Walked: Today: 7.8 mi/Camino 2022: 29.4 mi
We left Roncesvalles this morning at first light (6:48, 53F and no rain!). Our walk was a pleasant relief from crossing the Pyrenees.
An hour or so into the walk, we stopped for breakfast at a favorite bar just before entering the small village of Burguete.
We walked on into Burguete, a picturesque village….
…exited directly into farmland… then forests, then back onto pavement, thru another village, back into pastureland, back into forest, etc. …you get the picture? If not see below:
We got to La Posada Nueva, a Casa Rural, much like our B&B type lodgings in the US. It was early, at 11:45, but in our experience, the owner will let us check in, or at least have access to the property to wait until our room is ready, which they will often expedite.
Blogger’s note::“Posada” means “hostal” in Spanish, an inexpensive hotel, where mostly, private rooms are rented that usually have private bathrooms. “Hostels” mostly rent beds, in shared rooms and renters as well share bathrooms, common areas including communal kitchens.
Today, we were not so lucky. Jim knocked on the locked front door and shortly a lady answered and in Basque, we guess, explained clearly that she was still cleaning and we could come in at 2 pm or after 2 hours, we think. Jim then negotiated in Basque? sign language and got the wait time reduced to either 1:00 pm or “ in an hour”. The lady said there was no place to wait, so Jim suggested the “jardin”, which yielded the first smile by the lady since the initial encounter. She pointed in the direction of the side of the house… and quickly disappeared behind a newly locked door.
We said gracias and found a large gate and discovered a small area beside the house with an outdoor table and chairs… our makeshift lobby.
It was still quite cool outside so Linda donned her jacket and shifted her chair to a sunny spot. Jim decided to skip the jacket, but also moved into the sun. After 30 minutes, Jim impatiently decided to explore the village on foot, needing some more exercise after our nearly 8 mile walk. When he returned, the lady was sweeping the dust off the door stoop and Jim moved toward the door and received what was assumed to be a welcoming nod. Welcome to the Camino!
For lack of a better option, we agreed to have dinner in the Posada, even though it will not be served until 7:30. So, after doing our “after the walk“ routine, we read, blogged, dipped into our “snack stash” and reviewed the “plan” for tomorrow, until dinner time.
We were the only guests dining tonight in the Posada. We were served a traditional meal of two eggs over easy, french fried potatoes, two thick slices of ham, sliced baguette, a simple, but tasty tomato and lettuce salad (fresh from the owner’ garden) dressed with oil and vinegar and melon for dessert. We also has local Navarra red wine… always good.
Tummy’s full, we headed back to the room for a good night’s sleep.
Jimandi 