Ride Day 2 - Polientes to Zamanzas

I followed the Ebro river for miles but at a certain point the valley walls closed in and got steeper and we had to go our separate ways – the Ebro to continue its peaceful winding path to Rioja and me to ride over another mountain. 

And in no time, I was at the top of the canyon looking down on the river in the distance.

But before that happened, I stopped for a while in this little town at the far end of the valley, called Orbaneja del Castillo, which has a mountain stream running through the middle of it. In medieval times this village was majority Jewish but then, you know, Spain.

In the village, this white van was driving behind me honking his horn. I kept thinking I was doing something wrong but eventually realized that he was the food truck (literally) and was just letting everyone know that he was there. People lined up to buy bread and groceries. If you live in Orbaneja de Castillo and don’t have a car (even if you do have a car) buying groceries would not be easy.

As I’m sure you know, every Spanish village has a church. When another town I rode through was
settled, the people said, “We know we need a church but we’re not high up on the list for a Papal visit, so how about we just put a door over a hole in the rocks, call it a church and call it a day.”

Another day, another medieval bridge. I had such a good time doing nothing sitting by the river the other day that I decided to try it again. This time around 40 or 50 miles from the beginning of the Ebro. It’s more like a real river here but it’s clear why they don’t call it the “mighty” Ebro.

And then a pleasant surprise – staying a night at a refurbished 14th century mill run by a charming couple who are fantastic cooks. I got to sit by the river, play with their dog and read a book.