Olite to Sos del Rey Católico

May 9, 2024

The breakfast at Hotel Ducay wasn’t as good as the lunch or giant dinner salads we’d had there, but it was adequate. The coffee was excellent, produced on a real espresso machine rather than one of those automatic things.

Leaving Hotel Ducay in Olite. Al is barely visible loading his bike in the shady street beside the hotel. We didn’t have one of the rooms with the stained glass windows on the plaza.

The first three-quarters of the ride was wonderful, a quiet smooth road through pleasant scenery. We crossed the Aragon River into Sangüesa, a bustling town, and stopped for a coffee and a snack. Back en route, the road was now straight and the scenery not as nice—and then we lost the lovely smooth pavement of Navarre as we crossed into Aragon.

Just yesterday I’d been wondering if the rivers in this region had been used for transportation. This morning we crossed a canal—but maybe it was more for irrigation?

We rode through beautiful countryside in Navarre

We reached San Martin de Unx at about 10 km.

San Martin de Unx is part of the Ruta del Vina de Navarra

Opposite the mural was this windo display of wooden models. Were they meant to be played with?

Window in Iglesia de Santa Maria la Real, Sangüesa

In Iglesia de Santa Maria la Real, Sangüesa

Finally, we were on the final climb into Sos del Rey Católico, which I’ll call Sos. Actually, Al was probably waiting at the top by the time I started the climb.

After the usual check-in, showers, and washing our kit, we walked into the old city. We had already decided that today we would just get beers and a snack and dinner later. The hotel receptionist had given us a map and marked four restaurants that would be open tonight as, despite the signage, our hotel only offered breakfast.

We were surprised to see only a handful of other tourists wandering the narrow streets. It was after 4, so we thought the town would be waking up. Maybe we were too early?

In Sos. We were thinking that the afternoon might cool rapidly in this hilltop town, so were prepared with warm layers. We never needed them.

The entrance to the (closed) Iglesia de San Esteban in Sos.

I liked these chimney tops. They were everywhere.

In Sos. Two of the shops here were open.

We sat on the terrace of the Parador and absorbed its ambiance for the price of a couple of draft beers. At first, we were the only people there, but the tables slowly started filling. Then, walking back, it seemed the town was waking up. A few (very few) shops were open; I saw some hotel doors open, and there were even some children in the playground, supervised by parents.

It still seemed to me that there weren’t many dining options, considering the number of hotels in the town. I expect some of the hotels also had restaurants, but those restaurants might not be open. After all, the one at our hotel wasn’t and the receptionist had only noted 4 (of the 10 on the tourist map) that would be open this evening. One of those was Michelin-recommended and looked nice, but much more expensive than we usually go for. So I made a reservation at one that was considered “second-best”.

When we returned at the designated time, we were treated really well by the couple that ran the place (presumably—they had no English and our Spanish is very limited). The food was hearty peasant fare, traditional Aragonese dishes. We ate everything presented and that didn’t go unnoticed. Everyone was happy.

I started with Migas del Pastor, which translates as “shepherd's crumbs”. It’s a traditional dish of Navarre I’d never heard of…

Followed by revueltos with mushrooms. Al had chicken, one of the best chicken dishes he’s ever tasted, he said. I got a couple of the crisps, dipped in the rosemary sauce. We gobbled our desserts before remembering to take a photo.

Flower of the day—these blue ones were all along the other side of the road. Red interlopers again too!

Today's ride: 53 km (33 miles)
Total: 242 km (150 miles)

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Carolyn van HoeveHi Jacquie, excited to come across your journal. We too are planning a trip across the Pyrenees in September, pretty much picking up the trail of Lyle/Kirsten & TA. You have many of the same stops on your itinerary so can't wait to follow along. Looks like a fantastic trip.
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6 months ago

Jacquie GaudetTo Carolyn van HoeveI think we all copy from TA to some extent.
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6 months ago

Keith AdamsTo Jacquie GaudetBetween them and RacPat it's hard not to. They've been *everywhere*, more than once. :)
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6 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Keith AdamsNice to put us in the same sentence as Racpat, but we’re nowhere near in their league. Legends in their own time, those two are!
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6 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Carolyn van HoeveYou’re going to the Pyrenees! Anxious to hear more.
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6 months ago