The extra 15k to Lekunberri were on a windy country road that climbed up through the valley and into the snow capped mountains. Love those country roads in Europe that don't have a center line, and are barely wide enough for two cars to fit.
Traveled through a handful of small hamlets, with cute white houses. Lots of cows, horses (the furry kind with faces like sheep dogs), and sheep.
Although this is still Navarra, seems more and more Euskadi (Basque). Saw a Euskadi flag flying over a church in one hamlet, and some faded ETA graffiti ( an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna "Basque Homeland and Freedom").
I also took a pic of a Eusko Pelota court, a form of handball. Fun to see the court instead of a soccer field, or in the States a baseball diamond.
Staying at another Hemingway haunt here in Lekunberri. I guess he stayed here after his famous fishing trips in the mountains. By the way, at the Gran Hotel Perla in Pamplona, they remodeled in 2007, and the new building codes wouldn't let them use the old room numbers, so Hemingway's old 217 is now 201 (and I got 405). The rooms have great balconies, perfect for watching the San Fermín festivities (The Running of the Bulls, July 6-14).
Will be following the Plazaola Via Verde route the next two days. Plan for tomorrow is to stay in Leitza, but it is only 13k away. The town at the end of the Via Verde is Andoain, which is 30k from Leitza. And Andoain is only 14k from San Sebastian. Will have to flip a coin somewhere along the road to decide where to have a really long day, tomorrow, or day after tomorrow. Excited to see San Sebastian!
Cheers!
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