Tag Archives: history

Porvoo, outstanding medieval town in Finland

In the most hidden of Porvoo‘s medieval quarter, at the heart of its ancient cobbled streets, there is a short alley on the bedrock with a few natural steps that the locals call Pirunportaat, The Stairs of the Devil, because … Continue reading

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Elciego and around, cradle of Rioja wine

It’s the heart of the summer, and from the height south-bordering the Álava plain there lies at my feet, majestic and fertile, hot and glaring, the Ebro valley; namely the Basque side of Rioja, which is somehow a territorial inconsistence, … Continue reading

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Tromsø, undisputable Arctic capital

Located on the island of Tromsoya and connected to the mainland by two bridges and the Tromsoysund tunnel, Tromso is the second largest city north of the Arctic circle –first is Murmansk, in Russia– and a main cultural centre for … Continue reading

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Olderfjord, gate to Cape North

Porsanger is the westernmost and best known of Finnmark’s big peninsulas, as it harbours the very famous Nordkapp (Cape North), allegedly the northernmost tip of Europe, though actual things are a bit different: first off, it is not on the mainland, but … Continue reading

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Vadso, a stunning view to the Arctic

When the famous explorer of tragic death Roald Amundsen, first to reach the South Pole during his epic Antarctic expedition in 1912, headed for the opposite end of the globe (90º north) sailing on the Italian zeppelin Norge, he made … Continue reading

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El Puerto de Santa María: wines, seafood and history ·

El Puerto de Santa María is mostly renowned by its fino wines and its stale wine cellars, as wellas by its seafood gastronomy; and, thus, few are the curious or travelers who have not visited one of such cellars nor … Continue reading

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Orduña (1st part) ·

Of course, the city of Orduña didn’t need this chapter in my series The Basque trail for being well known in the country, as its beauty, along with its landscape diversity, and even its climate, by their own right play … Continue reading

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Antoñana

The tamed sun of late August, a few summer clouds and a Northwestern breeze entice me to take the moborbike for a day tour. I don’t know where the wheels will take me: I just pick a road and let … Continue reading

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