Blogs from Navarre, Spain, Europe

We hadn't planned to go away last weekend but as the sun was shining we thought we had better make the most of it. So, off we went down the motorway, paying our tolls, and soon enough we were negotiating the different coloured parking zones in Tudela. We ended up settling for the blue zone and, astonishingly had to pay just 75 cents to cover ourselves for the whole weekend! That's because there was only an hour left that we needed to pay for. Once again we got a good deal with NH Hotels and they allowed us to check in early which was nice. We then strolled through the town centre (or is it a city centre?) where we sat in the Plaza de los Fueros and ate our lunch. The sun was shining and ... read more

Winter will soon be over, or so we hope! Bearing that in mind we headed up into the Pyrenees and revisited Roncesvalles. At first we were disappointed by how little snow there was but then suddenly we hit the snow line and it was impressive. Huge banks of snow lined the road where it had been swept to one side and enormous piles could be seen between the houses. A short time ago several of the villages in the region had been completely cut off due to fresh snowfall. A glimpse inside the courtyard of the Real Colegiata de Roncesvalles showed us exactly why. It was full of snow as you can see from the photos. Many people had parked up to get a closer look and to supervise their children sliding down the small slopes ... read more

It was another wet weekend in Pamplona. We're tiring of saying that! On Saturday morning though, the skies cleared and we took a drive out to Estella, about 40 minutes away. This town has been built up around a collection of churches which are part of the route of the Camino del Santiago de Compostela as are many of the villages in the area. It's quite pretty to wander around and the churches are visitor-friendly unless your visit coincides with mass. The tourist information office has a handy list of mass times to help. The most notable church was San Pedro de la Rúa. We climbed up the stairs outside and found ourselves in a very recently restored church. In our opinion it was a little over-restored with little evidence that it was an old building. ... read more

Too many pintxos on Saturday night? Maybe one too many canas too? Want to stretch your legs but a trip up into the mountains is beyond your effort level today? We think we've found the ideal place to clear your head on a Sunday morning. Lekunberri and it's Plazaola Green Routeis absolutley perfect. No hills, no crowds, just the peace and quiet of the countryside and stunning mountain views ! Lekunberri is a small Basque town about halfway between Pamplona and San Sebastian. When we got there it wasn't too difficult to find the old train station which is now a tourist information office and interpretation centre. Unfortuantely for us, it was closed! Luckily the footpaths are well marked and there are informative maps nearby to help you on your way. A highlight at the station ... read more

This blog is very short on words. The photos say it all really! You'll notice they haven't been labelled. That's just plain laziness!!! On Saturday morning we met up with a group of friends and drove up to the beautiful little town of Ochagavia in the Pyrenees. We were very lucky with the weather as it wasn't so good in Pamplona. Fortunately the plan changed from Sunday to Saturday as the forecast predicted a terrible end to the weekend and it wasn't far wrong. Walking in the mountains can be difficult but, much to our delight, this turned out to be an hour or so strolling along a country road with breathtaking colourful views everywhere. The road gradually climbed, twisted and turned and eventually we found ourselves at a church in the middle of nowhere. It ... read more