I had to add this post because Paul and I had the most incredible meal at our hotel. The food is one of the things we love about our trips to the Iberian peninsula. Spain is just becoming known for its gastronomie. El Bulli near Barcelona is world renowned for its cuisine. While not quite at that level, tonight's dinner was a marvel, especially after today's truck stop working man's lunch.
Tonight, we had a gazpacho that was a perfect blend of flavors. Not too sharp and not too bland. I had a salad of bacalao which is salted cod with balsamic vinaigrette and Paul had solomillo which is a steak. However, it was incredibly tender served with a small slice of fois gras on top and a balsamic reduction and something that was like an apple sauce, but we think was pear and dried fruits (cherries, raisins and dates). As odd as that may sound, everything was delicious. More so were the desserts. Paul chose a dessert which was three scoops of ice cream: banana, chocolate and strawberry with a drizzle of chocolate on the plate. Mine was a tarta de queso, something like a cheesecake, but it was the most incredibly light, not overly sweet or eggy cheesecake I have ever had. It was absolutely heaven. It was topped with a fresh raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries on the side.
Anyway, the reason why I rave so much about the food as we feel that we earn every single morsel and calorie after our hard day of biking. The contrast to the day´s earlier truck stop lunch also plays into my going on and on about our dinner.
The other part of the trip that Paul and I are enjoying is the wine we are being served. Even at the truck stop lunch stop, the table wine we order is absolutely heads above what we have been getting in the States, unless we fork over more than $25.oo a bottle. And even then, the quality is lacking. Anyway enough on the food. Tomorrow is another day.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Some Random Notes from our First Day
On our first day, when we had all our bike troubles, there were several memorable moments.
- The first had to do with our trip back to Pamplona to repair Paul´s bike. As we headed down the valley with our two young rescuers, we were pulled over and quickly waved on our way at a police roadblock. A search was underway for several Basque terrorists thought to be in the area. During the Tour de France, part of it entered into Spain not ten kilometers from where we were staying. The Basque separatist group ETA exploded a bomb on the route. One of their members was recently arrested, but several others were thought to still be in the area, hence the police roadblock. Taking a quick look in the back seat, the police waved us on our way.
- Paul finally got his picture of Roland´s monument, something he has wanted to since our last trip. The monument commemorating where Roland sounded his horn for the ignominous retreat of Charlemagne´s army is about two kilometers above Roncesvalles. Since it required uphill biking, I remained in the little square having a cafe con leche while Paul went up the hill to take his pictures. He just made it before the evening fog covered the hillside making nearly impossible to take any photos. Paul said it reminded him of Brigadoon (impressing me with his reference to a Broadway musical-not usually his strong point!)
- Other memorable items are the sounds and smells of the camino. The clanking of the old church bells calling the pilgrims to Mass. The church chimes are also quite necessary due to the aforementioned fog. Last year, Paul said that two hikers got lost up in the mountains when the fog rolled in. The bells are used to guide people back to safety, however, they were unable to and one poor hiker died on the mountain. As to smells, well, we are in the country and there is nothing like the strong aroma of cow manure to greet you as you bike along your way!
For more information on the origin of the Camino de Santiago, Wikipedia has a great entry. You can find it at www.wikipedia.org/wiki/camino_de_santiago.
We´re Biking Now!
Paul and I are finally on the road. We left this morning from Burguette and headed off to our first end point: Puente La Reina.
We could not ask for better weather. The morning was crisp with beautiful blue skies. We started our morning following the actual camino, which is a path that winds through the countryside. Man calls it a path, nature says not so fast. The way was very rough. The trail was barely two feet wide, rutted with shale rocks jutting out and many a tree root. Paul and I humbly walked a good portion of the way, but we were in good company. Many fellow bike riders were having to do the same. Walking pilgrims smugly passed us with a nod of the head and what I considered a smirk escaping their lips. We went about 3 miles in an hour and quickly decided to go to the road instead.
We left the camino at this point, due to recommendations by previous biking pilgrims. We returned to a road we took on our previous journey which went through a magnificent tree-lined valley along the Erro River. While the river itself was small, you could see how it´s efforts over the millenia carved out the valley, slowly but surely. The ride was gorgeous. Along the way, we were passed by quite a few older gentlemen out for their morning exercise, decked out in their finest riding regalia. In this land of Alberto Contador, current winner of the Tour de France, biking is a passion and we saw the backside of quite a few enthusiasts.
Leaving the valley, we wound our way through the countryside which was start to bake under the hot sun. It felt as if someone left the oven door open. Going downhill, besides providing rest for legs after climbing, also provided a cool breeze.
We stopped for a bite to eat at what could only be described as a Spanish truck stop with a homey touch. All the tables were covered in a green checkered table cloth and filled with loud, boisterous working class men taking a break from their outdoor jobs. Spanish meals usually have one price for two courses, bread, a bottle of wine and water and your choice of dessert or coffee. As this was a country-side establishment, the menu consisted of a lot of game or river fish that was a little bit to heavy for the heat. However, Paul and I didn´t want to order just a side salad or something smaller since the place was so busy, so we went for the whole meal. Trying to ride our bikes after such a heavy meal was not the best, especially in the heat. We vowed to go lighter next time.
We stopped quite a few times along the road to take pictures of the many breathtaking scenes we encountered: the vast field of sunflowers, the golden ochre expanse of the recently shorn hay. Nature in all its glory. We couldn´t have asked for a better day to ride after our delay of yesterday.
We arrived to our day´s destination around 4:00 in the afternoon after 7 hours or so of biking. We checked into our hotel, a lovely restored building filled with antiques, stone walls and lots of charm. Of course, we are on the third floor and did not realize there was an elevator until after we hauled our bags up the three flights.
Our first goal was to wash off the road´s dust and get our clothes washed as well. It´s quite a picture to see us handwashing the day´s clothing in the sink (Paul´s choice) or the tub (mine). Once done, they decorate our lovely window looking out on the tiny main street of Puente La Reina. After our chores, we promptly collapsed for a well-earned nap.
Evening finds the air cooling off. We´ve headed down for a beer or two and some dinner, before we turn in for the night.
We could not ask for better weather. The morning was crisp with beautiful blue skies. We started our morning following the actual camino, which is a path that winds through the countryside. Man calls it a path, nature says not so fast. The way was very rough. The trail was barely two feet wide, rutted with shale rocks jutting out and many a tree root. Paul and I humbly walked a good portion of the way, but we were in good company. Many fellow bike riders were having to do the same. Walking pilgrims smugly passed us with a nod of the head and what I considered a smirk escaping their lips. We went about 3 miles in an hour and quickly decided to go to the road instead.
We left the camino at this point, due to recommendations by previous biking pilgrims. We returned to a road we took on our previous journey which went through a magnificent tree-lined valley along the Erro River. While the river itself was small, you could see how it´s efforts over the millenia carved out the valley, slowly but surely. The ride was gorgeous. Along the way, we were passed by quite a few older gentlemen out for their morning exercise, decked out in their finest riding regalia. In this land of Alberto Contador, current winner of the Tour de France, biking is a passion and we saw the backside of quite a few enthusiasts.
Leaving the valley, we wound our way through the countryside which was start to bake under the hot sun. It felt as if someone left the oven door open. Going downhill, besides providing rest for legs after climbing, also provided a cool breeze.
We stopped for a bite to eat at what could only be described as a Spanish truck stop with a homey touch. All the tables were covered in a green checkered table cloth and filled with loud, boisterous working class men taking a break from their outdoor jobs. Spanish meals usually have one price for two courses, bread, a bottle of wine and water and your choice of dessert or coffee. As this was a country-side establishment, the menu consisted of a lot of game or river fish that was a little bit to heavy for the heat. However, Paul and I didn´t want to order just a side salad or something smaller since the place was so busy, so we went for the whole meal. Trying to ride our bikes after such a heavy meal was not the best, especially in the heat. We vowed to go lighter next time.
We stopped quite a few times along the road to take pictures of the many breathtaking scenes we encountered: the vast field of sunflowers, the golden ochre expanse of the recently shorn hay. Nature in all its glory. We couldn´t have asked for a better day to ride after our delay of yesterday.
We arrived to our day´s destination around 4:00 in the afternoon after 7 hours or so of biking. We checked into our hotel, a lovely restored building filled with antiques, stone walls and lots of charm. Of course, we are on the third floor and did not realize there was an elevator until after we hauled our bags up the three flights.
Our first goal was to wash off the road´s dust and get our clothes washed as well. It´s quite a picture to see us handwashing the day´s clothing in the sink (Paul´s choice) or the tub (mine). Once done, they decorate our lovely window looking out on the tiny main street of Puente La Reina. After our chores, we promptly collapsed for a well-earned nap.
Evening finds the air cooling off. We´ve headed down for a beer or two and some dinner, before we turn in for the night.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Murphy's Law Wins Again!
As much as we tried, all did not go as we had so carefully planned, starting with our flight out of Minneapolis. We were delayed leaving by 2 hours which put our connection to Madrid in jeopardy. We would be cutting it close and even if we did make it, we were not sure our bikes would. When we finally took off, we arrived with a half hour to spare. Several people on our flight were not so lucky and they missed their connecting flights. Once we boarded, we could see our bikes outside getting ready to board as well. However, our joy over making our connection with bikes was tempered by the fact that we were on a flight with dozens of joyful and loud Spanish teenagers returning home after visiting the United States. Any thoughts of sleeping on the plane were gone.
We arrived bleary-eyed in Madrid. After clearing customs, we waited for our bike boxes. And we waited. After a very nervous wait as everyone claimed their bags, our boxes finally arrived. However, there was nary a luggage cart to be had in the terminal and we had to drag our boxes and carry-on bags, not an easy task. Especially since we had to navigate through hordes of loving and large families awaiting the above joyful and loud teenagers. The doors leaving the international terminal were jammed packed and nobody seemed in any particular hurry to finish hugging and greeting said teenagers.
We then had to collect our rental car, so still unable to find a luggage cart (I think they were all in the hands of loving family members collecting the luggage of their joyful teenagers), we continued dragging our bike boxes across the street to the rental car lot. Once we got their, we were told we had to check in back inside the crowded terminal. I waited with the boxes and bags and Paul went in to get the car keys.
Once he returned, we quickly loaded our stuff and headed north to Pamplona, where we would grab a cab and head onto to our starting point and hotel in Burguette. However, once again we waited in Pamplona as said cab never arrived. We kept calling and explaining that we needed a large van to hold our bike boxes and bags, but all we kept seeing were the nice and small taxis. After an hour wait, our cab finally arrived. Our driver was extremely friendly and very chatty. We had a great time talking with him on our way to Burguette, about a 45 minute drive from Pamplona.
Our delays caused us to miss the beginning of the Pilgrim´s Mass, but we did receive our blessing, which we felt would get us off to a great start. We were wrong.
Because we were tired after our long and noisy flight and delays getting to our starting destination, Paul and I had a wonderful dinner and called it a night. We planned to get up early and put our bikes together in the morning and then start our trip. We awoke at 7:00 as planned to collect our bikes, only to discover hotel personnel don´t arrive until 8:00 and they had the key to the garage where our bike boxes were stored. We decided to roll with the punches and go have breakfast first and then get our boxes when they opened. We had coffee at a tiny bakery and met a young man from Tudela who was also biking the camino. We chatted with him for a while and then wished him well on his journey and hoped we might see him on the road.
The office finally opened and we got our bike boxes out and started assembling bikes. Everything was fine until we tried putting on Paul´s chain. Somehow, there was a kink in the chain and try as we could, we could not get it undone. It should have been a simple problem, according to Paul, but it was not coming out. After a frustrating hour of playing with chain, I asked the hotel clerk if there was someone in town who worked on bikes. She pointed me in the direction of local car garage. When arrived after pushing the bike there, the garage was not open. An elderly gentleman told me he was also waiting for the mechanic for his car and he was told it should have opened at 9:00.
While I waited, I played around with the chain, hoping something magical might happen and the knot would come undone, but it didn´t. I then flagged down to biking pilgrim´s and asked if they would take a look. They tried for about 15 minutes but said they couldn´t see a way and had never seen anything like it. I thanked them and wished them well on their journey. After another 15 minute wait, a young man walking by stopped and asked if we were waiting for the mechanic. When we said yes, he informed us that the mechanic was on vacation! I headed back to the hotel to tell Paul the bad news. We asked at the hotel if there were other mechanics in towns nearby and she gave us some names but she didn´t have the phone numbers so we could call to see if they were open. While pondering how to solve our mechanical difficulties, a car pulled in across the street with two bikes on top. I hurried over to ask to see if they might be able to help us. The young man came over and tried but again had no success. They were headed up to the start of the camino in Roncesvalles to drop off their bikes to their friends. The couple offered us a ride to a mechanic if we still needed it by the time they passed by again. They were driving to Vittoria to drop off the car and they offered to take us to Pamplona to find a bike shop where we could repair the bike.
On the ride to Pamplona, this lovely young couple told us they were from Milan and they were doing the camino with another couple. Along the way they would be joined by some friends who would pick up their car. There generosity is one thing we have learned is the norm on the camino and not the exception. We offered to buy them a beer if we saw them back in Roncesvalles when we returned.
We then went in search of a bike shop and found one not too far from where they dropped us off. When the gentleman at the repair shop looked at the bike, he couldn´t figure it out and told us to leave the bike and return after his lunch break in an hour and half. We took advantage of that time to find a post office where we could unload some weight. We shipped some items that we wouldn´t need until we arrived in Santiago, about 20 pounds of stuff that we didn´t need to haul over the mountains. We decided to go back to the beginning at Roncesvalles instead of starting our trip in Pamplona. Paul was on a mission to photograph a monument outside the town which commemorated the death of Roland, as in the Song of Roland. He missed it on our last trip and this time wanted to make sure he was able to photograph it.
We picked up the bike and it was fixed. Hurray! Then, we went off to do some sightseeing in the old part of Pamlona before heading off to the bus station to catch the 6:00 bus back to Roncesvalles. There are alot of pilgrims doing the camino both by foot and by bike. Two buses were needed to get everyone to Roncesvalles. At the bus terminal, we met up again with our young Italian couple who would not let us thank them with a beer or two. They were very gracious about the extraordinary help they gave us. Paul was able to get his pictures of Roland´s monument. After a pilgrim´s meal tonight, Paul and I plan to turn in early and start our trip once more! Next stop, hopefully is Puente La Reina.
We arrived bleary-eyed in Madrid. After clearing customs, we waited for our bike boxes. And we waited. After a very nervous wait as everyone claimed their bags, our boxes finally arrived. However, there was nary a luggage cart to be had in the terminal and we had to drag our boxes and carry-on bags, not an easy task. Especially since we had to navigate through hordes of loving and large families awaiting the above joyful and loud teenagers. The doors leaving the international terminal were jammed packed and nobody seemed in any particular hurry to finish hugging and greeting said teenagers.
We then had to collect our rental car, so still unable to find a luggage cart (I think they were all in the hands of loving family members collecting the luggage of their joyful teenagers), we continued dragging our bike boxes across the street to the rental car lot. Once we got their, we were told we had to check in back inside the crowded terminal. I waited with the boxes and bags and Paul went in to get the car keys.
Once he returned, we quickly loaded our stuff and headed north to Pamplona, where we would grab a cab and head onto to our starting point and hotel in Burguette. However, once again we waited in Pamplona as said cab never arrived. We kept calling and explaining that we needed a large van to hold our bike boxes and bags, but all we kept seeing were the nice and small taxis. After an hour wait, our cab finally arrived. Our driver was extremely friendly and very chatty. We had a great time talking with him on our way to Burguette, about a 45 minute drive from Pamplona.
Our delays caused us to miss the beginning of the Pilgrim´s Mass, but we did receive our blessing, which we felt would get us off to a great start. We were wrong.
Because we were tired after our long and noisy flight and delays getting to our starting destination, Paul and I had a wonderful dinner and called it a night. We planned to get up early and put our bikes together in the morning and then start our trip. We awoke at 7:00 as planned to collect our bikes, only to discover hotel personnel don´t arrive until 8:00 and they had the key to the garage where our bike boxes were stored. We decided to roll with the punches and go have breakfast first and then get our boxes when they opened. We had coffee at a tiny bakery and met a young man from Tudela who was also biking the camino. We chatted with him for a while and then wished him well on his journey and hoped we might see him on the road.
The office finally opened and we got our bike boxes out and started assembling bikes. Everything was fine until we tried putting on Paul´s chain. Somehow, there was a kink in the chain and try as we could, we could not get it undone. It should have been a simple problem, according to Paul, but it was not coming out. After a frustrating hour of playing with chain, I asked the hotel clerk if there was someone in town who worked on bikes. She pointed me in the direction of local car garage. When arrived after pushing the bike there, the garage was not open. An elderly gentleman told me he was also waiting for the mechanic for his car and he was told it should have opened at 9:00.
While I waited, I played around with the chain, hoping something magical might happen and the knot would come undone, but it didn´t. I then flagged down to biking pilgrim´s and asked if they would take a look. They tried for about 15 minutes but said they couldn´t see a way and had never seen anything like it. I thanked them and wished them well on their journey. After another 15 minute wait, a young man walking by stopped and asked if we were waiting for the mechanic. When we said yes, he informed us that the mechanic was on vacation! I headed back to the hotel to tell Paul the bad news. We asked at the hotel if there were other mechanics in towns nearby and she gave us some names but she didn´t have the phone numbers so we could call to see if they were open. While pondering how to solve our mechanical difficulties, a car pulled in across the street with two bikes on top. I hurried over to ask to see if they might be able to help us. The young man came over and tried but again had no success. They were headed up to the start of the camino in Roncesvalles to drop off their bikes to their friends. The couple offered us a ride to a mechanic if we still needed it by the time they passed by again. They were driving to Vittoria to drop off the car and they offered to take us to Pamplona to find a bike shop where we could repair the bike.
On the ride to Pamplona, this lovely young couple told us they were from Milan and they were doing the camino with another couple. Along the way they would be joined by some friends who would pick up their car. There generosity is one thing we have learned is the norm on the camino and not the exception. We offered to buy them a beer if we saw them back in Roncesvalles when we returned.
We then went in search of a bike shop and found one not too far from where they dropped us off. When the gentleman at the repair shop looked at the bike, he couldn´t figure it out and told us to leave the bike and return after his lunch break in an hour and half. We took advantage of that time to find a post office where we could unload some weight. We shipped some items that we wouldn´t need until we arrived in Santiago, about 20 pounds of stuff that we didn´t need to haul over the mountains. We decided to go back to the beginning at Roncesvalles instead of starting our trip in Pamplona. Paul was on a mission to photograph a monument outside the town which commemorated the death of Roland, as in the Song of Roland. He missed it on our last trip and this time wanted to make sure he was able to photograph it.
We picked up the bike and it was fixed. Hurray! Then, we went off to do some sightseeing in the old part of Pamlona before heading off to the bus station to catch the 6:00 bus back to Roncesvalles. There are alot of pilgrims doing the camino both by foot and by bike. Two buses were needed to get everyone to Roncesvalles. At the bus terminal, we met up again with our young Italian couple who would not let us thank them with a beer or two. They were very gracious about the extraordinary help they gave us. Paul was able to get his pictures of Roland´s monument. After a pilgrim´s meal tonight, Paul and I plan to turn in early and start our trip once more! Next stop, hopefully is Puente La Reina.
Friday, July 27, 2007
We're Ready to Go!
We've trained hard. Our bikes are boxed and ready to go. We each have one carry on bag and we're ready to head off. If all goes according to plan, we leave Saturday and arrive in Madrid on Sunday morning. From there we will rent a car and drive to the border of France and Spain where we will start our journey. We are staying at the same hotel that we did on our last trip. The place is cozy and has a nice restaurant. We will put our bikes together and then return the rental car to Pamplona and cab it back to our hotel. Hopefully, we accomplish this before the pilgrim's Mass in Roncesvalles. It is a wonderful way to start our trip. We'll keep our fingers crossed that all goes according to plan.
Monday, July 23, 2007
We're Doing it Again!
Paul and I had such a wonderful time on our Spanish adventure that we are doing it once again. Saturday, July 28th we head off again for Madrid with our bikes. We will be using this blog to keep you posted on our journey.
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