The Way

When the Romans arrived in the area now known as Navarra, they found it inhabited by the Vascones, an indigenous people who were most likely descended from the Paleolithic and Neolithic peoples who were already present before the westward spread of the Indo-Europeans (Celts, Italics, Germanics) 4500 years ago.

The Basque language is unrelated to any other language family. The Basque people are proud and fiercely independent, having resisted the Romans, Visigoths, and the Muslims. Castile was finally able to control part of the Navarre kingdom with the huge army funded by the riches from the new world.

The Hotel Akeretta dates back to the 14th century belonging to a minor nobility family. In the 16th century, it was converted to a defensive or fortified torre or tower-house. Along with other torres, it was burned during the Castilian invasion. Later, they were allowed to be rebuilt as granaries.

I stayed at the Hotel Akerreta the first time I walked the Camino Frances. Joseph, the owner, is a good chef and I will be trying his cod stew tonight. Post Script: the stew was delicious. And another interesting tidbit: I am staying in Room 14, where Martin Sheen stayed during the filming of The Way. The room number on the door has long since been “souvenired” so my door is the only one without a number.

Today was an easier day than yesterday but with a lot of more gentle rises and drops. When we lived in Caracas, I would climb the Avila to the Pico Occidental, which I recall was about 3000’ feet elevation above the Altamira trail head. I would then get an adrenaline rush by running down the hill, jumping from a rock (“hope it’s not loose!”) to a fallen tree branch (“hope it’s not rotten!”) to the leafy trail (“hope there’s not a rut under there!”), making snap decisions without time for an alternate step. I also skied hard in my younger days and ended up with two ACL reconstructions in my older days. I guess those are the excuses I am using to tell you that my legs and feet and knees are sore today after a 15 mile hike. But I loved every minute of it!