It rained, and beachside resorts all look a little sad in poor weather so we drove south to Vitoria. It's a regional capital and also scene of Wellington's first battle of his 1813 offensive (but more of that tomorrow).
Our stay was outside the sports centre as we could have showers there. Very timely they were. Freshened up, we took a bus into town.
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| This paz/plaza/playa is a UNESCO hertage site. Nice, but quiet, as we discovered nearly everything closes on Mondays. |
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| Masonic selfies on the cathedral |
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| Love the details on these panels. 20thC btw. |
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| The name Vitoria has nothing to do with victory but is a corruption of an old basque word for height (the old city being on a ridge). |
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| All the same, there is a monument to Wellington's victory over Joseph, (Nappy's brother and emperor of Spain, though in name only by this point). |
The old city was built in a concentric street plan around the old old city 's walls, so if it felt we were walking in circles, we were!
We had late lunch in town that, due to language difficulties, became dinner. A very rich, thick, 'hot' chocolate may have been the highlight.
As nearly everything was shut we walked 'home', but then popped into the 'fronton' (pelota courts) to see how this game is played. There seem to be a few variants, played with hands, paddles/racquets or scoopy things like lacrosse. Each variant had a different sized court.
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| Chap nearest is serving. The fronton is behind him to right of shot. |
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