After a leisurely breakfast, we were a little late rolling out from Tiebas, but in the first town we caught up with our Spanish friends, Fernando, Pascual, Federico, and Blas sitting at an outdoor cafe enjoying a mid-morning snack. We joined them for a cool drink, and by the time we got going again, the Austrian couple had caught up also. Seeing such a crowd of pilgrims along the way was good preparation for the Camino Frances to come.
Around noon we stopped at the site of Santa Maria de Eunate, an unusual octagonal church. It dates from the 12th century, and is believed to have been originally constructed for pilgrims' use.
A few kilometers later, we were walking up the hill to the small town of Obanos. This is where the Camino Aragones (which we had been following since Jaca) joins up with the Camino Frances. The Camino Frances is the "main" camino route, with the vast majority of pilgrim traffic. As we sat in Obanos enjoying a cool drink, we watched a steady stream of pilgrims pass through town. Most were headed to Puente de la Reina, a larger town just a few km along and the typical stopping point for that stage of the Camino Frances.
We weren't quite ready to join the throng, so we decided to stay in quieter Obanos for the night. We found a very nice room in a small hostal, had a delicious and filling comida, and spent the rest of the afternoon meandering the town. Our Spanish buddies were headed on to Puente, where they would catch a bus back to their home in Valencia. We said our goodbyes.
In the evening, we had a couple of glasses of wine in a local bar, and ended up in a long conversation with a local resident, Martin. Originally from this area, he'd gone on to grad school in computer science at MIT, then worked a series of jobs including Microsoft in its early days. Some years ago he returned to Obanos, and continues to program for clients around the world.
We forgot to take a photo when we passed the 400 km mark, so we took this one in Obanos at 420 km. Happy trails.
No comments:
Post a Comment