Hello fellow travelers!
We have come to Baztán Valley, in Navarra.
You know this area has become very famous because of Dolores Redondo's books, of which I'm a total fan.
A lot of legends, a lot of History, charming villages and gastronomy and local products!
Don't forget Nature. We are at the Navarre Pyrenees and it's really beautiful, you will enjoy!
We wanted to start the video at the Entrance Arch of Amaiur, also called Maya.
It was the last bastion of the Navarra Kingdom defenders.
BTW, they say this arch protected its citizens from the plague.
You will see a lot of coats of arms over the front doors. All of them have that chest.
It was awarded to Baztan's knights in appreciation for their involvement in the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa,
because they set their life into play.
Aguzkilores are a kind of sunflower that are located on the doors of the houses.
They protect the house from bad spirits who come to eat both cattle and shepherds.
If you have time you can visit Urdax Monastery.
It was built by Augustinian monks as a shelter for pilgrims.
We are at the main cave of Zugarramurdi caves. It is 100 meters long and 30 meters high.
In the 17th century, some groups of people would come here to practice witchcraft.
It came to the Catholic Inquisition's notice and they started a trial.
12 citizens of Zugarramurdi were killed in the fire.
It was the most important trial of the Inquisition.
Not only did people die in the fire but also others were tortured and died in jails.
Lamias (mythological beings) lived in the rivers and springs, kind of forest Sirens.
Their upper part was like a woman and their lower part like a duck or even a trout.
They say that one of the things they liked the most was to stay on rocks like this
and to brush their long hair with a golden comb.
It's worth it to climb to Akelarre's cave. The views from there to the main cave are awesome.
Well, our friends, we finally got to Etxebertzeko Borda, a beautiful restaurant that is in the middle of a valley.
Be careful with the road, you have to be patient and to pray that nobody comes towards you…
We didn't come alone on this trip. We came with some good traveler friends.
I'd like to introduce you to Mary and Pirri.
And another friend who also is going to take part in this video, Rocko…
They ordered fillet mignon, chicken… I ordered a typical Navarre T-bone steak.
I perfectly could have been born here!
Cuajada (junket) is a very typical dish from this area. They cook it over a wood fire. It's delicious!
Friends, we have to burn the steak, so we are going to go for a walk.
We are going to visit a water mill that is close to the restaurant.
It's called The Hell's Mill!
It's a magical environment. It's easy to imagine Basajaun.
He is the main lead of Dolores Redondo's first book, "El Guardian Invisible" (The Invisible Guardian).
He is the Forests Guardian.
Now we are in Elizondo, specifically where Dolores Redondo novels take place.
Behind us is Mantequerías Salazar (Salazar's grocers).
As soon as I saw the banner, shivers ran down my spine… but I don't want to spoil the book for you…
You have to know that it's not a real grocery, it's a private house.
They keep the banner from the day they filmed the movie here.
This is a real cake shop, the most famous in Elizondo, Malkorra.
They are proud to have one of the best chocolate with almonds in the world.
We will also see its famous txantxigorris,
the sweet that the killer in the novel "El Guardian Invisible" let close to the corpses…
Why is your chocolate so famous?
Because of the quality of our products. It's craft made, without preservatives…
How about your txantxigorris? What are they made of?
Its core product is pork rind.
We soften it with cinnamon, sugar, spelt flour, with no preservatives and 100% craft made.
In the past, this product just was made at home, we didn't sell it.
But, since Dolores Redondo's books became bestsellers, everybody was looking for txantxigorris
and we decided to sell them!
This is Baztán river. It's a bucolic view…
it's hard to imagine that here, on this bridge, is the place were the first corpse is found.
New stop, Aunt Engrasi's house.
Aunt Engrasi won't be here to read us tarot. It's a rural hotel.
Aunt Engrasi? She's not at home…
We are going to stop the walk along Elizondo and stop talking because our friends are thirsty…
they want to have a beer or a cider…
We got to Larraldea ciderhouse.
We will give you more information about how to get here in the description box of this video.
This is a very special ciderhouse: its production is 100% natural.
The apple orchard is there.
I don't like to pour insecticide on our apples, knowing that later you are going to drink them…
What's the difference between the Asturian cider and the Basque cider?
We drink cider when eating. They drink it as bar crawl. So theirs is softer and lighter.
Do you have the same "cider habits" as Asturian people?
I mean, share the same glass, throw the last sip on the floor…
Yes, we throw the last sip but we don't share the glass.
Basque-Navarre ciderhouses have some long tables.
People have to get up, go to the barrels, wait for your turn, so you talk with the rest of the people…
it's a very social activity.
How much is it? How do you know how many glasses they drank?
The cost is 4 euros per person.
4 euros? And you can drink whatever you want???
Yes, indeed. Of course, try not to die drinking…
Ciderhouses don't have a large menu.
The typical dishes are: chorizo with cider, bacon and now,
we are eating an omelette with cod, with organic eggs!
We are in the hotel Señorío de Ursúa, in one of its loft rooms. We love big rooms! Views are great!
In the village of Bozate there was an important population of "hagotes".
They worked as stone and wood craftsmen.
They had been discriminated against since the Medieval Age.
They said they could be Goth deserters, some people say they were Cathars who escaped from France.
This last theory makes some sense because Hagotes had white skin and blue eyes.
In 1715 they kicked them out of this area and they sent them to a new neighborhood close to Madrid,
called "Nuevo Baztán".
Nevertheless, they say some of them are still living here.
Now we are in Erratxu.
There are a lot of palaces and noble houses.
They were built by people from Baztán who made good money in America and went back to their land.
From Erratxu starts one of the most famous paths in Navarra, which goes to Xorroxin.
Xorroxin is a beautiful waterfall.
The path is very easy if you are coming with children. It will take you 2 hours at the most.
A piece of advice: walk slowly and take good shoes for mud.
It's worth it to get as close as you can to Xorroxin. It's fantastic!
We went back to Erretxu and, from here, to our house.
It's a shame we couldn't stay longer.
You know that we are looking for more ambassadors. If you want to show us your village,
send us a mail to viajandoanuestroaire@gmail.com telling us why your village is interesting.
We commit to go in less than a year, ok?
You can find us on all the social media platforms.
We will give a lot of information both in the description box and our web, www.viajandoanuestroaire.com
We daily post nice stuff: pictures, videos, comments, tips, anecdotes…
See you on our next trip! Bye!
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