BikeSanSebastianFour

How many more surprises can this remarkable part of the world reveal?

A slightly more rejuvenated Tony guided us through a quiet  Pamplona Sunday morning. The city ended relatively abruptly and once again we were in rural territory. We noticed a significant number of riders and cyclists were heading in the same direction as us. A mountain range was in front of us covered in very heavy cloud. The cloud turned to heavy mist and we decided to stop and dress accordingly. I noticed writing on the road. Ahha! The major Spanish cycling race, The Vuelta, must have passed through here. I recognised at least one well known rider’s name, Valverde. Photo for you, Bob. The road over the mountain was indeed great for two-wheeled anything. Although the drizzle slowed us down, it was still a flowing smooth ride.
On the other side we entered golden country. All the small villages were surrounded by ploughed field or fields just cropped. Vast expanses of golden dryness.
Another mountain to cross. This one presented us with thick fog. No views from this mountain. HOWEVER , once we started to descend, the change in vegetation was remarkable. The forest was lush and mystical. Dense deciduous forest where moss grew thickly on the concrete road barriers. We had left the land of the Black Prince of Navarre and were now in Basque Country. It could have been Switzerland. What a change one mountain barrier can make. We stopped for a stretch. Tony spoke to two young girls and next thing we had a crowd. They had come to play in the nearby school ground. The girls spoke their native Basque, as well as Spanish, English and French. I told them that I was jealous. We had a lovely conversation and they were delightful. Definitely a photo needed.
We actually stopped in their town for a cuppa.
Once again the GPS was trying to trick us and we made several u turns. The 45 kms of tollway was European infrastructure at its best. Long tunnels and soaring bridges just seem to come naturally. Aussie’s seem to make a huge fuss over theirs.
Finally at San Sebastián and its well-used attractive sandy half moon bay. We are staying here for two nights. Yeah! A sleep in tomorrow.