Sarsamarcuello to Estacion La Pena, then to Jaca, May 16

Today's stage began with a very steep climb up a rocky trail out of Sarsamarcuello.  

We set a steady pace, and  within a little over an hour we were at the top of the ridge looking at the ruins of the old Castillo Marcuello.  The castle was abandoned in the 1500s and the people moved downhill to the town of Sarsamarcuello.  What looks like a square tower to the right is really just a single remaining wall.  The building to the left was a monastery.  

Soon thereafter we were descending the other side of the ridge.  Each corner opened up new vistas of amazing rock bluffs and distant valleys. 

The going was rough in places, but as we descended were mostly on easy gravel or dirt roads.

Panoramas of the Pyrenees to our north opened up.

By early afternoon we arrived at the bottom of the valley in the small town of La Pena.  There is a bakery, a bar/restaurant, and a train station.  We went into the bar for lunch and to discuss our next move.  The next albergue on this camino is in a small village (about 10 km up the next mountain)  with no services available at all (no store, no bar, no food).  We could have bought a couple of sandwiches to carry with us, but decided instead to take the train from La Pena into Jaca.  We wanted to do a few city things, and this is the last one we'd see for a while.  La Pena marked 280 km on the Camino Catalan from Montserrat.

 

The train was a pleasant hour ride, followed by a km or two walk into the center of town.  We found a reasonable hotel in the old center of the city (built in 1875, and filled with period artwork and furniture).  After cleaning up we went out for some great tapas and wine.  We've been taking a rest day (Ellen still has some nasty blisters), picking up a few supplies, and will start tomorrow on the Camino Aragones west from Jaca toward the monastery at San Juan de la Pena.

Postscript: I bought a new sim card today, from a different cell provider which is supposed to have better coverage in rural areas.  It's not yet working well.  Best way to get in touch remains email to  econodan@gmail.com.