hill. I took this from the park at its top:

From the next morning: crushed beer can in a Rioja vineyard speaks to man's inhumanity to man.

Rendered suitably wistful, I carried on to Najere, where I stopped for a snack and some coffee. Unfortunately, this place wasn't open. What a shame.

Najere is backed up against some dramatic cliffs. Looking down this alley made me feel like I was in a Herge panel.

I also came across this tough customer:

Vineyards west of Najere:

I proceeded to Azofra, where I felt appropriately greeted.

Here is Azofra's church, which is apparently the home of some seriously ambitious birds.