DAY 16 SATURDAY, 10TH OF NOVEMBER. ELIZONDO TO ZARAGOZA

DAY 16 SATURDAY, 10^TH OF NOVEMBER. ELIZONDO TO ZARAGOZA

Shutters closed, bed stripped, towels and other laundry collected into a bundle. Car loaded in order to be “on the road again” as Willie Nelson would sing. The alarm set and keys given to the next-door neighbor. We are off again!! 1030 sharp. We drove through the center of the village and out onto the bypass. We negotiated around Pamplona successfully, Carmen Garmin doing a good job, her mental issues would surface later!
 In 2.5 hours we were nearly into Zaragoza not having found a truck stop to break up the trip. We made this trip many times when I was pregnant with Alison. Zaragoza was where we went for the pre-natal checks as it is so much closer than Madrid. We had several places we could stop but things have changed a lot. We opted for “the road less travelled” so to speak  instead of using the toll roads we wanted to drive down memory lane and take the older roads. May have been a slight error in judgement! There was one place at the meeting of many roads that was a regular stop for us. In fact, we stopped there on the way home with Alison, after one of her well baby visits and left her little silver spoon there! Gone, empty, almost derelict!

By the time we reach Zaragoza, we are both starving and thirsty let alone needing to stretch our legs. Carmen found the hotel OK for a change. Not having found any place in town to stop, park the car and refresh we went around the loop and back into the hotel entrance only to find out that their elevator to the garage level is damaged, meaning Off load, check in and put the car into Public parking some 5 blocks away. Luckily after parking we found a bar for refreshment on our return walk to the hotel. 

The NH hotel was ok, we had ignored Guillermo’s advice and the hotel is the older model, very small rooms and distant parking however the staff is very pleasant and helpful. We will rest awhile and then call Bob Allebach to see if we can meet up. Paul was stationed with him up at Gorramendi and it has been 46 years since we have seen him. We are looking forward to the visit.

We finally had a drink with Bob in the hotel bar. So good to catch up, and renew our friendship. He has a prior engagement later so we will link up again tomorrow.  A bus load of tourists has checked in to the hotel and made their way back to the dining room. Breakfast is going to be crazy…perhaps not, they will probably leave early!

After Bob left, we went out looking for sustenance, again, it was still quite busy on the streets. We had a pintxo/tapa at a local bar and then explored further and found a delightful bar/restaurant in the old part of town. 

Rick, Paul’s brother is flying in for a conference in Madrid and has decided to come early and see us here too!  Texts have been flying back and forth as we check on his train trip up from Madrid! We will see him in the morning as he is at a different hotel, the other NH! He is probably exhausted after a long day of plane and train travel. It is going to be a busy couple of days. Good job we had a nice rest in Elizondo.