Olite in the afternoon
The apartment, where room I rented in Pamplona, was on the corner of a street named Calle Olite. It turns out that there is a town of the same name about on hour south of Pamplona. I had a day to kill before the San Fermin, so jumped on a bus to see what was there.

The first thing I noticed, after getting off the bus, was the color of the stone. It's quite different from Pamplona. The sky was a clear blue and the sun hot, as I began strolling down the narrow roads of the old town. It was siesta with nobody around and that made the color of the stonework even more noticeable.
Small shops and homes filled the streets. After about 10 minutes I saw my first person emerge from a doorway. It was beginning to feel a bit strange, walking the empty streets.






Palace of the Kings of Navarre of Olite
For nearly 800 years the palace (castle) has been in Olite. Over the centuries there have been changes, additions and the occasional war. The whole thing is, in a way, a bit ad hoc. This makes it even more interesting.
Full season had not seemed to begin yet, so only a small portion was open. There were hardly any visitors. I suppose this really takes off after the San Fermin Festival. The tourism office does have a pamphlet in English which gives you a guide and brief history of the palace.


Olite is worth a day out to visit while you're in Navarra. Just remember, unlike many other towns, the return bus stop is a good walk away from the one where you arrived.

The first thing I noticed, after getting off the bus, was the color of the stone. It's quite different from Pamplona. The sky was a clear blue and the sun hot, as I began strolling down the narrow roads of the old town. It was siesta with nobody around and that made the color of the stonework even more noticeable.
Small shops and homes filled the streets. After about 10 minutes I saw my first person emerge from a doorway. It was beginning to feel a bit strange, walking the empty streets.

A short stroll after getting off the bus, had me standing at the traffic circle. The portal into the old town could be seen and I headed in.


Here I looked up and declared, almost audibly
.... they have a castle!
.... they have a castle!


Oh, do they ever have a castle.

Palace of the Kings of Navarre of Olite
For nearly 800 years the palace (castle) has been in Olite. Over the centuries there have been changes, additions and the occasional war. The whole thing is, in a way, a bit ad hoc. This makes it even more interesting.
Full season had not seemed to begin yet, so only a small portion was open. There were hardly any visitors. I suppose this really takes off after the San Fermin Festival. The tourism office does have a pamphlet in English which gives you a guide and brief history of the palace.

Here I stopped for lunch, accompanied by around 50 flies. They won, so I moved.

The stop to catch a bus back to Pamplona is some distance from where I arrived. I had to ask (so will you) and cannot tell you the name of the street, because I don't know what it is.
Olite is worth a day out to visit while you're in Navarra. Just remember, unlike many other towns, the return bus stop is a good walk away from the one where you arrived.
Jul 24, 2016
More posts from: The Basque Country
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Sue Love those narrow streets. wonderful image that makes me want to walk right into it. |