Michele and Drew's Excellent Spanish Adventure: August 24-26: Pamplona

We took a bus from Barcelona to Pamplona, about 6 hours with one bus change. It sounds horrible, but it wasn’t. The buses are really roomy and comfortable. The bus stations are pretty modern, the one in Pamplona is amazing. The bus station is basically underground, covered by a huge park. We have a lot to learn from these Spaniards in terms of putting a high value on parks and public spaces. We stored our big bags in lockers at the bus station, took small packs with just what we would need for 2 days, picked up a map from the information booth, and headed to the Plaza Castillo, the main square. Plaza Castillo is a large public square lined with restaurants, benches, a band stand and plenty of space for people to gather to meet family and friends…Kids tend to run wild, and everyone seems to be having a great time chatting on park benches and enjoying a gelato. I haven’t seen people get bent out of shape by wandering dogs or kids. There is an underlying current of tolerance here. It might not pertain to all things, but it certainly does to dogs and kids! We happened to be there when the town “character” arrived (our best guess). He wore a homemade version of a suit of armor and announced himself with a booming voice. He was armed with fluffy duct taped swords. He ascended the steps of the bandstand where kids were playing. At first they all ran away screaming, but then they came back; curiosity got the best of them, and one by one he challenged each one to a dual…thwacking swords. Pamplona is on the El Camino, pilgrimage route to Santiago de Campostella that has been followed my “peregrinos” (pilgrims) since medieval times. The most popular route starts in southern France (St. Jean Pied de Port) and takes about 5 weeks to go 780 km. The El Camino route through Pamplona and beyond is marked with the traditional shell motif of St. James. We looked like peregrinos with our small backpacks, and ate the “peregrino” menu del dia for 10 Euros in one of the many restaurant/bars that dot the cobbled, winding, charming streets of the old part of the city. It is really easy to get turned around. I think we managed to find our way out of town to our Air BnB host’s place by 11:15 pm. The next day we had time to walk along the medieval fortress walls, see the path of the famous running of the bulls (made internationally famous by Hemmingway) that happens in July during the festival of Sanfermines (celebrating a 3rd century son of a Roman who adopted Christianity, became a priest and was martyred by either getting his head chopped off or being dragged through the street). Pamplona is a city of well-maintained parks. I’m sure the money made by the onslaught of tens of thousands of tourist’s funds these well-kept public parks year round. Apparently during this festival the city population swells and people sleep wherever they can find an empty space on the ground, or in their cars, as all lodging is booked. We visited the Cathedral of Royal St. Mary (built between the 13-1500’s in gothic style). The thing we found most interesting about this cathedral is how it morphed over time. In 1994 during an excavation they found streets and buildings from 100BC (pre-Christian Roman). But that is Europe for you, layers and layers of history. We took the bus, only one hour from Pamplona to San Sebastian…what a scenery change as we made our way into and over the mountains to the coast. It’s a gorgeous ride. We arrived into the welcoming arms of members of the Galisteo family who insisted upon picking us up at the bus stop and taking us to their home. We hosted their son Ander last year when he went to Cal Poly as a student (see post “sabbatical dos” ...in work). We had been looking for an apartment online using Fotocasa, and other Spanish rental websites including Loquo (their “craigslist” equivalent), but we couldn’t find anything (beware of scams) and the clock was ticking. Thankfully Ander’s family had helped us obtain a temporary rental apartment so we had a place to call home. San Sebastian is a tourist destination of Spaniards, escaping the hot interior regions and the demand for housing at the time we arrived outweighs the supply. Ander was still away in Germany on an internship. When Ander’s sister showed us to our apt we noticed that Anders’s mom, Agur, had labeled things in Spanish- mirror “espejo”, freezer “congelador”, napkins “serviettes” for us. Thoughtful, funny, gregarious, hard working, positive…that’s how I would describe Agur. Drew and I went to see her at her Pension, where she was busy working, to surprise her. Hugs, kisses, a few tears…we couldn’t have had a warmer welcome. After work she gave me my sangria making lessons. After which she labeled our map with all the important things we would need to know-grocery stores, where to get fish, health clinic, bank, etc…We were invited to a delicious dinner that night. The most memorable dish was Gulas del Norte, which is a fish product extruded, and died with squid ink to resemble baby eels. Real eels, called angulas are now extremely pricey $1000 per kilo, and hard to come by, but they used to be a staple of Basque fisherman. Only Gloria, Ander's grandmother remembered tasting the real thing. When asked, she said that she actually preferred the "Gulas del Norte," which made us all crack up.