Sat in camp site in cafe catching up with my diary listening to Phil Collins.
Yesterday a day off the bike, day on the MTB and it felt good to explore a new city.
Chatted with fellow adventure riders Mark & Dave from Aberdeen and again very slow start, body telling me I’m needing it.
Regretted that last beer with Dave one too many hey ho! we live & learn or do we!..
Tracing the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway—and many a bull—through Pamplona, and exploring the spectacular historic center of Santiago de Compostela.
I hired a mountain bike from the camp site and went into city supposed to be 10 km, my route ended up being almost 20 km.
Did over 30 km during the day, excellent way to get around the city and it was very cycle friendly with off Rd lanes drivers giving way and lots of 30 km hr streets, drivers obeyed speed limits as well, nice.
Disappointed in decathlon nothing worth buying and expensive may be super store in Pau will be better, I hope so.
Came into the city by infamous bull ring that seats over 20,000. Found excellent tapas bar 3 courses including bottle of red for €12.50 euro. Well I say found however eat where the locals eat is a lesson I learnt a long time ago. Except my Spanish needs considerable work just pointed at menu with no idea what I was ordering, make Google translate your friend.
Along came bread and a full bottle of red wine. First course of bean soup was sensational which I quickly devoured. Second was a lamb stew with chips, patatas fritas, again excellent. Desert was not so good a choice lots of dairy, well you can’t win ‘‘em all”.
Wandering or waddling around the city feeling a little lethargic, it was very empty and lots of places closed & for sale, think Covid has been tough for tourist cities like this one 😕 went into couple of tourist shops and could sense a real deep sadness and sense of frustration. Those that are open are doing it tough & trying to well simply survive.
What a feast for the eyes & senses the city was old city walls buildings, streets bull running barriers, friendly locals.
Several tourist groups being led around by guides, very few English speaking.
By the time I reached the museum it was closing, went to infamous markets and bought some food, coffee and beer enough for dinner, breakfast and lunch.
Returning using my mapping app and shortest route cycling was interesting was shorter but took me over a mountain so got to mountain bike proper.
Trusting the old rusty bike it stayed together just groaning under the pressure. Following the familiar markers of the GR route and the famed El Camino de Santiago—Europe’s longest and most storied pilgrimage route and passing historic monasteries and centuries-old paradors along the way.