Weeknotes #132: discovering Spain

Joyful travels through Spain with friends, food, wine, and discovery.

Week commencing Monday, 28 July 2025

The Gothic Cathedral of León in Spain on a bright sunny day, featuring twin spires, an ornate rose window, pointed arches, and intricate stone tracery, standing majestically in the main square surrounded by historic buildings and visitors
Interior view of Abadía Retuerta's wine cellar showing rows of wooden wine barrels stacked on metal racks extending into the distance, with dramatic lighting creating a cathedral-like atmosphere in the storage facility
Interior view of La Sastrería cocktail bar showing a well-stocked bar with illuminated shelving displaying premium spirits and bottles, hanging wine glasses, a modern point-of-sale system, and professional bar equipment with blue LED lighting
Night view of Plaza Mayor in Valladolid, Spain, showing the illuminated town hall with blue lighting and clock tower, surrounded by traditional red-brick buildings with warm golden lighting, ornate street lamps, and people strolling across the spacious cobblestone square
A wooden serving board displaying six gourmet tapas on toasted bread slices, featuring various toppings including sliced meat with strawberries and blackberries, prawns with melted cheese, and other colourful Mediterranean ingredients

Quantified Self

  • This week: Stand 7/7; Exercise 4/7 and Move 7/7. (86%). Morning walks: 0/2 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/2. Total steps: 89,762

Life

  • Tuesday was my last day before a week in Spain. I was in the office for a workshop on a big new project. I won’t be involved very much, but I did have some input into the planning. I suspect this will progress quickly while I am away.
  • Home to pack and head to the airport. PY had some work to do before we left, which meant we arrived later than I’d imagined. We stayed at the Thistle hotel near the autonomous pods ahead of an early flight.
  • R&M were also staying nearby. Around 9pm they joined us for dinner in the restaurant with (almost) a view of the runway.
  • Next morning, the flight was at 7:50am, arriving in Madrid just before lunch. E’s suitcase didn’t appear on the carousel at arrivals, but thanks to AirTags, we knew it was in the airport. Very little help from the airport staff, but it appeared as soon as the next flight was loaded onto the luggage belt.
  • Thankfully, we’d factored in a long time between arrival and the train, so – when we got to the station – there was time for a refreshing Spanish beer.
  • The train to ‘Valladolid – Campo Grande’ was fast and smooth. The hotel turned out to be a very short walk from the station.
  • The rest of the day was spent exploring. The canapés (tapas) we had at Jero Catedral are highly recommended.
  • We walked 8 miles around Valladolid on Thursday: the riverside walk was wonderful, there’s even a small manmade beach on the riverbank, and every food stop along the way was delicious. The squid ink risotto at Hasta la Peineta taberna was very tasty.
  • In the late afternoon, we were the only six people on the hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus. We didn’t hop off.
  • It was Pete’s birthday. The meat at Vinotinto for his birthday dinner was perfectly prepared. The octopus dish was excellent.
  • E took us to a cocktail bar to end the evening. La Sastrería is sewing-themed. It’s an amazing place in a hidden arcade. Look out for it if you are ever in town.
  • Friday was Pete’s gift day. Abadía Retuerta is a stunning vineyard with the most beautiful hotel and spa on site. Sadly, we only did the tour and wine tasting, but if you take the virtual tour you will see how stunning the monastery’s conversion into a hotel has been. I raved about the Tempranillo and decided to splurge on a bottle. It may be the most expensive wine I’ve ever bought.
  • Saturday, to León. The flaming chorizo tapas were a food highlight, the bus tour was a welcome break from walking through the tourist crowds, and the Convento de San Marcos (Parador de León) was another very impressive convent-to-hotel conversion. The city had a very touristy feel.
  • Sunday, time to pack and move to Bilbao, which feels like a much bigger city than either Valladolid or León.

Media

  • I’m avoiding social media and television while on this holiday. I have finished reading The Wrong Hands, a crime thriller that had me hooked. I haven’t read the first in the series, but I am thinking of getting it.