A few days in Spain- surreal Logrono

Can you imagine a town where every building is new, where you have green square parks at the same distance from one another, where the old centre is ridiculously small, where the elevators are in glass? A town that you have the impression an architect built over night, in the spirit of the XXI century, but he forgot to put some life in it. Well, that town exists in the north of Spain, in the wine region “La Rioja” and its name is Logrono.

First impression that strikes you: it is very cold! And I’m not only talking about the weather, but also about the atmosphere. But since I don’t like to stick to my first impression, I put on all the warm clothes I have in my luggage and I go out, on a Monday afternoon, in search of the “logronian” spirit…

They have monuments. The museums are free. A wonderful church dominates the main square (unfortunately it is closed). A very nice guy offers explanations at the tourist agency. The stores have a funny schedule:

In the morning: 7.30 a.m.- 2.00 p.m

In the evening: 5.00 p.m.- 9.00 p.m.

You can imagine why me, who went out at 2 p.m. thinking that lunch break is over (French habit….) had to walk for 3 hours in the cold, waiting for the stores to open and buy a muffler.

At night, the central bars are convivial. Young and old people go out to have a snack or a drink, to meet and share their good mood. I would tell you more about the Spanish way of eating, but this is another story…

Still I can’t help myself wonder why this next generation architecture is so cold and how come people prefer it to the old buildings, less practical but far more beautiful.