El Monte awaits

Having spent a peaceful night in a warm cozy room at the Pension Zezilionea in Olaberria it took great fortitude to get going and out into the freezing morning air. All the cars were covered in frost when I first peeked out to check the weather. As today was only to be around a 16 km day to Zegama we decided to linger just a little longer over breakfast to let the sun climb a bit higher and hopefully thaw things out a bit. Eventually the front door of our pension quietly closed behind us and day four of our Camino Vasco was officially underway. A thin cold fog veiled the town and closed in on us from time to time as the temperature struggled to climb above freezing. But the clear sky (when the fog allowed it to) offered more gorgeous mountain scenery as we made our way along a very quiet rural paved road on our way to Zegama. We followed the folds of the landscape up and down enjoying the quietude of this section of the Camino. One mountain range, with its icy peaks, dominated the far horizon. It was always in front of us as we moved along throughout the morning. It finally dawned on us as we drew near to Zegama, and the mountains still stood front and center, that this was the range we would be crossing tomorrow as we ascend to the San Adrian tunnel and then drop down to the valley below en route to Agurain, Vitoria-Gasteiz and beyond, but first we must carefully negotiate some quite steep, icy trails. That thought has occupied my mind since we started this trip. But, the weather has been quite nice here for several days so I am hoping that the trails are passable. If not we will just turn around and try again some other time. Zegama is quiet town nestled into the foothills of the Basque mountains. There is not much activity, but In all fairness it is still pretty cold outside so today is not a perfect day for strolling around the town. It is only about 8 kms from Zegama to the top, and in that distance one gains about 850 meters in elevation. Not the toughest climb, but not a walk in the park either. The snow and ice will rule the day. We remain hopeful that all will go well. For now we are finishing up our laundry and then we will sample a local white wine, Txakoli, that the owner of the Pension Zezilionea gave to us as a parting gift. An interesting note, this is the third time this has happened to us in the Basque Country. Twice on the Camino Ignaciano and now again here this morning. The Basque are very hospitable people. More on the wine tasting and tomorrow's climb from the other side of the mountains. Light's out from here in frosty Zegama. 

Departing Olaberria 

Approaching Zegama

Zegama 

Finally

Our stay at the Hotel Oria in Tolosa was restful and quite pleasant. The staff couldn't have been more helpful and the cafeteria produced some exquisite meals. But, the pilgrim road was calling so it was out of the warmth of our room and into a 35 F morning. We knew we would have another day of mostly pounding the pavement, but due to the many nice pedestrian paths it wasn't as bad as it might have been. We felt stronger today and stepped along, in the cold morning air, at what for us was a sprightly pace. We climbed gently but steadily overhauling one village after another as we made our way to Besain where would wave goodbye to the pavement and head off into the hills to tonight's destination, the village of Olaberria. The weather warmed gradually until at mid afternoon my little backpack thermometer read 60 F. We found our way out of Besain and over the N1 on a nice pedestrian bridge. Immediately after stepping off the bridge we should have turned left but there were no arrows and the left turn looked like it was just heading into a car park, so we went right. Looking at my GPS map I could see that there was a road around to the left but by that time we were invested in our turn to the right and as both roads seemed to meet we just carried on. 

What became clear shortly thereafter was that the road we were following did meet up with the road we wanted, but it was all fenced in. We could not get from where we were to where we needed to be without performing some circus act to vault over the intervening barbed wire fence. Big problem, as we really did not want to retrace our steps back to the pedestrian bridge and start over. We found a section of fence that was down so we crossed over a field and walked towards the road we wanted to join. What we discovered after a little barnyard reconnoitering was that the owner had a more secure perimeter than Alcatraz. So with hat in hand we approached the farmhouse with a dozen dogs freaking out and straining at their chains and greeted the owner who stepped out to see what all the fuss was about. We explained our error and he graciously directed us around his house and out onto the road that we were so desperately seeking. We were underway again and finally heading in the right direction. We survived with no fang marks and minimal baggage from the dung pile we had to waltz around. All in all let's call it a victory for the home team. The good news is that once on this upward gravel path we started to see the most spectacular landscape appearing. As we inched our way uphill every step gradually opened an incredible mountain vista. After a couple of days of comparing industrial estates this was mana from heaven. Just spectacular. So with this lift to our hearts we continued along truly energized and dropped into the very tidy village of Olaberria. We have booked into the Pension Zizilionea, and couldn't be more pleased. We gave a nice warm room, and have just indulged ourselves in a delicious lunch. So, things have taken a turn for the better now that we are back in the countryside. Another beautiful day, and all our aches and pains are improving. Much to be thankful for. 

Morning in Tolosa

The path out of Tolosa

Pedestrian path

The right path to Olaberria 

Our pension just ahead to the left

The local church

Two days later

Robin and I are now two days into the Camino Vasco. We arrived this afternoon in the town of Tolosa and have checked into the Hotel Oria. But, let me back up to our first day from Irún to Astigarraga. We set out in cool and dry weather mustering a measured pace as our legs sought to reach an accommodation with the backpacks they were now having to carry. So off we went and made our first wrong turn about 100 feet later. As it turns out a sign had been damaged and we missed it, but as I also was running a GPS app on my phone we quickly caught the error and backtracked. We followed a mix of paved rural roads and dirt tracks over the many hills and valleys that added to our growing fatigue as we ambled along. We believe it is always wise to ease into any Camino by walking a bit more slowly and covering shorter distances for the first few days. The walking slowly part took care of itself as we just didn't seem to any more throttle left. As for the distance we wound up walking about 22 kms. A little shorter distance might have been better for by the time we reached Astigarraga we were both running on little but fumes. The terrain was challenging, but quite scenic. All the twists and turns of the trail forced us to pay attention to our navigation and that helped to pass the time that otherwise would have been marked by increasing levels of knee pain. Arriving in any town in Spain on a Sunday is always challenging as shops and bars will often be closed. Our funky hotel, the Pension Astigarraga, is right on the Camino, but in an industrial area. The owner directed us to the one bar that was open, and we managed to stay awake long enough for the kitchen to open so we could have something more substantial than potato chips to eat, but it was close. So that was day one. It was a good challenging walk that got us back in the groove and refocused on the work required to move along this pilgrim road. We are coming around in spirit, now our bodies just have to catch up. 

This morning, after the usual toast and coffee Camino breakfast, we plunged Ito the half light of another cold and thankfully dry day. Looking at our guide we saw the elevation profile for today was pretty flat. As it turns out that was because we followed the main road from Astigarraga to Tolosa. A few times we were shunted off to dedicated pedestrian/bike paths, and that added a much appreciated additional layer of safety, but still the entire day was spent pounding the pavement. Upon arriving in Tolosa we looked back at our guide and saw there was an alternate route that went out through the the countryside, and at the cost of some extra distance and the lack of intermediate towns all the roadwork could be avoided. Some food for thought if we come this way again. But for now we are in the maintenance and recovery mode of daily pilgrim life. There is washing to be done, dinner to be sorted and aches and pains attended to. So we are two days into this journey and are bearing up, gaining strength in our knees, and settling into a daily routine that should carry us to Santo Domingo de la Calzada in another week's time. But, in the short term, there is still quite a bit of hill scrambling ahead, particularly as we make our way up to the San Adrian tunnel in three day's time. More on that later as the journey unfolds. Let's call this a wrap for now, as I sign off tired, a bit achey, but so happy to be back on the pilgrim road. Good night to all from Tolosa.

Day one

The hermitage of San Juan

San Sebastián in the distance

Pension Astigarraga 

Starting day two

Andoain, San Martine de Tours

Aduna 

Anoeta