Arrived in Pamplona yesterday from Zubiri. We to.decided to stay the night in an Alburgue which is essentially a very cheap hostel for Camino travellers. You stay in small dormitories which as old public school boys we thought would be ok. However, one of our fellow occupants was a rather large American gentleman who snored like a traction enjoy for the whole night from the moment his head hit the pillow!
So we got a very disturbed night and were very glad to bid farewell to Zubiri which itself was a rather small uninteresting town. Fortunately the weather was nice and it was a decent path to Pamplona. We longed for a decent night's sleep and the history of Pamplona. As we passed through a small town on the way, we saw a wonderful local wedding
again showing the wonderful traditions of Spain still alive and well. I have lived in Spain for four years and I admit that I'm only just getting the idea of its size and diversity. So much more to explore and experience in the years to come. We crossed the Magdalene bridge which spans the Area river and saw the enormous old wall of Pamplona
On entering the city, we passed Plaza del Torres. Well, I've seen the bull rings of Andalucia but this is like the Wembley stadium of bull fighting. Once you enter, it's impossible to not get consumed by the festival of San Fermes one month away. We walked up the route of the bull run to our hotel which was crammed with a mass of local people eating, drinking and singing and partying. We assumed this was a fiesta but we're assured that it was just a normal Saturday in Pamplona!
So today we have a rest day to explore the city and do some much needed laundry. Time to discover why Hemingway was so entranced when he visited here in the twenties and wrote "The Sun also rises".
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