June 30 Ida y vuelta (round trip) de Larraga

"More of the same," said John about today's stretch from Larraga to Olite, only shorter.  At 17.5 miles as opposed to 25, that is true.  But 17.5 is still a lot of miles; even a 5:30 a.m. departure would not allow one to beat the noontime heat, and that worried me.  So with a rare and display of flexibility, I designed my own walk for today and later went with Rojita nd Mochilita to Olite en taxi.  (I did walk 13 miles but that is a good hour and a half less than 17).  

First of all, John, this section is definitely more interesting than yesterday's, at least the first couple of hours of it. For one thing, the local farmers have introduced irrigation:

And devices that look like a cross between an airplane an a grasshopper.  Whether these machines fertilise or kill weeds or spray pesticides, I do not know, but they do something:

which allow the growing of—inter alia—little trees that will, one day, become big trees, God willing:

The hay industry, however, is not forgotten:

Always a happy sight:

About a mile or a mile an a half past Larraga is the one town on the route.  Lots of birds have made their homes there:

Walking back towards Larraga, you can see the town nestled on the hill.  Notice the church.  (How could you not?)

The church steeple  up close:

Got to Olite around noon, but check in time was not until 2:00, not a minute before.  Now Olite is a really cute walled town with two main squares, a few semi-artsy shops, lots of bars and cafes but not being a bar or cafe person, I just sort of wandered in the heat.  I saw a very elderly woman with a loaf of bread under her arm.  Although she did not speak Spanish, I did understand her French, fortunately, and learned that there was a boulangerie open, and, Mon Dieu, this is Sunday!!  It took lots of searching, but at last I did find the bakery and then a small grocery store that was open until 1:00.  This is most unusual in a small town in Spain. 

Finally 2:00 rolled around. After much ado, I got checked into the hotel, which, though not ornate or even done up, is really comfortable.  This is the view from my window:

You know what 105 degree heat is good for?  Drying your laundry.