We had plans today to drive to nearby Navarre, the last of the Spain Autonomous Communities on my 'to visit list' but shortly after getting up Kim reported that whilst making the bed she had felt a spasm in her back and she was in pain. Within half an hour or so she was unable to walk any distance, sit comfortably or even lie down without extreme discomfort. This was bad.
I walked to the pharmacy down the road and purchased some deep heat ointment but it had no immediate effect and it soon became clear that we might be marooned for the day in a village that was much like a cemetery for those left living.
After an hour or so I walked to the pharmacy down the road again (they were surprised to see me so soon) and asked if they had anything stronger and purchased more ointment which also failed to work.
I checked the car tyre pressures and phoned the car hire company to get approval to go to a tyre place somewhere. They said no because they only use approved suppliers and if I went somewhere else then I would have to pay for it myself. I asked what would happen if the tyre completely deflated and they said that they would send a breakdown truck and if it couldn't be repaired (no spare in the boot of course) that they would tow it away and I would have to get back to Bilbao by train or bus and they would reimburse me the costs. What great customer service. I explained that I was in a small town in Basque Country and how was I supposed to get a train but they had no advice on this matter and it didn't seem to bother them unduly.
I put some more air in the tyres. All of them and then went for a slow stroll into the village.
I formed the impression that Labastida was a town on the precipice, about to tip over in an avalanche of change that will achieve an instant transformation and erase a hundred years or so of history in the blink of an eye. It is rather like one of those penny drop machines in a games arcade, one shove and it will all tip over. One day it will all be gone. It is a shame but it will be ultimately it will be impossible to cling on to the crumbling rotting wreckage of an old town like this and everyone despite their objections will eventually be obliged to move to the nearby featureless modern new town instead.
Old people will weep, young folk will smile. Old people will lament, young folk will rejoice. Property developers will move in behind them and there will soon be a new old town of modern swanky apartments and boutique hotels.
To my surprise the church was open but only because some local men appeared to be making some preparations for a festival. It wasn't an especially interesting church I have to say but it passed twenty minutes or so.
It is one of those Spanish villages where I suspect nothing much happens for fifty-one weeks of the year and then has a festival (for a Saint most likely) and everyone goes bat-shit crazy, jumping over babies, throwing goats from bell towers and bull running through the streets.
The village shop was closed again so I went to a bar and had a beer and a disappointing pintxo which had probably been there since yesterday and watched as some men came and went in a daily ritual of wandering around, stopping off for a chat and a glass of wine and then wandering around a bit more, stopping off for more chat and another glass of wine. Rinse and repeat.
Back at the apartment there was no improvement and Kim was still struggling with pain so I made a third visit to the pharmacy and persuaded the chemist to sell me some prescription pain killers. I think he took pity on me or maybe it was because I was his best customer of the day, maybe the week. Who knows.
So, it was a long afternoon, I drove to Lidl in Haro and purchased supplies for evening meal and when I got back checked the tyre pressures again just for something to do and then went for another village walk just in case I might have missed something earlier. As it turned out I hadn't but with weather improving all the time there were some good views over the adjacent countryside.
And then on the way back I chanced upon a second village shop that I had previously missed, it was one of those old fashioned places that hasn't yet been replaced by a modern convenience store. It had gaily coloured plastic strips across the doorway to stop the flies getting in and inside the tiny one room was an eclectic jumble of random grocery items that you would really need to be a local to have any idea what you were looking for.
After evening meal we went to bed early and hoped for improvement the following day.
The next day Kim declared herself fit for a short drive so we took the journey to nearby San Vicente de la Sonsierra through acres of vine groves as far as the eye could see and all twisting away into the distance like Chubby Checker. The small town with the grand name was no more lively than Labastida but it had an abandoned fortress and church high above the town and we took the trek passing abandoned cave houses on the way so that we could see the expansive views and dramatic leaden skies.
It also had a bar and a terrace in the sun so we selected a table and had a light lunch. It was a pleasant little town and we enjoyed it. The sun was finally shining and the sky was blue (ish).
Nearby was a bodega and wine museum but it was very expensive so we declined to pay the entrance fee or purchase the wine on offer and chose instead to stop off at Lidl on the way back. Lidl is my bodega of choice and in Lidl or elsewhere I generally like to choose bottles with black labels because I think they look more classy and are likely to taste better. That is the best way to select wine purchases in my opinion.
Later on account of anywhere being open for food we dined in the apartment again.
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