You better watch out



There are many things about Christmas in Spain but most of them are not about Christmas Day itself.   Here is a Christmas cartoon for your amusement.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r50PWGSan4  Traditionally Father Christmas is not the present giver in Spain but this creeping Anglo-Saxon institution is making in-roads.   The Basques have a variant on the theme, Olentzero.  Olentzero being one of the Jentillak, a race of Basque giants living in the Pyrenees. Legend has it that they observed a glowing cloud in the sky one day. They could not could look at this bright cloud except for a very old, nearly blind man. When asked to examine it, he confirmed their fears and told them that it was a sign that Jesus would be born soon. According to some stories, the old man asked the giants to throw him off a cliff to avoid having to live through Christianisation. Having obliged him, the giants tripped on the way down and died themselves except Olentzero.



According to Basque traditions, Olentzero comes to town late at night on 24th December to deliver pressies. In some places he arrives later, for example in Ochagavía – Otsagabia on the 27th and in Ermua on the 31st.  He has been made jollier in modern times than he once was.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olentzero




We are heading out along the Ebro valley.  We are stuck between LO-20 and AP-68.  We are amid the Bodegas y Vinedos del Marques de Vargas.

  https://www.marquesdevargas.com/es/   

Michaela was clearly moved seven months ago ‘We recently visited Marqués de Vargas winery, and it was an unforgettable and amazing experience for me. 😍 This family-owned winery prioritizes ecological processes, and it's evident that each step is carried out with genuine care and love. 🍷🤗 Our guide, María, was incredibly friendly, and her knowledge about the processes and the winery itself was admirable. It was clear during our time with her that she genuinely loves her job and the place. 😊’




Inaki was less happy.  ‘I have tried to visit the winery, because I know their wines and they are really good, but unfortunately, the two-wine tasting visit, €40 per person, requires a reservation of a minimum of 6 people. We will have to wait for them to change this criterion and, like other wineries in La Rioja, add individual visitors, couples and families, from diverse origins, until reaching that minimum or another that they establish. Well, it will be again.’







Well, that’s it.  May all your Christmases be white.  The current forecast for Logrono is a high of 13oC and a low of 3oC. It has an 8% chance of rain with a 5 mph westerly breeze.























 

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