While staying overnight at the Hotel Villa de Ábalos, I highly recommend eating supper there. When you make your reservation, be sure to let them know you would like to dine as well. It is a truly home-cooked, Spanish meal. The menu changes with the seasons and the availability of fresh ingredients. Here is the carta as provided during my visit:
Menu for supper at Hotel Villa de Ábalos.
These little gems were presented to start the meal:
A little something to start the meal at Hotel Villa de Ábalos, Spain.
The two appetizers were creative and delicious. The first was a leeks and spinach terrine that you see in the next photo:
Leek and spinach terrine appetizer at Hotel Villa de Ábalos, Spain.
The other appetizer was a sautéed vegetable medley that I was so anxious to eat, I forgot to snap a photo. But, next came the entrée, and what a fantastic one it was. Slowly cooked oxtail then removed from the bone and placed inside a sort of dumpling with a very nice sauce, as you see in the next photo:
Oxtail presented inside a dumpling for supper at Hotel Villa de Ábalos.
This incredible meal was finished with a warm almond cake and vanilla ice-cream that truly hit the spot:
Warm almond cake with vanilla ice-cream at Hotel Villa de Ábalos.
All this was served in a pleasant dining room you see here:
Dining room at Hotel Villa de Ábalos, Spain.
I would also like to mention the owner of this fine hotel makes his own wine, which is very good, especially the white. A bottle with dinner or afterwards is a great addition to the meal. Here’s a photo of the bottle:
Preferred wine at Hotel Villa de Ábalos.
When traveling, be sure to enjoy the local cuisine as much as possible.
The Bent Page 
La Rioja, Spain, panorama photos
While visiting the La Rioja region of Spain, I managed to test the panorama function on my little Nikon 1 AW camera. These photos were taken with the 6.7-13mm zoom lens, set on 6.7 side. Everything else, was done automatically by the camera. Here’s one taken from a rural road showing the vineyards:
Panorama of the vineyards in La Rioja, Spain.
Considering the camera did all the exposure work, it came out fairly well. Here’s another taken from a road that skirted the valley below:
Another panorama looking over a valley in La Rioja, Spain.
It seems to be a total of about 180 degrees of view. I like this function and the way the camera performs. You can get a wider view and therefore a different perspective on the scene. And the Nikon 1 AW makes it rather easy. Take as many photos as you can!
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on June 22, 2014 at 7:59 am Comments (1)Tags: La Rioja, Nikon, Nikon 1 AW, Nikon lens, panorama, panorama photo, photo, photography, photos, road trip, scenic drive, Spain, travel, vacation, vineyard, wide angle