Madrid, January 2023

What do you do on a bright sunny day in January in Madrid? Take a walk in Retiro Park Rent a boat and row around the lake Sit in the sun and read a book Join your friends for a cold beer or vermuth before lunch Or join the crowd at Madrid Fusión

Madrid For Christmas

What’s Madrid like at Christmas time? This may be your year to find out. Madrid During The Day Madrid At Night Travel Planning, Bespoke Travel Exclusive Travel Planning Services by Iberian Traveler & Maribel’s Guides.  Contact Maribel to arrange a custom itinerary for your next trip to Spain, Portugal, or France.

The Montecillo Dolmen, Ibaola Harriak and Bodegas Badiola

Surprisingly, or maybe not, this 3900 year old dolmen, a bronze age tomb, wasn’t discovered until 2009 by Roberto Ibáñez of Villabuena de Álava. It sits just north of the village on the high ground in the middle of the vineyards, which today belong to Bodegas Badiola. Interestingly enough, there is another “dolmen” located nearby,…

Normandy – Haute Normandie

Rouen, Monet’s Gardens, the Route of the Abbeys and the Alabaster Coast The coastline of northern France, known as Haute Normandie until 2015, includes white-chalk cliffs and WWII beachheads and is one of the most historical regions of the country. Visit the seaside resort of Deauville on the Côte Fleurie with its Belle Époque villas…

Madrid Fusión 2022

Spain in 2022 is about the culture of food & wine Spain Food & Wine 2022 We were invited to attend the recent 3-day long Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España 2022 by our friend and owner/chef of the popular Taberna La Catapa, Miguel Angel. This year’s event, the largest in it’s 20-year history, featured Dabiz Muñoz (DiverXO, Madrid), Joan…

Rioja, Beyond The Wine

Exploring The Other Rioja If you are planning on being in the Rioja for more than a few days, you have a great opportunity to visit some of the areas outside of the popular wine producing regions, or combine these areas with your daily wine touring. We usually visit Casalarreina, Santo Domingo de la Calzada…

The Wines & Gastronomy of Spain – Ribera del Duero

Considered one of the most legendary winemaking regions in Spain, the Ribera del Duero, a short drive northwest of Madrid on Spain’s northern plateau, is home to some of the most elegant red wines in the world.  The appellation, or DO, straddles four provinces in Castilla y León: Valladolid, Burgos, Soria and Segovia.  The fabled…

Fall in Portugal’s Alto Douro Wine Region

Fall is a perfect time of the year to find yourself in Portugal’s strikingly beautiful Alto Douro wine region.  This year we based ourselves for 4 nights at Taylor-Fladgate’s Vintage House in Pinhão during the second week of November, after the fall harvest, when the vineyards explode in a rainbow of vivid colors.  A few…

Dining in San Sebastián-Donostia

The Michelin stars Pedro Subijana’s Akelaŕe on Mount Igueldo, one of our personal favorites, Andoni’s Mugaritz in Errenteria, the most cerebral and cutting-edge, Restaurant Martín Berasategui in Lasarte, Hilario Arbelaitz’s Zuberoa in Oiartzun, by far the most traditional of the Michelin stars, are all located in the suburbs, while the Txapategi brothers, Mikel, Kepa and Gorka’s…

The Ribera del Duero Wine Region

Wine Touring in the Ribera del Duero Long considered one of the most legendary winemaking regions in Spain, the Ribera del Duero, which lies only a short 2-hour drive northwest of Madrid on Spain’s northern plateau, is home to some of the most elegant red wines in the world.   its extremes of weather, from…