Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Estella



Portal of San Sepulchro church in Estella

Albergue Maralotx proved to be perfect in every way, except there was no Breakfast! However the Pilgrims Dinner last night was superb. We had spinach soup, salad, spaghetti and meatballs and a pot of set custard: the chef was Italian! Ten of us dined well.


We had to leave by 8.00 am, but this enabled me to see a lovely sunrise. We finally hit ion a breakfast spot after 1.25 hours, near an ancient bridge where the water was said to be poisonous to horses in the Middle Ages. A Japanese guy was cooling off his feet in the water.


At first there was a lot of cloud cover, ideal for walking, but the sun came out and it was another hot day: about 22 degrees. I got to Villatuerte for lunch (beer and a piece of tortilla), then walked very slowly for the last 4 kms into Estella.


I had booked a private room on the newly opened Albergue Curtidores, a converted tannery on the riverside. Everything was pristine, and the hospitalera helped me book a  room at Pension Mave in Los Arcos for tomorrow. Apparently, Estella was a big centre for the production of leather, and there had been several tanneries on the area.


I walked into town in search of a restaurant, as the Albergue didn't serve dinner, past the Church of Santa Sepulchro, with its magnificent carved portal. I ended up at a restaurant in the main square which did a Pilgrims Menu for € 16 (Cafe Astarriaga). I had mixed salad, grilled salmon w potatoes and Santiago Tart.


Looking back to a beautiful sunrise over Cirauqui at 8.00 am

Stretch of Roman Road between Cirauqui and Lorca

Long shadows in the early morning


View of the weir from Albergue Curtidores

Tapas

Church of Santa Sepulchro 





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