For breakfast this morning we head back to the plaza. As we enter it, a wave of teenagers walks past us going the other direction, their chatter filling the square - off to morning classes, apparently. We find an attractive bar, fill ourselves on tortilla, pastries and coffee, and return to the square. Now, the second wave is passing through - youngsters, accompanied by their parents or guardians. Primary school apparently starts later here.
The walls of the plaza are all lined with colorful plaques - some are bullfighting scenes, others look like insignia of towns in the region. Presumably these reflect or date from the time the square was used as a bull ring.
It's about nine, and a steady procession of young children and their chaperones passes across the square on the way to class. A half hour earlier there was a similar parade, of older youths on their way to secondary school.
Leaving our hostel/restaurant in Tudela. Highly recommended - a high quality but inexpensive place, just a block off Plaza Nueva, with a restaurant good enough to merit a mention in the Michelin guide. Our room was 45 euros, and a fine lunch for two including a bottle of wine was 39.
Leaving the hotel, we bike out of town and cross the Ebro. We passed this same river last week, between Elciego and Najera, and I didn't take much note of it there - it was much smaller then. I don't have a good picture of the drainages in Spain - I don't even know which direction this river flows - it seems like there are mountains in the distance in all directions - so I look it up and am surprised to see that it empties out in Catalonia, south of Barcelona. The river almost cuts off the peninsula.
The elevation at the bridge is about 850', the low point of our tour until we drop out of the mountains in southern France. For today, the rest of the ride is predominantly uphill - gently climbing for most of the day, followed by a climb to the modest Puerto de Sos. We start by skirting the southeastern corner of Bardenas Reales, a semiarid badlands that is a protected biosphere reserve. It's pleasant and attractive cycling, but less dramatic than I'd pictured from what I'd read about it in planning the trip. It looks like we're crossing it on the wrong side to get the best effect, but riding along the eastern edge would have made much too long a day.
These regularly spaced plaques placed in the stone street appear to mark a bikeway through the pedestrian zone. My theory is that they've used these as a less defacing alternative to paint on the pavers.
After a few miles we climb a slight rise, cross the border from Navarre into Aragon, and soon transition into greener, cultivated terrain. An hour or so later we arrive in Sabada, where we stop for lunch on a bench beneath its principal church. Sabada is one of the five historical towns that define the region we're passing through - the Cinco Villas of Aragon. There isn't much here now but I'm sure it was important at some point in the distant past, judging by the well preserved castle that crowns its high ground.
I can never remember what this maroon crop is for some reason. Any suggestions? Oh, of course - sorghum. Thanks, Randal!
Bearing east toward Sabada. Rachael is actually quite far off here, and I've zoomed in on her. This reminds me of biking in the American Southwest - we can separate by a half mile and still keep tabs on each other.
From Sabada it's eighteen miles to Sos, on a very quiet road that slowly rises for about ten, stiffens modestly to about four or five percent on the final ascent to the pass, and then drops down into the village. The final miles of the climb are quite warm - this is the first day on the tour where it's been hot enough to break into a real sweat. We've had very mild conditions so far, but today it's changing, in advance of the day of thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow.
We check into our hotel a bit after five. The receptionist, who appears to not speak a word of English, looks perplexed by our bikes and what to do with them. For the first time, it looks like we may have a parking issue. Finally she decides they can fit into narrow, short alcove just behind the front desk.
We quickly unpack, change clothes and head out again to explore the town. It is a fascinating place to explore, my favorite kind of town. In the evening we splurge and dine at Le cucina de Principal, a stylish place just down the alley from our hotel. We arrive a few minutes after it opens at 8:30, and are surprised to find that for a change we aren't the first ones here. Six other diners are already seated, and some are even speaking our language - for the first time since leaving LaGuardia five days ago.
Total elevation gain: today, 2,900'; for the tour, 22,600'
North of Sabada, slowly gaining elevation as we near the pass.
The tower of Sos del Rey Catolico is just visible below us from the summit. I think the ridge must be the one backing the Yesa Reservoir; if so, it's crest marks the border between Navarre and Aragon.
