30 - Semi-desert but not deserted (and hardly room for dessert) - Bardenas Reales & Tudela

 Tuesday, 26 December 2023 - Bardenas Reales & Tudela

Only one item on the docket today so I slept in a little.  Located about an hour from Zaragoza, I made to the visitor center of Bardenas Reales around 10:30 and was greeted with a frosty, misty park.  I suppose that shouldn't have been a surprise considering Zaragoza was also deep in a curtain of mist when I left.  So I took some time to get acquainted with the map and the itinerary as well as finish my coffee to buy myself a little time for the mist to burn off.  

A cold, misty parting from Zaragoza, but the sandwich and cup of coffee I snagged on the way out were hot

In the garden of the visitor center at Bardenas Reales

Waiting for the mist to burn off just a bit more

Just finished my coffee and I like the progress the sun has made, time to get on with the show

Online reviews and word of mouth described the Bardenas Reales to me as a semi-desert near the Pyrenees with views kinda similar to the Grand Canyon.  Having now visited the park, I can see where they're coming from but I'd say the best comparison to an American park is the Badlands because that's what Bardenas Reales is.  But definitely lots of interesting landscape to observe and the echos off the cliffs that's surround the sunken basin were really impressive.  

If anyone visits, I recommend sticking to the car loop the visitor center will recommend to you, the loop has three spots with good views while the road that shunts off to the north really doesn't have a whole lot to offer.  It wasn't exactly clear to me what the policy was for hiking off of the main loop; there were signs clearly saying not to climb stuff but it looked like there were trails in some of the flat areas and the only other signs I saw said "refugio" which I assume means refuge.  The All Trails app showed some trails in the area but I lost the trail multiple times without even getting very far so I gave up and retraced my steps back to the road.  The center of the loop is off limits due to a military base there.  

The badlands are a mix of sedimentary and other rocks; as the erosion rates are different you get some interesting formations.

Spotted these birds (with big wingspans) patrolling along the cliffs

And then they flew right over me!

Hmm, they're not vultures are they?  Cause they landed not too far away from me...

A little bit of wetland

Obligatory selfie with the symbol of the Bardenas Reales, el Castildetierra (I think that translates to dirt castle)

The stairs up to this viewpoint had themselves succumbed to the forces of erosion and the middle third of the flight had fallen to the side; but what a great view!  You can even make out the Pyrénées / Pirineos

I could just barely see my shadow at the peak; sadly the dog shape I made with my hand wasn't showing up

I also popped down to the southern part of the park to do a quick hike up a peak there which yielded some great views.  I highly recommend this hike for those comfortable with some slightly difficult terrain; it wasn't too steep but the trail had suffered some erosion and had shifting stones on the slopes.  All the same, I was able to ascend and descend in an hour albeit with a little jogging since I knew the park was closing...

A closer view of one of those birds.  I've still no idea what it is

I thought this would be an easy short walk based on the other posted trails in the visitor guide map; turns out it goes to the mirador atop the mesa, not a mirador of the mesa

Erosion at work, I will say that while this trail did actually show up in All Trails, the state of the trail could either use some work or even clearer markers should be set where the previous trail fell away. 

That's about as close to the edge as I dared go

Teeny tiny window

Orchards just at the foot of the Bardenas Reales.  The whole area is interspersed with farmland; I don't recall that being the case at Badlands National Park.

From the park, I made my way to Tudela, a cute little town nearby that a friend had suggested.  A walk about in the evening didn't discover un Mercado Navidad but it did reveal families out and about with children playing in the streets.  The cathedral appears to be the big ticket item in this town and I was intrigued by the birds I spotted  nesting atop a few towers.  There is a tower atop a hill dating back to the medieval era but I didn't think it all that impressive by night.  

It's a weird detail, but I thought the old town had a lot of really nice, interesting doors.  Maybe it's part of the civil/zoning code?

The medieval tower

This statue of Mary has a counterpart Jesus all the way on the other side of town

So much detail in the entrance to the cathedral

As I approached the end of this alley, I suddenly realized "that cathedral is awfully close, isn't it?"

At first I thought maybe it was just a gargoyle, but I eventually saw the head of this bird shift.

Any idea what it could be?  There were lots of big, twiggy nests along the cathedral roof's edge

If the clothes make the man, then I guess I found my go-to brand

Dinner was at a restaurant called Iruña, the subtitle was along the lines of "possible the best vegetables on earth".  It was very classy but I was the only person in the place.  

Menestra, "A traditional vegetable dish from Tudela".  Super cooked veg but really quite tasty; I think the restaurant really likes to use white asparagus and artichokes as those featured in many pictures around the place.  Maybe they're a popular local crop?

Patorillo, pig trotters and I guess some tripe for good measure.  It smelled a little... piggy but was quite tasty.  All that collagen cooked to gelatin for a very tender meal.

Cuajada con leche, something like a pana cotta made from sheep's milk.  The serving dish reminded me of the sheep's milk pail I saw at the Basque museum in Bayonne (the kaiku) 

The walk back to the hotel was quite chilly, but despite the cold I can comfortably say that I enjoyed my evening in Tudelo.  It's a charming little town, I'm sure there's some history involved but like all other town's I've stayed at, there's only so much one can do in just an evening in town.