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DAY 6 TUESDAY 11 MAY 2022 ELIZONDO/BAZTAN VALLEY in Basque Country

Naturally we packed our puffer style coats for the expected chilly weather in the North but shocker the high will be 84 F in the Baztan today!! Not a cloud to be found. We had coffee and toast at the apartment today, before we ventured out. We have to cut back on the eating! Just because it is there does not mean we have to eat it all!

Elbete Church

The Posada is closed on Tuesday just like Monday (dias de Descanso) so we drove the valley looking for a Kodak shot to shoot. Actually we were heading to the Mirador del Baztan where we have been many times before but as it was such a perfect clear day Paul thought he might get another perfect shot to go with the 800 other perfect shots we have! Lol! We ended up at the turnoff for lunch at Mugaire, another favored eating place. Mugaire marks the beginning of the Valle de Baztan, our friend Maite is from there. Im not going to say anything about the food because it is becoming repetitive! Afterwards we drove to the Hostal Bertiz where we had stayed with Ron & Sandy Hand. Back to the apartment for a siesta.

Posada Elbete

In the evening we stopped at the Casino outside for a drink, this area has always been a favorite with several bars around a lovely treed area, with outside tables. Bugs (no see’ems were out in force, and so we headed towards the library to checkout the WIFI. No WiFi, that’s a bummer, used to be our go to place in the past. An old bar has put in covered patio seating next to the main road  almost opposite the old Bar Mendi’s which is where we had supper outside on the patio.

Elizondo Main Street
When we lived in Elizondo, Miguel had opened up a small club upstairs and all the GIs used to gather there with their Spanish friends. In fact, Paul used to bring all the latest LPs to Miguel and we would spend an hour or two with him as he recorded on his 7inch reel to reel. It is where I learned my first Spanish. Javier, son of the new owner explained that he had “opened up the 2nd floor dance club from Mendi’s day with Miguel. (It has been closed down for 30+ years, no less) He offered to show us his handy workmanship.  New glass windows above the awning of Bar Mendi’s from below.  The dance floor and bar seating were reversed, and it was obvious that Javier had done a lot of handyman workmanship to change things around. What a beautiful transformation he has accomplished and we were the first Americans to witness this change. Javier and his mother (who does all the cooking) are doing a great job with the Mendi bar.

It is interesting to see people open up when we explain that Paul was one of the Americans from La Base and that we were and still are great friends with the Gil Mendi/Gil Jaurena family.

Another gentle and relaxing day in our beloved Baztan.

Comments

  1. Cathie BeskowMay 14, 2022 at 6:14 PM

    The Posada is still beautiful!! How exciting about Bar Mendi, now we need to go dancing! :)

    ReplyDelete

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