We ate breakfast at Casa Sabina for 4€ each: tostada with ham; MT coffee/Don orange juice. Then we gave the daypack to the owner to return to Pensión Errecaldia. We departed at 8:15 am.
8:11 AM – Roncesvalles: MT on path by N-135 highway out of town; behind her is Casa Sabina to left and Casa Beneficiados to her right; on far right are other parts of monastery and chapel.
MT 8:11 AM – Roncesvalles: Don by “Santiago de Compostela 790 [km]” sign near end of town.
MT 8:12 AM – Roncesvalles: Don and MT by “Santiago de Compostela 790 [km]” sign near end of town.
MT 9:02 AM – MT and friendly old man who wanted us to take his picture.
Early on, we came to Burguette (aka Auritz in Basque, pop 135), a traditional Navarrese village where Ernest Hemmingway used to stay. This was where we made our first wrong turn in. An elderly local man leaned out his ground-story window and told us (in Basque) that we should have turned at the Santander bank. At that time, we met an Italian woman who had also missed the turn, and MT walked and talked with her for a long time (missing the “Zona de Cane” [Dog Zone] signs).
MT 10:29 AM – Don and MT on path through woods.
Near Viscarret-Gerendiain (Bizkarreta-Gerendiain in Basque and officially, pop 25), we had to cross over the Río Erro at ford that provided concrete pillars for crossing when the water was high.
11:14 AM – MT crossing ford on Río Erro near Viscarret-Gerendiain on concrete pillars.
11:14 AM – MT crossing ford on Río Erro near Viscarret-Gerendiain on concrete pillars (closer up).
Although it had rained in the night and around breakfast time, we had only a fine mist when we started and didn’t use our rain covers until we took a break in Espinal (aka Aurizberri, pop 249) around noon. There was no soupy mud as last year, and many parts were paved (some with fake paving stones in concrete).
11:23 AM – Fake paving stones in concrete path near Espinal.
The last third was very rocky, with lots of ups and downs. Don developed a sore spot on the knuckle of his left big toe and used Vasoline on it at midday. By evening, he needed moleskin on both big toes. This was apparently caused by the downhills.
We arrived in Zubiri (aka Esteribar, pop 400) around 3:15 pm. MT first stopped at Pensión Zubiaren Etxea (etxea is the Basque word for house), where we had stayed last year for 32€ with a shared bath. When she asked for a double room con baño, the man told her he had one for 50€.
Pensión Zubiaren Etxea was next to the Puente de la Rabia medieval bridge over Río Arga. According to legend, any animal led three times around the central arch would be cured of rabies.
5:23 PM - Zubiri: Pensión Zubiaren Etxea by Puente de la Rabia.
5:25 PM – Zubiri: view from river of Puente de la Rabia with Pensión Zubiaren Etxea on left end.
So we continued across the old bridge to Pensión Usoa (usoa means dove in Basque), which the Internet said had double rooms with and without bath, very reasonably priced. It turned out they a double con baño was only 36€, and they had a washing machine we could use (no fee). We got their sello. Don showered while MT washed our clothes, and we hung them in the window to dry (using Don’s portable clothesline).
5:26 PM – Zubiri: Pensión Usoa exterior.
MT 9:03 PM – Zubiri: our room in Pensión Usoa.
Then we went down to the church on the next corner to check on mass time, which was 6 pm. Then we went across the street to Café del Camino, where we had two tortillas with ham, with bread and a large bottle of water for 6€ something. Then MT used the café’s WiFi to send and check emails and email our daughters on her iPhone, while Don went around town and took pictures.
5:27 PM – Zubiri: corner with Café del Camino; German girls and MT checking emails.
5:45 PM – Zubiri: corner with Albergue-Hostal-Restaurante El Palo de Avellano (left), church of San Esteban, and side of Café del Camino (right).
5:29 PM – Zubiri: Albergue-Hostal-Restaurante El Palo de Avellano exterior.
5:30 PM – Zubiri: Albergue-Hostal-Restaurante El Palo de Avellano lunch and dinner menus (12€).
We met at the Iglesia San Esteban at 6 pm for mass—in Spanish, where they sang number 24 on a song sheet (to the tune of “Red River Valley”) and the priest (from the altar) gave a pilgrim blessing at the end of mass.
5:27 PM – Zubiri: Iglesia San Esteban exterior.
5:33 PM – Zubiri: Iglesia San Esteban interior toward altar.
6:38 PM – Zubiri: Iglesia San Esteban – words of song #24 we sang at mass.
Earlier we had found Albergue-Hostal-Restaurante El Palo de Avellano (Hazel Stick) and made reservation for their 12€ dinner menu at 7 pm and got their sello. We had “entrantes” salad (ensalada de lechuga de la huerta de Pamplona con tomate, maiz, zanahoria y vinagre de jerez [salad of lettuce of the garden of Pamplona with tomato, carrots, and cherry vinager] and a polenta-like dressing of some kind (in same bowl) [menu listed as second part of entrantes: y degustación de “relleno: (plato tipico navarro)”]; 1st course (primer plato): crema de verduras [creamed vegetable soup] (in same bowl); 2nd course (segundo Plato e elegir entre): MT and Don had bacalao con tomate y pimientos [cod with tomato and peppers]; the other 5 people at the long table costillar de cerdo al horno con patatas [pork ribs with potatoes]; for dessert (postre): mouse de limón especialidad de la casa [lemon mousse, speciality of the house]; the table shared two bottles of wing and water. We talked a lot with the man across from us, who was a biochemist from Hungary. There were two other Hungarian ladies, one from Germany, and one from Colombia.
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