I didn’t mention that early yesterday evening there was a heavy downpour and thunderstorm. Everyone went scurrying under umbrellas, and most of the main square emptied, with people frantically trying to find somewhere dry. Mick and I were lucky with our protected table, so we sat it out. The rain has brought much cooler temperatures, which is welcomed. More rain is forecast for this afternoon.

Mick and I decided to spend the day exploring the little town and essentially having a quieter day.

After breakfast in a local cafe in the main square (Plaza de la Paz), where we were lucky to get an inside table, we headed out to see some of the sights.

A man started to speak to Mick in Spanish. He quickly picked up that we could not speak Spanish so he started chatting in very good English. He was making a joke about Mick wearing shorts when it was so cold.

The men were from Barcelona and we here on a Gastronomical Tour. They were off to one of the fancier restaurants here for lunch. He was really looking forward to their minestrone soup.

His friend offered to take a picture of the two of us – and we gratefully accepted as it is rare to get a photo of both of us when we are travelling.

Haro is known as the City of Palaces (as well as the Rioja Wine Capital). It obviously wears many hats!!

This palace dates back to the 16th and 17th Century. It is now owned by the local city council and is used as a performance venue, amongst other things.

This palace was in the same square as the town’s main church – St Thomas’, which was built around the same time – 16th and 17th Century.

I was happy to pay the €1 to enter the church – it was a real museum, with magnificent oil paintings and antiquities dating back in time. I was blown away by the workmanship in the ceiling. There were beautifully embroidered vestments dating back to the 17th Century on display, as well as a display of altar wines from different countries.

I’ve never seen anything like that before in any of the churches I’ve visited.

Haro also has a number of bronze sculptures, considered to be an open-air museum. Mick and I found quite a few of these sculptures that are scattered throughout the town. Many of them depicting traditional professions and trades that shaped Haro’s identity, especially its links to wine making.

Each year on the 29 June, Haro holds its Battle of the Wine following a mass and a communal lunch. Those brave enough to take part throw litres and litres of wine at each other – their clothes becoming stained by the red wine. When they are done with that, they dance around the Plaza de la Paz – a bit like what we saw last night at the bars perhaps. It seems a waste to us – but we wondered if it was like what they did in Aranda to get rid of the wine from the vats in order to make room for the next vintage.

There are some wonderful streets in Haro – providing an insight into times gone by and housing some newly refurbished gems.

There are quite a few plazas in Haro – where the local community members can gather and enjoy the company of friends and family.

We learnt during the wine tour at Marqués de Riscal that the location of many of the vineyards in Rioja take great advantage of being located in a valley – protected on two different sides by mountain ranges. These mountains shield the vineyards from the harsh weather, producing less extreme weather and less rain.

This photo was taken from our hotel room looking (mostly towards the) west and shows one of the mountain ranges.

The next photo was taken looking in the opposite direction, from a lookout on the edge of the old part of town.

Mick and I spent the afternoon and evening exploring a few more of the wine bars here – one in particular had a very comprehensive wine list of the region’s wines, so we did our own tasting session there.

We were interested to notice that the bars and restaurants were doing a busy trade on Sunday afternoon, mostly filled by people in their late fifties and upwards, and most of them were Spanish. We did hear a few English accents around 8 to 9pm, where other couples enjoying Haro were also on the hunt for something for dinner.

I’m glad I packed some warm clothes. The temperature tomorrow morning is supposed to be only 7°C.