Walked: 6.2 mi. Camino2025: 35 mi.
As we left our apartment at 8:30, it looked like we were gonna have another dry day.
To rejoin the Camino, we walked for about a 0.1 mile through town, crossed a bridge back over the Eba River then walked the sidewalk until reaching the suburbs.
Rather than follow the Camino signs we continued on the sidewalk until it dovetailed with the official Camino before leaving the pavement and heading toward the Irache Monastery and Bodega (winery).
The Castillo de San Esteban has a Roman foundation, but was repeatedly rebuilt over the centuries. It was one of the last fortresses of the Banu Qasi, the local Muslim dynasty, before it was taken by King Sancho I of Navarre in 914.
This is our fourth time to stay in apartment Markiola. The choices to stay in this small village are very limited and our experiences staying in the albergues have been disappointing. However, Markiola is special because it has a washing machine, large bedroom, nice bathroom with large walk-in shower and an excellent view of the Iglesia de San Andres and the valley below. It also has a full kitchen, stocked with food for lunch, dinner and breakfast, therefore not requiring us to struggle with the lack of restaurants, bars and other facilities in the village … and the proprietor has been very welcoming and the apt. has been well maintained.
Today, when we arrived, we were able to access the apt with a code on the door and we checked in electronically. The attached small store was closed and a for sale sign was attached to the store and the apartment.
So, this will likely be our last encounter with Markiola should we be back this way in the future.
Once we checked in, we washed our dirty clothes and hung them out to dry. We prepared a sandwich for lunch, spent the afternoon doing our routine chores, napped, read and blogged, then had our “homemade” dinner of spaghetti and wine before calling it a day.
Jimandi 