Spain - Day 5: Burgete to the top of the world

Burgete

Burgete is a beautiful village with little streams running quickly down each side of the main street. It's on one of the villages that are on one of the pilgrimage roots to Santiago. There were others walkers, some with donkies, and cyclists. But best of all a super market where we could buy some delicious meal of succulent Spanish sausage and fantastic Spanish bread.

Look at that bread

After a late breakfast, and some time watching the donkey that wouldn't, we finally made it back to the task at hand. After a while we stopped in the forest to have a snack and dry our tents. A dewy morning.

The donkey wouldn't.

Wouldn't anything really. But in this instance it wouldn't cross the, above mentioned, little stream into the hostal. It just wouldn't. They pushed. They pulled. They pushed and pulled. They stopped the traffic, they blocked the road.

They gave up and wondered back down the road.

Donkey 1: Family 0

Coming out of the forest we got our first view of the main event. The Pyrenees, far in the distance, looked very big, steep, high and pointy. But luckily, still a few days away.

The Pyrenees - our first view

Not being intimidated we continued through more forest always following the red and white signs. We had all of the maps and a GPS but hadn't really needed any of them yet. It is beautiful - the weather is warm but not too hot and generally dry. 

The troops - trooping

Obara - one of many on the route

We continued to Obara, a pretty but a very empty village. In what is effectively in the middle of nowhere. The best bit was the water pipe at the end of the village. We would have stopped but it was too early for the restaurants to serve food. So we set off to our planned destination of Hiriberri.

An up and down day. Hotter now and sunny.



We got to Hiriberri and found it ,also, effectively closed. We hadn't yet come to terms with the different rhythm of life here. We were always hungry too early. But we found a bar and had a drink.

A father and son pair of walkers were resting in the shade. A conversation was sparked (even if they were American) and they were just waiting for the evening cooling before completing the last leg of their journey.

Junius, remember him, passed but didn't stop. He had plans to make lots of km before dark.  He was short of time. Given the temperature we had our doubts but each to their own.

Eventually, we set off up. Of course up - up and around - but the hills offered no alternative. We walked up and up and eventually reached a huge grave yard in the forest. An old limestone 'something' we are not geologists so don't know what to call it. It was up, it was hard going, it was still hot. The hardest bit so far - plus it was at the end of the day.

We re-mat Junius camped on the first place he could pitch a tent. We woke him merrily and continued on our way.

We left the Americans and set up tent in paradise.

Rooms with a view

Top of the world

Today, we quietly passed the 100km mark. A momentous event which passed without celebration. Without, even being noticed.