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Thus it was that we ended up choosing the less strenuous approach of basing ourselves in the town of Isaba, and doing day trips from there. Isaba sits at the top of the famous Roncal valley, up a scenic road following the river Balagua through several other small villages (including Roncal, the valley's namesake), and only a few kilometers from the French Border at Pas d'Arlas. The town clearly has a thriving tourist trade, with a large parking lot and tons of small pensions called casas rurales offering rooms. Since this was neither ski season (there is a ski resort at the French border up the road), nor yet high hiking season, it was mostly us and the locals.

Isaba is a charming and romantic village, with narrow cobblestone streets, Alpine style houses with lots of stone walls, exposed beams and brightly adorned flower boxes. Little bodegas selling wine and staples sit alongside bakeries, butchers and fromageries. Language and cuisine aside, you could drop this village into Alsace or Bavaria and no one would be the wiser. We stayed at one of the casas rurales, called Catalangarde, which was perfectly picturesque, had a balcony overlooking the town, and was otherwise well appointed.