23/05/07
El Burgo de Ebro to Monzalbarba
The walk into the village was a bit more than 2km, probably nearer 4km. Arriving hungry and longing for a coffee I could see no café so asked and was given the direction of the Centro Social. This, for those that don't understand Spanish, is the place the senior citizens use. They are cheap, very good and normally don't object to someone off the street coming into their café. I came into the entrance and looked about. I turned to my right and could see tables and chairs through a glass door on the same wall as I had entered by. My big green cape was hanging on my rucksack so it could be pulled round if the weather changed. So, like batman I pushed through the door. To my left was the bar, I leant my staffs against the wall and set about getting off the rucksack, so that I could put it on a chair at a table. This all takes a while and the few customers looked on, eyes wide. I unthreaded the belt through my waistcoat and at last I was free. Checking the bag was not going to fall over, I went up to the bar. There was a door into the kitchen at the far end and I could hear somebody in there. I waited a while then I called out. A lady came in wiping her hands on a towel. I ordered a large flat white and sat on a barstool and drank it. I then asked if I could get anything to eat. 'Of course' she said and ran off a list of bocadillos. I chose tuna and asked if she would mind if I used the washrooms to clean up first. She assured me there was no problem and that they were in the hall. Everything was spotless, a big mirror on the wall told me it was about time I shaved and made myself respectable again! When I went back, my bocadillo was ready - a very big crusty loaf loaded with goodies! I ordered a 'tinto de verano' and retired to the table by my rucksack. Everyone was friendly and I chatted and asked the bar lady if she would stamp my guidebook. This she did and as it wanted dating I asked if I could buy a pen as I had lost mine. She found a nice small one that advertised the café and insisted I take it, so I had a nice souvenir too. I felt she had brightened my day and went and retrieved a koala from my bag.
"I carried this little bear all the way from Australia just for you," I quipped as she took it from me, smiling and showed it around.
"My little grand daughter will love him she replied."
As I left Burgo it was raining a little. Another 8km brought me to Cartuja Baja where I had a nice bocadillo in a café in the square. They too were friendly and I had a coffee and a clara.
I found my way out of the small town and set off towards Zaragoza. I text Maisie I was going well and heading for Zaragoza.
As with most big Spanish towns this was a rotten walk. Busy streets, poor pavements. Some were flooded so badly I had to risk climbing over the concrete traffic barrier and running the gauntlet with the traffic till the water on the pavement finished, then climb back over the wall onto the path again. I tried not to do this in a couple of places but it was too deep and my feet got wet anyway so I now had to walk in soaking boots! Loose tiles, holes filled with muddy water so you couldn't see how deep they were, more water right across the pavement and in miserable rain!!! After a while I could see I was nearing the old town straight ahead! But now I came too a big cross roads. It had stopped raining. The arrow pointed to the right so I turned and followed the now new wide tile pavement. I had not been able to sit on anything since I left the last town and was tired, but this boulevard had no place to rest, not one single seat in it's entire length!!! This curving path seemed to go on forever. Then when I reached the end things got more confusing, no markers anywhere. I needed to rest and I looked for a café and had to cross the busy road. In the square on the far side I found a small bar. I dumped the rucksack on a chair. There were very few customers, at the counter. When the waiter eventually decided to serve me, I ordered a coffee and having got it, I was asked to move by another man who insisted he wanted to sweep the floor under my barstool! Annoyed I left the bar counter and sat with my bag and finished the drink. I then asked the barman for directions to the albergue. He was no help at all and just said it was too far to walk and I should take the bus and he gave me its number. A little peeved, I left and looked at my guidebook again and decided to take a chance and keep straight on. I came to a big junction and asked directions from a lady, who acted as if I was going to mug her and hurried away. OK! I for one understood that feeling. I tried again, no one wanted to understand what I was saying. Crossing over I tried again. This time I was given directions get to the cathedral. The book said I should pass there anyway.
I found it and opposite in the big square in front, I saw a tourist office so got a town plan. I was also told I should look in the cathedral to see the wondrous pillar of Saint Pilla. I went in and while big and impressive I found I didn't feel comfortable and I could find no nice little candles to light, just some big ones. I walked round and found a place to say my thanks for a safe journey.
The pillar I was looking forward to seeing turned out to be a small brass ring recessed in the wall letting one kiss a pillar behind it! It could be a bit of stone the size of your hand for all you could see. I was unimpressed.
Directions to the albergue from here were still not clear, but I could trace the way out of town with my new map, the odd yellow arrow and my old guidebook. Ok I did not like this town! Anyway after Barcelona I thought I would be better off in a smaller town's albergue.
I set off but there was roadwork and barriers everywhere! I had to ask a workman how I was expected to get down the road in front of me at one point. He sent me across the busy road and down in front of shops with a barricade on the pavement. I went down this corridor for ages and eventually out onto the street. Another km or so keeping straight on I came to a big junction with lots of traffic and no arrows and could not find it on my book directions. I stood on the pavement looking worried and scratching my head. A police car pulled up from the left and I asked them for the camino to Santiago and was told the road works had destroyed the way and arrows!
"You need to cross over and go left, then take a right and go straight on."
I crossed over and as I got to the right turn, the police car came by again waving at me to take this road. I thought that a nice gesture and waved a thank you and went to the right. The buildings now started to get less and I went along a levy bank that was being raised. I was soon in the country and walking near the river again.
The next village I came too was Monzalbarba and I now saw that according to my guidebook it had no Albergue nor had the next two! I was extremely tired, the city walking and the 7.6 out of Zaragoza had sapped much of my strength. I must find somewhere and there had been no hope of putting the tent up. I wanted a good nights sleep anyway.
A bench, in fact a row of benches! There was an old man on the first and I joined him. He said he was not sure but thought there was no Fonda (cheap hostel) or albergue here. I was on the last of my water and drank a little and set off again. I came to what looked like a bar and went in and asked for coffee but was told they were closing! When I explained my problem the four men were very helpful and gave me several small bottles of water, an orange T-shirt with their Peña el Trillo on it and a baseball type of cap. We became friends and I swapped a koala and email addresses and I took a photo promising to send it to them.
(Sadly I now find the email doesn't work),
I left the cap behind with them but thanked them for the shirt as mine were all in need of a wash!
"If you hurry the bar just up the road facing the square might have a room for you. It should be cheap enough."
I found the bar, by the tower with the clock and storks (cigüeña) perched in their nest on the top. The bar was called of course Cigüeña. The bar was full of young people and the young lady behind the bar went off to ask her mum if there was a room. She came back with a key and took me out through the door again and into the next door and up the stairs. Not easy when you're tired and with a big rucksack on your back. The stairs were wet, at the top Mum was washing the staircase. Oops! So that was why it was wet I thought, not last nights rain! At the top a big discussion went on and the young girl ran down again while the mum carried on cleaning. I tried to apologise for walking on her wet floor. She shrugged and I presumed it didn't matter. The girl came back and opened a different door than the one she had tried first and I was shown into a small L shaped room with a skylight only. There was a basin in the room. I could manage here the bed seemed OK. There was a toilet on the landing complete with a shower in the bath. I had a shower and did my washing and strung a line across the room from the basin to a chair. I hung the washing there to dry, it made getting to and from the bed difficult! There was little or no air current to help things dry. I put on my nice new orange T-shirt and went down to try to get some food. The tapas were good but they never seem to fill you up and can be a bit expensive.
Tired I returned to my bedroom. The night was great except when the clock in the tower stuck, the birds would wake and clack their bills and make a fuss then go back to sleep, a thing I found hard to do!
"I carried this little bear all the way from Australia just for you," I quipped as she took it from me, smiling and showed it around.
"My little grand daughter will love him she replied."
As I left Burgo it was raining a little. Another 8km brought me to Cartuja Baja where I had a nice bocadillo in a café in the square. They too were friendly and I had a coffee and a clara.
I found my way out of the small town and set off towards Zaragoza. I text Maisie I was going well and heading for Zaragoza.
As with most big Spanish towns this was a rotten walk. Busy streets, poor pavements. Some were flooded so badly I had to risk climbing over the concrete traffic barrier and running the gauntlet with the traffic till the water on the pavement finished, then climb back over the wall onto the path again. I tried not to do this in a couple of places but it was too deep and my feet got wet anyway so I now had to walk in soaking boots! Loose tiles, holes filled with muddy water so you couldn't see how deep they were, more water right across the pavement and in miserable rain!!! After a while I could see I was nearing the old town straight ahead! But now I came too a big cross roads. It had stopped raining. The arrow pointed to the right so I turned and followed the now new wide tile pavement. I had not been able to sit on anything since I left the last town and was tired, but this boulevard had no place to rest, not one single seat in it's entire length!!! This curving path seemed to go on forever. Then when I reached the end things got more confusing, no markers anywhere. I needed to rest and I looked for a café and had to cross the busy road. In the square on the far side I found a small bar. I dumped the rucksack on a chair. There were very few customers, at the counter. When the waiter eventually decided to serve me, I ordered a coffee and having got it, I was asked to move by another man who insisted he wanted to sweep the floor under my barstool! Annoyed I left the bar counter and sat with my bag and finished the drink. I then asked the barman for directions to the albergue. He was no help at all and just said it was too far to walk and I should take the bus and he gave me its number. A little peeved, I left and looked at my guidebook again and decided to take a chance and keep straight on. I came to a big junction and asked directions from a lady, who acted as if I was going to mug her and hurried away. OK! I for one understood that feeling. I tried again, no one wanted to understand what I was saying. Crossing over I tried again. This time I was given directions get to the cathedral. The book said I should pass there anyway.
I found it and opposite in the big square in front, I saw a tourist office so got a town plan. I was also told I should look in the cathedral to see the wondrous pillar of Saint Pilla. I went in and while big and impressive I found I didn't feel comfortable and I could find no nice little candles to light, just some big ones. I walked round and found a place to say my thanks for a safe journey.
The pillar I was looking forward to seeing turned out to be a small brass ring recessed in the wall letting one kiss a pillar behind it! It could be a bit of stone the size of your hand for all you could see. I was unimpressed.
Directions to the albergue from here were still not clear, but I could trace the way out of town with my new map, the odd yellow arrow and my old guidebook. Ok I did not like this town! Anyway after Barcelona I thought I would be better off in a smaller town's albergue.
I set off but there was roadwork and barriers everywhere! I had to ask a workman how I was expected to get down the road in front of me at one point. He sent me across the busy road and down in front of shops with a barricade on the pavement. I went down this corridor for ages and eventually out onto the street. Another km or so keeping straight on I came to a big junction with lots of traffic and no arrows and could not find it on my book directions. I stood on the pavement looking worried and scratching my head. A police car pulled up from the left and I asked them for the camino to Santiago and was told the road works had destroyed the way and arrows!
"You need to cross over and go left, then take a right and go straight on."
I crossed over and as I got to the right turn, the police car came by again waving at me to take this road. I thought that a nice gesture and waved a thank you and went to the right. The buildings now started to get less and I went along a levy bank that was being raised. I was soon in the country and walking near the river again.
The next village I came too was Monzalbarba and I now saw that according to my guidebook it had no Albergue nor had the next two! I was extremely tired, the city walking and the 7.6 out of Zaragoza had sapped much of my strength. I must find somewhere and there had been no hope of putting the tent up. I wanted a good nights sleep anyway.
A bench, in fact a row of benches! There was an old man on the first and I joined him. He said he was not sure but thought there was no Fonda (cheap hostel) or albergue here. I was on the last of my water and drank a little and set off again. I came to what looked like a bar and went in and asked for coffee but was told they were closing! When I explained my problem the four men were very helpful and gave me several small bottles of water, an orange T-shirt with their Peña el Trillo on it and a baseball type of cap. We became friends and I swapped a koala and email addresses and I took a photo promising to send it to them.
(Sadly I now find the email doesn't work),
I left the cap behind with them but thanked them for the shirt as mine were all in need of a wash!"If you hurry the bar just up the road facing the square might have a room for you. It should be cheap enough."
I found the bar, by the tower with the clock and storks (cigüeña) perched in their nest on the top. The bar was called of course Cigüeña. The bar was full of young people and the young lady behind the bar went off to ask her mum if there was a room. She came back with a key and took me out through the door again and into the next door and up the stairs. Not easy when you're tired and with a big rucksack on your back. The stairs were wet, at the top Mum was washing the staircase. Oops! So that was why it was wet I thought, not last nights rain! At the top a big discussion went on and the young girl ran down again while the mum carried on cleaning. I tried to apologise for walking on her wet floor. She shrugged and I presumed it didn't matter. The girl came back and opened a different door than the one she had tried first and I was shown into a small L shaped room with a skylight only. There was a basin in the room. I could manage here the bed seemed OK. There was a toilet on the landing complete with a shower in the bath. I had a shower and did my washing and strung a line across the room from the basin to a chair. I hung the washing there to dry, it made getting to and from the bed difficult! There was little or no air current to help things dry. I put on my nice new orange T-shirt and went down to try to get some food. The tapas were good but they never seem to fill you up and can be a bit expensive.
Tired I returned to my bedroom. The night was great except when the clock in the tower stuck, the birds would wake and clack their bills and make a fuss then go back to sleep, a thing I found hard to do!
END DAY 8 = 20.2 Kms Total = 185.8 kms according to book [Monzalbarba is 7.6km beyond Zaragoza]
