After a very pleasant day on the beach at a town called Castro Urbana, which has a spectacular castle and an amazing promenade, we left our eyrie in the mountains, which I loved but Ann wasn’t so keen on, and had a comfortable drive down to Pamplona with The Beast behaving immaculately. Hotel is clean and comfortable. We spent the afternoon and evening walking around Pamplona, the former home of the Kings of Navarra. I don’t think they are related to the Kings of Norfolk and Depford but I’m not sure who to ask. Pamplona is a very attractive city with a lovely old quarter. Hopefully Ann will post some photos tomorrow, as the technology is still beyond me.
We walked part of the Camino de Santiago de Compostella through the city centre (about thirty yards), before our religious fervour began to fade. We met several people who had been walking for weeks, at about 30k per day, which has to be fairly painful. Not many of them carrying any extra weight, so perhaps there is a lesson to be learned there! We also followed the route of the bull run. What I hadn’t realised is that the poor bulls are driven at least two hundred yards uphill at a full sprint as soon as they start so they are knackered before the runners join in!
We had a decent three course meal for twenty euros in the evening, having managed to hold out until 8.15 before we started. We were still the first people in the entire city to enter a restaurant, some of which don’t even open until nine. The whole place was flooded with people out having a good time and all the bars were full. If the Spanish economy is as deep in the doo doo as is claimed, they are certainly trying to ignore it! More of Pamplona tomorrow. I am hoping to see a game of pelota which is supposed to be the fastest ball game there is, and we might make it to the market. All the best, Andy.
ann and andy lawrenson 