GR11 - Day 1

The weatherman was correct - it rained and drizzled all day. Luckily we had Roman's GPS, otherwise the day may have been a little longer. It is so easy to make a mistake as there are so many small roads that criss-cross one another all over the place. We didn't have a steady downpour all day, so really, it wasn't so bad. It would have been nice to enjoy the scenery, but such is life in the mountains. Every now and again, the fog and mist would lift and we could see what a beautiful countryside there is around here. I was quite surprised to see that the mountains begin nearly right away. I was expecting the landscape to be grassy, green and hilly. We unfortunately walked on way too many concrete roads. Our guidebook described them as gravelly farm roads, but someone must have voted the right way, and now they have all been repaved. It makes it a lot harder on the feet. We had a few head scratching moments as the red and white marks which indicate the GR11 were not always set out according to the guide book. The maps that Peter downloaded from Wikiloc matched our guidebook, so in those instances, we ignored the marks. We read so many horror stories about the trail in Navarra, how certain locals purposely change the signs so that hikers stay off certain trails, and how so many people get lost and walk hours and hours for nothing. The GPS, or the chefe, as our friend Longinus likes to call it, solves all the problems. What a marvelous little machine. We set off at 7:30 a.m. and reached destination at 2:30 p.m., without any problems whatsoever. The body, feet and knees are still all intact. We found our Hostal in Vera/Bera de Bidasoa right away. The first thing we did was head for a restaurant so that we could eat almuerzo (lunch). We were afraid that they may no longer serve the menu del día, but we made it in time. The portions are still as huge as what we remembered. The primero would suffice, but you also get secundo and postre (dessert). We were so full that in spite of having walked so much today, we went exploring. What a picturesque little town Bera is. You would nearly think you were in a German-speaking country. The houses are all white stucco. The salient feature is that there are huge blocks of stone around every window and door, as well as on all four corners of the house (from the sidewalk all the way up to the eaves). The colours can vary from brown or beige to grey. The shapes of these blocks are completely random, so it gives the houses a particular look. Many of the houses are timber houses similar to the Black Forest area. They mostly all have wooden balconies loaded with flowers - mainly red geraniums. Of course, the roads and narrow and curved, which adds to the charm. Tomorrow is a big day, 30 km and 1150 m elevation gain. Hopefully it will go as good as today. Hopefully the rain will stop and give us a chance to enjoy the scenery.

¡Hasta la vista!