[tc4332]

I stayed for two weeks once in a little village just outside Vittoria. It was with a choir from Wrexham College and there were other choirs from all over Europe including five or six from Eastern Block countries. We were supposed to ferry them about whilst they went all over on day trips singing but the Spanish organisers had laid on local vehicles so we stayed with the police men on security duties and got rat legged on home brews. The nastiest was called "pasheran" (iirc) it was in old medecine bottles and it was deadly.
At that time they were starting to build the motorway so most of the driving was along the old roads and as you said, beautiful.
When we left our choir had performed on Spanish TV and we set off home immediately after they came off air. At the French border there were hundreds of coaches held up by the Spanish Frontier Police whilst they searched for Basque terrorists. It caused a riot when the officials waved me to the front, over the border and allowed me to continue without holdup. Used to be good having a UK vehicle registration.