Thursday we went to Pamplona. The famous bull runs had finished a couple of days previously, so things were no,doubt calmer than they had been.
The drive was lovely there into the foothills of the Pyranees. Pamplona itself is very modern on the outskirts. But as you drive in you see the ancient walls. Pamplona is the capital of the province of Navarre,which was a grand kingdom controlling parts of Spain and France in the Middle Ages.
We quite easily (for us) found the central Plaza del Castillo and a convenient parking lot. We were overdue for a cafe leche and we circled the plaza looking for a promising spot. We found a very elegant restaurant, only to discover that it was Ernest Hemingway's favorite as well, Cafe Iruna. We read that there was a bust of Hemingway at his favorite spot at the bar and sure enough we found him just off the main part of the restaurant.
We meandered up the narrow streets seeing lots of souvenirs of the Running of the Bulls and signs of the fact that Pamplona is on The French Way of the El Camino.
There is just something about Pamplona, that we all loved. Now Sue would like me to note that the Basque name for Pamplona is Iruna and not to be confused with Irun, another town near San Sebastian on the coast.
There were charming shops...
And we made a new friend at the olive oil shop.
We liked the cobblestone streets and the brightly painted buildings with their balconies.
We walked up to take a closer look at the city walls, the ramparts, and the cathedral.
Apparently partiers, who have fallen sleep on the wall during the festivities during the Running of the Bulls, have sadly fallen to to their death so if this event is on your itinerary make a hotel reservation!
It seemed to be lunch time so,we found a restaurant that appeared popular. I had to sit so I couldn't look at the hanging legs of ham, but my salad was delicious.
I have mentioned tapas bars and this one below is quite,typical, well actually a bit fancier than many...
The streets were full of all kinds of people.
We were currently tracing the route of The Running of the Bulls.
Hemmingway made the world aware of this event in the book, The Sun Also Rises.
This is where the bulls end up, in the third largest bull ring in the world. There are only bull fights there on the nine nights of the festival.
Here's our friend, Hemmingway, again. He is very popular here.
We kept seeing these interesting trees but I don't know what they are.
I found it interesting to see,these ambulances parked outside of the bullring. I bet this service was very busy a few days ago.
It was time to leave this really interesting town and head back though the lovely countryside.
Location:San Sebastian
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