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We started next morning and witnessed a group of 12 to15 horse riders
travelling the Camino on horseback. They gathered their mounts
in a circle at the shrine and sang their hymns before turning their
horses down the mountain trail. Their outfits were straight out of
Somerville and Ross' "The Irish RM". They disappeared into
the mist and all that remained in the stillness of the village was
their fading voices. Our start was encouraging, down hill, rear wind, good road and no traffic. Beautiful wooded valleys of the Pyrenees - as green and verdant as any Irish vista. Pitstop (lunch break to you ) was at Campanas on Madrid-Pamplona motorway under the shadow of a gigantic magnesium quarry gouged out of the overhanging mountain and spewing white dust and echos of dynamite explosions for miles around. Enjoyed coffee and omelette with a group of truckers in a local bar and then on to the N120 for Estella, fast road and good surface complete with cycle track .The speed is up and we are going very well. This is cycling at its best, big ring, high gear , rear wind and the sun shining .jealous.? Reached Estella at teatime with 100kms on the clock and after an orientation exercise around the town we found a very good hotel. A fine dinner of fresh Atlantic Dorada and liberal quantities of vino tinto stiffened us up for day two.We met an English couple at reception next morning who were celebrating retirement on a tandem tour of Navarre Province [non verus; the land of the liars]
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Next destination Najera - pronounced Knacker - Aah. Uneventful
day, cool and some light showers. Spent the rainy spell in a wayside
bar dawdling over lunch. Secured an apartment in Najera and
dined in the local pub, good solid fish dish and several pints while
watching Bayern Munich make heavy weather of winning the semi final
of Champions League. The next day our programme scheduled us for Burgos. Overcast and showery ,we stopped for lunch in Belorado, a pretty featureless town. In the afternoon we tackled the Puerta del Perjada, a 3 kms climb rising to 1000m. No problems involved with a good fast surface making the climbing a straightforward chore. The legs are getting strong. We hit the provincial capital Burgos at a frenetic rush hour. Burgos, which was Francos center of operations during the Civil War represents all that is best in Spanish. Beautiful city boasting impressive architecture and city planning which made optimum use of the river and other natural features, the dominant points of interest being the Cathedral and El Cids statue. A very sophisticated populace exhibiting immaculate grooming was a clear indication that this was a seat of power and influence. We stayed in a city center 5star hotel. Self indulgence at its worst. Dinner in the La Posada, a small restaurant, was superb. Next day we faced the Meseta, a high rolling plain at an altitude of 1000mts supporting thousands of shaggy sheep and what looked like maize. We were facing into 3 days of this terrain. I shudder to think what it would be like in bad weather, no houses, people or traffic to be seen .
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However in the midst of the plain we found a small village, Castro Jerez, which boasted a quite good restaurant. The Meseta must have supported a bigger population at some earlier time, engaging in agriculture. There is evidence of irrigation systems and commercial canals and there is also a railway serving the periphery of the region.
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