Day 77 – to Jaca

Jaca is a popular destination for outdoor sport, and has that atmosphere to it, though not perhaps the social scene that would be expected. To the north, are the wooded slopes of the Pyrenees, and above them the craggy peaks, dusted with new snow. Skiing is not far away, so hotels here cater for that, but hiking and mountain biking are year round activities that attract the visitors. With today being Saturday, the campervan car parking area was full, but there was a good vibe to it, as people arrived back just before dark to stand around their vans with a beer before it got too cold. Next to me was a guy with a green T5 that he had converted and painted himself, he was biking with a few friends in their vans around the parking, and was singing the praises of the area he was from, Galicia, where I have not yet visited.

Im still recovering from the injuries from falling 3 weeks ago now, but took on the longest hike since then, up the nearby hill, Rapitán. There were lots of people out on road bikes, and walking with dogs, on the first part of the trails I took, but then, as the path became single track and started to climb, I was alone. The path goes to the back of the hill, so for an hour at least, you would not know the town of Jaca was so close.

The abandoned hotel marks the top of the peak. It is for sale, but such abandoned buildings, to me at least, are a real eyesore, and a problem as well, because who is going to do anything about them? To demolish and re-forest the area would have huge cost.

My plans today were all based around the rugby internationals, 4 in a row starting mid-afternoon. I settled in the van for a start with the England – South Africa game at 4:15 pm, and was thoroughly entertained until 11 pm, the end of the France – New Zealand game. And, Chile got a narrow win in Sochi against Russia. If they manage to win again next week they will advance their world ranking from 29th to 21st in just twelve months.