It took four days to find a room in Pamplona for the next three months. Oddly enough it is in the same set of apartments where I have usually stayed but on the next floor. My friends place was full, but Mike's mother contacted some folk on my behalf. One nice aspect is my room is on the interior, so the noise from the San Fermin will not keep me awake at nights. Once that was settled, I needed something to do before moving in a week later.

The pueblo of Legarda lays sort of south-west of Pamplona on the same bus route as Estella, so there are plenty of bus runs throughout the day—giving me lots of time to wander around the little towns.

Legarda

With a forecast of the temperature in the high 90's, I boarded the intercity bus to Legarda expectantly,. After all, this is just a dot on the map to me and using Google Maps street view spoils things. The bus schedule meant three hours in the town and I was In no rush.

This place is small (like less than 120 population) without any level streets that I could see. Very quiet, almost silent, until this plume of smoke rose into the sky on the other side of some hills several miles away, sirens and a circling helicopter could be heard for well over an hour.


The surrounding countryside is very hilly and there are wheat fields in abundance. It's also a dormitory town. Folk live here and work in Pamplona. A small sawmill is present, as is the town cesspit (you can tell by the smell). Both of these are outside the residential area on the way down a real gravel country road, on which is a model airplane club flying field. A guy was there with about a 7 foot wingspan radio controlled glider. I walked further down the road because it reminded me of the one my grandparents lived on, all those years ago, in Northeast Indiana.



What Legarda does not have is a food store or any thing to drink, including water. Finally it was time to go for the return bus.

Then the unplanned hit

The last thing I wanted was an adventure to spoil the place for me. I went to the bus stop early, mainly for some reflection about the town. Well, over two hours later, no bus. I had already been wandering around in the hot sun and by now was quite sunburnt. My water was almost gone but a lady in one of the houses filled my bottle for me.


Finally I gave up and decided to hitch hike to Puenta la Reina, 5 kilometers away. A young woman gave me a ride and dropped me off at a bus stop where I could grab the bus to Pamplona. Next to it was a bar and the ice cold beer went down nicely, thank you very much. A short way down the street was a supermarket, so a bit of food was bought, followed by another ice cold in Puenta. I finally boarded a bus to Pamplona just before 6pm, nearly 4 hours after previously planned.

Legarda itself was fine, the bus schedule given was not! It was the wrong one. The bus from Pamplona was going to Lagrono (a pilgrim infested burg on the Camino de Santiago), not Estella as the paperwork said. They are two different places with equally different schedules.

This was not the fault of the woman at the information window in Pamplona's bus station. She was given the wrong town's schedule by La Estellesa bus company's computer! So La Estellesa, get your act together.

More posts from: The Basque Country
An afternoon in Tudela A Basque farewell San Fermin 2022 A bit too long in Legarda Back on the road The last page is missing Pamplona without the leaves A festival and change of plans 3 hours in Artajona Durango Buses and a concrete artist Seven and then Faces of the San Fermin Walking Pamplona's City Walls 5 Tips for Surviving the San Fermin The Walls of Pamplona Bolivian Festival of the Virgin Urkupina Cold beer, silence and a water snake Olite in the afternoon Oronoz-Mugaire to Legasa by foot Narrow streets and ancient churches Two hours in Beasain San Martin in the mountains Sunday afternoon stroll San Fermin 2015 - Part II San Fermin 2015 - Part I The artist and the shopkeeper Pamplona's Old Town Festival Back to Basque A short stay in Pamplona