Santiago de Compostela

A big hello to our blog fans from Santiago de Compostela, capital city of the Galician region and named after St James the Apostle - Santiago is Spanish for James and Compostela is derived from the Latin for 'star'.  The story goes that the town acquired it's name when a religious hermit found Santiago's tomb in 814AD by following a guided star.  Santiago preached in Galicia and died whilst in Palestine, being returned home by stone boat and buried in the Cathedral - where we visited his tomb.

Thereafter, King Alfonso II of neighbouring Asturias had a church erected over the apostle's remains and the pilgrimage started then and continues today - some 150,000 pilgrims and countless thousands of tourists visit Santiago de Compostela each year.  In 11thC Santiago achieved Archbishop status and further churches were added to the original cathedral.

Cathedral, Santiago de Compostela, in background

A slightly closer shot

We wandered the cold & damp Medieval streets (Galicia receives twice the national average in rainfall and they have nearly 100 words for different types of rain) and it reminded us a bit of Dickensian Canterbury.  Saying that, we've been pretty lucky with the weather - only one rainy period overnight.  Locals say there are two seasons: summer (3 months) and a watery winter!

You could easily get lost here as many of the tiny streets look the same to the unfamiliar eye.  At this relatively late time of year there are still many pilgrims/walkers reaching the end point of their journey.   There are six routes all starting at different points in Spain, Portugal, France and UK.  In fact, we met a Scotsman who had completed 5 of the routes. Unwittingly, from Paris onwards we have followed parts of each of the caminos (paths) by boat, train, foot, car and coach. 

We have mixed feelings about the pilgrim story: Mick thinks it's really interesting - not least as our journey has pretty much tracked the routes.  Plus he's done a few walking holidays before and decided to visit the Pilgrims Museum to find out more.  For me, I don't really buy into the pilgrim thing as it has become a tourist attraction - for many it is a walking adventure - for others they really do walk the path of St James.  Naturally, there is a huge tourist industry built around the camino and its various symbols (scallop shells, jet stone - to ward of evil spirits - staffs/walking sticks, gourds, hats, cafes/restaurants selling pilgrims menus) but, for me, our time here has been about the Cathedral.  There is definitely something special about the place even though it is filled with tourists much of the time (even during Mass).  Maybe it's strong feeling of goodwill and the priests going about their business of teaching and making sense of the world through the teachings of the bible - or something more profound and spiritual.  It certainly had a profound effect on me and other friends I've met along the way. 

Sunday 27 October 
On Sunday we arrived just in time for High Mass - we hadn't planned to stay but it was so moving: sung and spoken (in Spanish) - the priest had an amazing operatic voice.  At the end of Mass the priests swung the botafumeiro (the incense carrier) - 100kg of silver plating filled with coal & incense swinging overhead, reaching speeds of 68kmph and an 82 degree angle (stats from Lonely Planet).  Traditionally it was swung to kill the smell of well-travelled pilgrims.  Today it is swung on certain feast days and when a group of pilgrims pays euros 300!  To date, it has fallen only twice - a comforting thought!

The enormous botafumeiro swinging overhead

Galicia is also known for amazing seafood, some of which we've sampled: gambas a la plancha (grilled prawns with lemon juice - really sweet!); mejillones (huge, juicy steamed mussels with lemon juice; pulpo gallego (octopus with olive oil, salt and paprika); sopa de mariscos (shellfish soup); caldo (a delicious Galician soup of cabbage, beans, ham & potato); lots of delicious Galician white wine (albarinho and ribeiro) and their local beer - Estrella Galicia.  We've also had another artisan churros con chocolate - home made and without flour to thicken the chocolate - lush!

A few Galician seafood delights!

So, that's the end of stay in Santiago - we've been here for a week during which we'd planned to visit a few nearby towns but I've been pretty unwell (needed antibiotics which, for those of you that know me, is a rarity!) and so we've only managed one day trip to A Coruna which I'll update you about in a separate post.  Feeling better now though and we're off to Madrid tomorrow for a month - and, hopefully, some sun!  Hasta pronto!

Oviedo

Hola de Oviedo, the stunning and well-heeled capital city of the Asturias region in the north of Spain.  And what a beautiful part of the world it is.  Catherine, my Spanish teacher, lived and worked here and speaks very fondly of it and we can see why: mountains, an old quarter, a stunning cathedral, great bars & restaurants, cider houses (Asturias is known for its natural cider) and good, heart-warming food (stews, lots of meat, a bit of fish).

We arrived and wasted no time hitting the town: we found a little restaurant serving the regional speciality - fabada (white bean and morcilla stew) and lomo en sidra (pork loin in cider).  What a feast!

One for Catherine: enjoying the Asturian speciality, fabada

Onwards to the lovely central park, the Woody Allen statue (he filmed Vicky, Christina, Barcelona here and felt a real affinity with the city - home from home) and so a statue was erected as he put Oviedo firmly on the map, not that it needed any help in our view!

With Woody

We also visited the Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) in which we spotted some Miro, El Greco, a Picasso, Juan Ribero and plus work by some really good local artists, including Pinole. We stayed in a lovely, central hostal (guest house) and we hear the bells of the nearby St Isidora Church throughout the day and early morning - they play a beautiful song rather than just chime.  It is truly a city of bells.

We enjoyed an evening paseo in the City and decided to try out the local natural cider.  It is flat and unsweetened and is why the waiters pour it from the bottle into your glass from a height, to give it some fizz.  You are poured a small amount each time and you down it in one - we like to rise to a challenge!

The art form that is pouring cider

Whilst in cider central, Gascon, we were treated to some Asturian music. 

Thursday 24 October - Senda del Oso (bear trail)
In case you don't know we're a couple of nature kids at heart and we couldn't resist the temptation to hire a couple of mountain bikes and cycle 20km (of a possible 32km) of the green route, Senda del Oso, which runs through some stunning mountain scenery, cascading water and past two European bears!  Paca and Tola are sisters, orphaned when very young by a poacher.  They were nursed through their young years with a view to returning them to the wild but it was soon obvious that they wouldn't survive for long in the wild.  Today, they are aged 23 and home is a large compound in which they are cared for by a local Foundation.  They have tried to introduce a Serbian bear into their compound but they've showed no interest ... not all is lost though, there are still some 250 wild bears in Spain - long may it last.  And the company we hired the bikes through, the brilliant TeverAstur, have the esteemed company of Prince Felipe & Princess Letizia of Asturias (Felipe is King in waiting and talk of abdication has rumbled on for some time - big stuff in Spain). And if it's good enough for them it's good enough for us!

Paca & Tola at Senda del Oso

Outward bound

After all that activity we felt it was time for another menu del dia - today we enjoyed shellfish soup, pork belly, salad and cheesecake - yum!

Friday 25 October - Oviedo Statue Trail
Today we fancied checking out the statue trail around Oviedo - there are so many it is quite a circuit.  Top of the list for us was Woody Allen closely followed by Dali's Man on a Dolphin - weirdest looking dolphin we've seen for sure but Mick is a big Dali fan and couldn't resist a shot.

Mick with Salvador Dali's Man on a dolphin

Other statues included El Viajero (traveller), Libertad (freedom) and Paz (peace) as well as Esperanza Camando (hope walking).  All very thought-provoking, so much so that we found ourselves stoking the fires at Jamon, Jamon wine bar for another menu del dia - very nice too!

Fliss with El Viajero (traveller)

So that's a round-up of our trip to Oviedo.  We've really enjoyed our time here and will definitely return.  We'd recommend it to any of you that fancy a city break but don't come too late in the year - the weather can be a bit unpredictable at this time of year.  We've been lucky so far, although you may note the beret has made it's first appearance since leaving Dunkirk. :((

Late news: Prince Felipe & Princess Letizia of Asturias are in town tonight to host the Prince's Foundation prizes, which honour people from all over the world that have made a difference in their chosen field, including my fave photographer, Annie Liebowicz, my fave actor/director, Woody Allen as well as J K Rowling and Stephen Hawkins.  Their reception was amazing - check out this for a bit of live atmosphere - you can just about see the cars arriving at the Theatre:

The very photogenic Prince Felipe & Princess Letizia of Asturias

So, as usual, somehow we pitch up at just the right time for the big event.  This is the closest I've been to royalty - Mick has seen our Queen.  So, over & out for now.  Our next post will be from Santiago de Compestela from where we'll spend a week exploring the region of Galicia.  Until then, pasatelo bien (have a good time).

Santander

Hola de Santander, capital city of Cantabria in northern Spain, just along the coast from San Sebastian and our first stop in Spain (as opposed to the Basque Country).

The first thing that strikes you is the impressive mountain range - el Cordillera Cantabrica (Cantabrian Spine) that surrounds the Cantabrian Bay (part of the Bay of Biscay).  It really is quite a magnificent setting: blue sky, blue sea, fabulous mountains and a stylish promenade.

Cantabrian Bay surrounded by the Cordillera Cantabrica

Naturally, there's a marina to which we gravitated straightaway - more for local fishermen than yachtsmen but lovely to see nonetheless. The Santander folk are very proud of their maritime and seafaring history which has helped this region become renowned for excellent seafood. 

Santander Marina with the mountains in background

We couldn't miss the Maritime Museum as Santander has such a long history of boat building, fishing, expeditions, yacht racing, etc.  You can imagine that Mick was in his element.  It was pretty impressive actually, giving a local and general maritime history.  It was amazing to see some of the traditional navigational aids on show as Mick's Dad had a small collection.   Here, too, was a aquarium and we watched a diver feed the fish - something we'd not seen at an aquarium before.

Lunch with the sharks!

We spent the rest of our stay here exploring the City and its main attractions: plazas, park, beaches and Cathedral, consisting of two Gothic churches - 13thC & 14thC. Sadly, a boat trip out to sea, psst more beaches was cancelled as we're out of season and the winds can be a bit unpredictable here.

Santander is known for its seafood so we couldn't miss the tapas scene and gravitated to the excellent Meson Rampalay and enjoyed fab wines, boquerones (anchovies in oil & vinegar - our fave!), tartaleta de gambas (prawn tartlet), curried chicken and pulpo a gallego (octopus Galician style).  What a way to dine, eh?

We also tracked down a really nice restaurant for our menus del dia offering more really good seafood dishes and that infamous of Spanish desserts, flan (creme caramel).   

We also loosely planned to visit a cave to see some of Spain's finest cave art but, being out of season, the tours had finished the day we arrived. 

So, that's an outline of our time in Santander.  We're off to Oviedo tomorrow for a few days so catch up with us soon! 

Bilbao & Guernica

Hola blog fans from the oldest backpackers in town!  Yes, we finally left Pamplona which was a great base for us but it was time for us to move on from the comfort and independence of our lovely apartment - thanks Isabel!  The north coast is beckoning but, with autumn in mind, we've arranged a whistlestop tour of northern Spain which will serve as a taster for our homeward trip next year.

Friday 18 October - Pamplona to Bilbao
We boarded the skylark and a couple of hours later arrived in our first port of call - Bilbao, all but acting capital city of the Basque country which is in the process of reinventing itself from a declining industrial port to an arts and culture city of note.  It hasn't gone all gentrified though and is still in touch with its roots.  Easy to forget, too, that Bilbao was badly bombed during the Civil War and served as a main exit point for refugees, not least hundreds of children (many were UK-bound) so the folk here are from the no-nonsense school of reality.

With only two nights here we wasted no time checking into our digs and starting the Lonely Planet City Walk - a 3km route which took us past all the main sights.  First up was a stroll along the river to the Casco Viejo (old town) and its infamous Las Siete Calles (seven streets) which were full of independent shops, fab pintxo bars and restaurants.  We found a lovely restaurant - Hatari - where we enjoyed a delicious menu del dia, after which we continued around the city to take in its park and shopping area.  Then it was onwards past the Guggenheim - nope - we didn't fancy a visit as we're not huge modern and contemporary art fans and didn't want to spend our limited time here in an art gallery when it was sunny outside (28 degrees).  Perhaps another time if an exhibition catches our eye.

Fliss @ the Guggenheim

Mick @ the 'Maman' sculpture, Guggenheim

Then back across Bilbao's version of the wobbly bridge to the funicular railway which took us to the top of the city for a birdseye view.  We could also see the sea not so faraway and remembered that this was once a thriving sea port.  Sadly, all gone now but huge mooring cleats still exist along the riverbank to serve as a reminder of its nautical past.

Birdseye view of Bilbao

The City of Bilbao with the river and Guggenheim

Saturday 19 October - Guernica
And now down to business.  A big reason for staying in Bilbao is its proximity to Guernica, a small Basque town and historic capital of the Basque country.  This was a mini-pilgrimage for me as, until fairly recently, I knew nothing about this tiny town until my brilliant Spanish teacher, Catherine, gave me an article on a piece of modern art by Picasso that I'd seen before but knew nothing about.  Resisting a Google search I began to look at it, and look at it some more, trying to make sense of it.  Gradually its message began to dawn on me  - one of war, death, suffering, destruction, brutality.  But I couldn't work out why it was called 'Guernica' so that's when I started my research and what I read about Franco's attack truly shocked me, not least as I'd studied 20thC world history and this wasn't hinted at, funnily enough, neither was the Spanish Civil War.  So, to cut a long story short, I promised myself I'd visit Guernica to pay my respects and, whatever you think of Picasso and/or modern art - for me, that's what his masterpiece has done for the world - opened its eyes to the pointlessness and horror of war, whichever war you choose.

Some factoids: Franco enlisted the help of Hitler and Mussolini to test their new weapon of mass destruction - air bombing sorties.  Guernica was chosen as it had been a constant thorn in Franco's Republican side for many years.  High time to teach it a lesson and afford himself the opportunity to rebuild and culturally re-form (oppress) the Basques.  The town is located in a lustrous green valley so an early warning system was almost impossible.  26 April 1937 - a Monday.  The town folk were going about their usual Monday business - that of market day where the town's women and children would buy provisions and catch-up with one another.  It took little more than 4 hours of constant bombing to completely raze Guernica to the ground and inflict mass fatalities and injuries (into the high hundreds) - mission accomplished.

First stop for us had to be Museo de la Paz de Guernica (Museum of Peace).  It is an interesting museum in that, unusually, it seeks to open a personal dialogue with visitors as to what peace means to the individual, how we might go about achieving that, as well as providing detailed account of the attack on Guernica and its aftermath.  It also provides a good history of Basque culture generally.  We would recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about the town that Picasso placed firmly on the world map and wonders why the world is always at war.

A short walk from the museum is a ceramic copy of Picasso's 'Guernica' (the original is in the Reina Sofia Gallery in Madrid) as well as the ancient Tree of Guernica (well, a stump actually as this is all that remains) which is now sheltered by a gazebo.  This is where the historic town's elders and parliament would meet to discuss all local matters.

Ceramic copy of Picasso's 'Guernica' in Guernica

After our thought-provoking trip it was time to head back to Bilbao and soon found ourselves in the merry throng that is Las Siete Calles for pintxos and wine.  Bilbao is said to be snapping at the heels of San Sebastian for its pintxos but, in our opinion, it's already on equal terms - it just doesn't shout about it so loudly.  We headed for the Plaza Nueva - where all the action is - and ate and drank at Zuga (specialising in Basque food and wine) and Bar Gure Toki - a regular award winner. As you've probably gathered I'm a hardened pintxo fan (Mick is enjoying the conversion process!) and, apart from the food itself, what we love is that the bars serve a pintxo-size glass of wine - about half a glass - just enough to accompany your pintxos before either topping up or moving on.  It's also a great - and reasonably priced way - of trying out different wines - genius!

We had a stroll back along the river and wondered why we'd seen so many runners.  We had no idea that it was the Bilbao Night Marathon - an annual half marathon which starts and finishes at the Guggenheim and is firmly on the Spanish events calendar.  The streets were lined with people cheering the runners on so, needless to say, we got involved. 

So, that was our quick trip to Bilbao.  We'd recommend it to anyone who fancies a cultural weekend away.  The Basques are very proud of their culture and independence and the landscape is beautiful: green hills and valleys, (clean) river, the Guggenheim and pintxos scene - need I say more?!

Well, that's it 'til the next post which will be from Santander which will be our first stop outside of the Basque Country so, until then, it's over & out from Pintxo & Tapa! xx

Zaragoza

Hello readers!  We have had a few nice days in Pamplona visiting the local sights and city centre.  Last Saturday 12 October was National Hispanic Day, a holiday here in Spain.  We thought it would be celebrated with usual hispanic gusto but, no, it was a very quiet day and posters indicate that Navarra wishes to be independent from Spain.  In fact, there was some kind of gathering in Pamplona over the weekend resulting in 6 arrests, a case of ETA having disarmed, but another group establishing itself in its wake to continue the call for independence.  There was a huge protest in Bilbao last weekend about a further 18 arrests/sentencing so our short visit to Bilbao this weekend (en route to Santander) will be interesting!

Monday 14 October - Zaragoza
With a few days left before we move on we decided to visit the city of Zaragoza - about 120 miles from Pamplona and half way en route to the Mediterranean coast.  The first thing that hit us on arrival was the pong - from a water treatment plant on the outskirts of Zaragoza we think - but it was pretty much everywhere you went depending on wind direction!

Like so much of Spain, Zaragoza has a mixed cultural history: Celtic, Roman, Christian, Visigoth, Islamic and Christian (again).  All have left their mark on 21stC Zaragoza so for architecture it is a top drawer attraction.

You can't go to Zaragoza without visiting the Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar (Basilicia of Our Lady of the Pilar).  Believers say that St James (Santiago) in AD40 saw the Virgin Mary descend from above on a marble pillar.  A chapel was built around the pillar followed by a series of ever-more grandiose churches.  Today it is enormous and so ornate with ten mini domes, the interior of which are beautifully painted and finished with gold leaf surrounds - that words can't do it justice.  Priceless works of art - including Goya - were displayed and a fabulous alabaster altarpiece make it truly breathtaking.  We went up one of the towers in a lift to get a birdseye view of the domes' exterior and Zaragoza itself.

Birdseye view from the tower of the River Ebro

View from the tower of the north side domes

We arrived 3 days into Zaragoza's biggest annual festival, that of our Lady of the Pillar where people visit from all over the world to pay homage.  An enormous pyramid of flowers was still intact outside the Basilica, topped with a statue of our Lady - you'd want to be a florist in Zaragoza!  Inside the cathedral, hundreds were queueing to touch the original piece of the marble pillar as well as statues of Mary and the crucifix - it is true devotion and we've never seen anything like it - very touching to witness.  A full Mass sung in Latin was underway at the time of our visit.

Flower pyramid

We also visited the nearby Cathedral de San Salvador (known as La Seo) as it has 28 chapels each by different sculptors, artists and in different architectural styles (Romanesque through to Baroque) - wonderful!  It is also home to fabulous French & Flemish tapestries including one which tells the story of the Seven Deadly Sins - one of my all time favourite films! After all that culture it was time for lunch and we hit the nearby 'El Tubo' area which is known for good food and we had a lovely menu del dia - 3 courses with bread & a bottle of wine for euro 10 each - amazingly good food and value for money!

To walk off our lunch we had a wander along the Ebro which is a disturbing muddy colour ... home to the giant catfish which thrive there in its murkiness - so much so that the Ebro draws anglers from the world over to reel in these river monsters.  [P.S. since originally posting this page the catfish have apparently been filmed lying in wait, stalking pigeons on the riverbank - launching themselves out of the water to catch and eat them - now that is predatory and why they thrive.  Wish we'd have seen that while we were here.]  Plus, we got a great view of the Basilica in all her glory.

Basilica de Nuestra Senor del Pilar

We had a few beers before going back to our hotel - we knew we'd need at least one night here.  In fact we plan a 4-night stop here next year and use it as a base to visit other nearby places.

Tuesday 15 October - Zaragoza
The Museum of Zaragoza was on our list today - an amazing collection of Roman statues and artwork by Spanish and Aragonese artists, including a biggest collection of Goya in Spain, born in the region of Aragon.  Next, we fancied a bit of Islamic architecture at the Aljaferia, built as a palace for Islamic rulers but later used by the Catholic monarchs of Spain, Fernando and Isabel.

The garden at Aljaferia with that distinctive Mudejar architecture

Nobody does it better!

And let's not forget, too, that Aljaferia played a very important defensive role over the years, as can be seen from the Palace's exterior.

Mick outside the Aljaferia

So, that was our little trip to Zaragoza.  We'd recommend it to anyone for a short City break but don't forget your nose peg!  The next post will be from Bilbao from where we'll visit Guernica, the little Basque village that was bombed in 1936 by the Luftwaffe on the orders of Franco and is the subject of Picasso's world-famous painting, 'Guernica', the original of which is currently on display in Madrid's Reina de Sofia gallery.
So, tune is soon for the next update.  Hasta pronto!

A peek at rural Navarra

Hello blog fans, the weather's on the turn here with a definite autumnal chill in the air.  Mick wore his long trousers yesterday for the first time since June - a sad day for him as his shorts have been stowed until we head south.  So we thought we'd better get a trip to the Pyrenees in before it's too late in the year...

Thursday 8 October - Elizondo
With our walking gear on we boarded the bus for the village of Elizondo in the Baztan region of Navarra for a peek at Basque life in the Pyrenees.  An hour and a half later we arrived and, although it was overcast, it was fairly warm.  We hoped the rain would hold off for the duration of our visit as, although we've had a glorious summer in the French sun, we're still not quite ready for the rain!

Our route took us around the village and into the foothills of the mountains, alongside a mountain-fed river, past farms and outbuildings and back into the town again for our bus home (only 2-3 run daily at odd hours so, as lovely as it is, we didn't fancy getting stuck overnight).

Elizondo - a village in the clouds

On leaving the village, the first thing we heard were cow bells!  Can't remember ever hearing that in the UK - really lovely.  The second thing we noticed was the Alpine style of the houses.  This area was - and still is - an agricultural and farming region.  In the days before central heating, livestock would be kept at ground level; the heat they produced would rise to the first floor which is where the family would live - alongside the coal fire; hay insulated the area between the attic and first floor to keep the family warm and the attic cool.  The attic served as a larder where food was stored and cured.  Walls were nearly 1 metre thick to keep out the harsh weather.  How times change eh?

Mick on his mini-pilgrimage

We then went into the woods and were surprised to find this little small-holding with some very friendly sows who rushed over to say 'hello'!

We continued walking for an hour or so and really enjoyed being out in the countryside - although we're townies we're nature kids at heart!  

And after all that hard work all there was to do was enjoy our first (and not last!) churros.  These are a speciality in Spain and the Spanish love them.  Churros are long finger doughnuts that you dip in chocolate - not the Cadbury's drinking chocolate we know of - but a thick chocolate, custard-type sauce you get on a chocolate sponge pudding.  I'd heard they were good from Catherine (my lovely Spanish teacher) but I didn't know how good.  Well, all we can say is they were D-I-V-I-N-E!!!!  We devoured them and know we're now addicted - not good for the waistline! 

The churreria in Elizondo

With full and content bellies we boarded the last bus home and it wasn't uneventful: the bus was stopped - and boarded - by the Guardia Civil who made directly for a guy at the back of the coach and checked his luggage and papers.  Not sure if they were tipped off or just picked our bus randomly but you don't mess with the Guardia - they are armed with machine guns.  We were held up for about 15 minutes while they checked his ID and then we were on our way again.  Never a dull moment, eh?

We're off to Zaragoza early next week so we'll update you soon but, until then, keep well and happy.

Puente la Reina, Museum of Navarra & Planetarium

Hello blog fans!  We've had a good week in Pamplona.  The sun's been out most days - averaging around 20+ but in the shade there's a definite autumnal chill in the air.  But enough of the weather forecast - here's a quick update of of what we've been up to over the last few days. 


Saturday 5 October - Puente la Reina
We decided to jump on a bus to the lovely village of nearby Puente la Reina - a town on the Camino de Santiago de Compestela and known for its beautiful Romanesque bridge.

Bridge which gives 'Puente la Reina' its name

For those of you interested in the Camino the towns of Pamplona, Puente la Reina (plus other villages we've visited so far) are all on the path of St James the Apostle. We didn't set out on this trip to walk any of the Camino but we have passed much of it en route to various shops, sights and pintxo bars!

The Camino itself is quite obvious - marked by scallop shells either inset in the pavements or on walls, fences, etc.  We've passed many a pilgrim bearing their mini rucksacks, staff and scallop shell (items carried by St James on his pilgrimage).   Now, without wanting to take anything away from the pilgrims, we know that many use private buses to transport their heavy gear and use public transport between stops.  Pilgrims collect stamps at each point (from a lodge, info office, etc) after which you get your Certificate of Completion.  In fact, you can claim a certificate for walking only the last 100km! Maybe we're purists at heart (or cynics!) - we're certainly not without faith - but when someone says to you they've walked the Camino, take it with a pinch of salt.

There are various Caminos which all end in Santiago de Compostela (including the Portguese camino and English camino) but we're located on part of the French camino which starts in France (naturally!) and enters Spain at nearby Ronscesvalles in the Spanish Pyrenees, passing through Pamplona westwards a mere 768km to Santiago de Compestela in Galicia.  You never know though - we may yet fall prey to the ways of the pilgrim!

Mick bearing rucksack (for his sandwiches!) on the Puente la Reina

Puente is a tiny medieval village with lots of colourful, narrow streets, a plaza, a church, various cafes and bars with traditional local shops all doing good business.  We found a lovely bar on the main street which was awash with pintxos so we had a nice lunch there before heading back to Pamplona in the late afternoon.

Sunday 6 October - Museum of Navarra, Pamplona
Today we visited the highly recommended Museum of Navarra which walks you through Basque art & architectural history and is home to stunning Roman mosaics - the best we've seen - and Gothic artwork as well as more recent artwork by Navarre and Spanish artists, including Goya.  It was a really impressive place and a good afternoon out.  And, for once, there was no entrance fee to pay!

Monday 7 October - Planetarium, Pamplona
Some may say that our heads in the clouds but, as Mick knows about navigational astronomy and because I've never visited a planetarium we figured it was worth a look.  We walked through nearby Yamaguchi Park (the patron saint of Pamplona actually travelled to Yamaguchi in Japan - some journey in the 15/16th century) and is why Pamplona is now twinned with Yamaguchi.  The Planetarium was really informative with a temporary exhibition about chemistry in everyday life.  Two presentations were shown: one about how light pollution is affecting astronomy (and astronomers' ability to find answers to questions about Earth's evolution); plus one about Earth's evolution generally - in Spanish!   I was busy translating for Mick but he got the gist of it anyway from the imagery.

So that's our week so far.  We're off to explore the Pyrenees later this week and we've got a couple days in Zaragoza next week before we move onto Bilbao.  So until then, hope you're all well and enjoying the blog.  Over!

A day in the sun at San Sebastian

Thursday 3 October - San Sebastian
OK, I know you're gonna say 'what, only a day?!' but we just wanted to fit in a whistlestop tour before staying there for a few days early next year.  So we were up bright and early and aboard the coach for a 1 hour journey and, boy, was it worth it!

As ever, our indispensable Lonely Planet guide was spot on.  It really is a beautiful belle-epoque style city with a sublime, golden bay - Playa de la Concha.  It was a beautiful, sunny day - 30 degrees at its peak so we spent the morning paddling in the bay (we didn't think to bring our cozzies) along with the locals enjoying their first paseo of the day (the second one is in the evening).  Being cradled between two hills affords the bay some protection from the mighty Atlantic/Bay of Biscay - (i) Mount Urgulle topped with a statue of Christ in Brazil style; and (ii) Mount Igueldo, the summit of which you can reach by foot or, for a less taxing experience, by funicular railway.  You can see the gradient of the Mount Igueldo from the piccie - glad we didn't walk!

View of the gradient from the funicular 'station'

The view from atop is breathtaking.

View of Playa de la Concha from Mount Iguelde

For those of you that don't know, San Sebastian is a gastronomic city of note - especially for its pintxos but, nonetheless, Mick felt inclined to bring sandwiches which I think this stems from a profound fear of starvation!  I know our American friends Janet and Cathy will roar at that!

We were looking for two pintxo bars in particular - Bar Goiz-Argi - known for their superb gambas a la plancha (grilled prawns) and Mejillonera known for a mouthwatering range of mussels, calamare and lively patatas bravas.  But, on arrival, both were closed and not reopening 'til early evening!  So we ate in another bar which was lovely as you'd imagine here with a strong focus on seafood.  Just another reason to return - as if we need one!

We continued to walk around and came across a bronze of Don Quijote and his faithful servant, Sancho Panza.

Don Quijote and his trusty servant

We had planned to climb Mount Urgull but access was limited and, on such a beautiful day, we'd gone off the idea of the Naval Museum so we checked out the harbour instead (no way could we shoehorn "Reward" in there.  We continued to follow the bay around to the River Urumea (non-navigable). 

Mick, never happier than when near a boat!

So, with the sun going down on beautiful San Sebastian - and slightly sore feet from a full day's walk - we headed back to the bus station for our return  journey.  We will definitely return early next year and stay for a few days - it really is a fabulous place and we'd recommend it for a long weekend.  So, until the next post, hasta pronto!

Vitoria - Capital of Basque Region & Hemingway

Tuesday 1 October - Vitoria
Having travelled by bus to the last couple of destinations, we fancied a day out by train and visiting nearby Vitoria, the capital of the Basque region.

We boarded a Renfe regional train (for medium distances) and passed through some lovely scenery: fields, tiny Basque villages dotted with Alpine-style chalets and surrounded by the majestic Pyrenees.  The public transport is really good in Spain - reasonably priced, clean and reliable.

An hour later we arrived in Vitoria and our first impression is that it was quite sedate.  A good selection of shops, cafes and pintxos bars - ticking all the usual boxes for a capital city.  Also, a nice town square - the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca - off of which ran various newish streets and several older, narrow streets.

We walked to the top of the City via the Iglesia de San Miguel to the Casco Viejo (old town) to the for a birdseye view but that was about all from atop of the city.  So, the old part was limited to a few streets off of the Plaza which, in comparison with Pamplona, was a bit disappointing.

However, the Cathedral de Maria Inmaculada was fabulous.  It looks old but, in fact, was built in the 1970s.  To our novice eyes, though, it looked old and was impressive, featuring some lovely stained glass and really high naves (lots of Romanesque and Gothic style architecture here) plus an annexed Musuem of Sacred Art (to include an El Greco portrait), Basque crosses and stoneware plus Ceremonial Silverware - really breathtaking (photos not allowed).

Cathedral de Maria Inmaculada

We had planned to visit the Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Beautiful Art) and the Museo de Armeria (Armoury Museum) which were listed as a free entry but, on arrival, were fee paying.  Whilst we're not skint, the various entry fees and fares soon add up and make a daytrip quite expensive and, to be fair - if its an entry fee -v- coffees & pintxos there's only one winner!

So, not surprisingly, we headed straight for Usokari - recommended in our trusty Lonely Planet guide as one of the best in town and we savoured a huge piece of one of their mouthwatering tortillas (omelettes) - really thick and cooked to perfection; chillis/anchovies/olives on sticks; prawn and mozzarella vol-au-vents and a couple of beers.  In fact, the entire range of pintxos was mouthwatering - we could've eaten our way through the bar but you can only eat so much!  Highly recommended if you find yourself in Vitoria.

We feel though that Vitoria, as nice as it was, is a poor relation to Pamplona.  Strange that it is the capital city whereas Pamplona is a town.  It seems as though the town planners have attempted to mix old with new and not quite pulled it off - and in the process lost some of the city's character.

Overall, it was a nice day out but - put it this way - we got an earlier train back to Pamplona than the one we booked!  But that's all part of travelling - you never quite know what you're gonna find until you get there.

The day wasn't completely lost though: we went out for a couple of drinks to El Rincon Hemingway (Hemingway Corner) - a lovely bar adjoining Cafe Iruna in Pamplona's Plaza del Castillo.

Having a good time at El Rincon Hemingway

Our next daytrip is to nearby San Sebastian - known for its stunning city beaches, gastronomic superiority and pintxos to die for.  Needless to say we can't wait so tune in soon for the next update.