Fresh Roasted Peppers on the Queen's Bridge

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Half an hour's drive to the South West of Pamplona is the beautiful town of Puente La Reina. It's where the two main routes of the Camino de Santiago de Compostelafootpath meet. Obviously we didn't walk, but we did have a good meander around the streets and we loved what we saw.

The architecture, narrow streets and churches give the place a real medieval feel. There were a few "pilgrims" walking the trail but there were more tourists toting cameras blocking our way! Other than the pleasant atmosphere there didn't seem to be much to see or do, but the bridge from which the town gets its name was certainly worth seeking out. It is very picturesque and we were lucky to see a party of nuns out for a stroll!!

Purely by accident we found a small market ont he edge of town. The only products on sale were peppers. Well, there were a few other vegetables but its principal reason was to sell tonnes of peppers. We had an inkling that something was going on when one of Trish's students said he was going there to buy 15kg of peppers to put into his freezer. It seemed quite odd until we saw what was really going on.

Here's how we saw it. You arrive at the market with your family, a table, bucket, chairs and sharp knives. You then buy half a tonne of peppers and sit there for the next hour cutting out the cores. After that you take your peppers to one of the roasters. He then slowly but steadily roasts your peppers in a bizarre oven that looks a little like a jet fighter's afterburner engines. Once they have cooled down you peel off the blackened skin. Drizzled with olive oil you then load them onto some bread and eat accompanied by some red wine. Luckily for us one of the market stalls had some samples to try. They were unbelievable delicious and we have now started buying glass jars of roasted peppers in the supermarket!

Mouths watering at the very thought of this, it's time to stop the blog before the keyboard is damaged!!

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Photos

Camino de Santiago
The joining of the ways