We also got up and got ready. The travellers on the road can sleep only one night in an albergue as the place has to be made ready for the new arrivals. Every one must leave before eight 0'clock in the morning and new arrivals are not allowed to come until 2 or 3 0'clock in the afternoon. This is to ensure that the people on the road have indeed come by foot or bicycle and if some one turns up at eight or nine in the morning, it means that he has travelled by bus or motor cycle and can not be admitted as a legitimate pilgrim. Also the hospitalarios need time to clean up the place after the visitors have left.
The morning was sunny and bright, we left after having a cup of coffee and after walking about 500 metres through the village streets, we reached the village centre and entered La Conrada, the popular restauran. We saw that many of our fellow travellers were also sitting in the restaurant and enjoying their breakfast. The place was cheerful and every body seemed to be talking at the same time.
We sat down at a free table and ordered our breakfast of toasted bread, olive oil and fresh tomatoes, fresh cheese and two large cups of cafe con leche(coffee with milk). After enjoying our breakfast, we picked up our backpacks and continued our journey north. Our road map showed that the next stop of the day was a small village called Mañeru, situated at an altitude of 451 metres above sea level, about 16 kms. from Uterga which we had just left behind and about 30 kms from Pamplona, with a population of less than 400 inhabitants. It is situated on the Camino and the rivers Arga and Salado, run through its boundaries.
The Villa Mañeru and Puente de Reina became the cross roads for pilgrims coming from Roncesvalles and Somport (Camino Frances), which merge with the routes from Aragon and Navarre. As the legend say "all roads lead to Rome", similar legend also says "From here all the routes to Compostela will be one".
There were three restaurants in the village and we chose one which had a charcoal grill Asador and ample sitting places. It was nice and cool. My wife had a plate of alcachofas and a plate of lettuce hearts with anchovies and sprinkled withfresh garlic, country bread with extra virgin olive oil and grilled tomatoes. I had lamb al chilindrón and we shared a plate of asperagus with mayonnaise. And we had a bottle of Inurrieta Norte,a red wine, light in colour and fresh,fruity and aromatic taste.
It was Romans who first introduced the grape in Navarra region in the 2nd century BC and started wineries (bodegas) there. In the Middle Ages, when Navarra was an independent kingdom and had close relations with France, and being the pilgrims route on the Camino de Santiago, the culturaVini flourished, and even in the guide books of 12th centuray, wine from Navarra was recommended to the pilgrims.
We had a pleasant day in Mañeru and in the evening we sat and watched TV, then to bed. We decided to start late the next morning and continue our journey. Our next stop was Estela-Lizarra,