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It’s true that Pamplona is a very gastronomically orientated city, isn’t it? If I went to Pamplona, where could I sample the local delicacies?

Well, you are right Pamplona loves food… There are many different ways to have a good time eating out. If you come here you should try “pinchos” which are a kind of bar snacks but very sophisticated. The best part of the city to find them is the old part: Estafeta St., San Nicolás, Espoz y Mina and some other streets in San Juan and Iturrama.

But, as you know I’m totally ignorant about this! This is the first time I’ve heard about “pintxos”. Can you recommend any to me?

Well, most of the pinchos are on display so you can see them before ordering, but I’ll recommend some to you: In bar Museo (fried egg delicacy); In Café Roch (fried pepper and fried Roquefort cheese; Bar Gaucho (foie); Bodegón Sarrià· (“escombro” made with toasted bread and pieces of ham).
Ah! Around the middle of March there is a kind of competition between bars called “semana del pincho” and there are crows of people sampling the delicacies!

And what else can I try?

You can also try the good value for money menus around the second “Ensanche”: very traditional food at good prices. And of course, if you want to spend some more money you can choose from a great variety of good restaurants where you can have a pleasant meal with the traditional Navarran cooking.

mmm…. I am getting hungry… that reminds me!. I have to ask you what the typical dishes from Pamplona are?

Above all, Navarre is known for its vegetables. For example, for starters you can try: borrajas with potatoes, “cardo” Navarre style, “cogollos” of Tudela, chistorra, “Piquillo” (pepper from Lodosa), asparagus, ah!! And artichokes of Tudela! Excellent choice!!

For the main course: Ajoarriero, lamb chilindrón style, roast suckling pig, relleno, pigs hands, sheperd’s breadcrumbs and for dessert: cuajada, canutillos cream and Roncal and Idiazabal cheeses.

If you want to become an expert on these issues, you can visit some museums like “Cheese museum in Uztarroz”; Truffle museum in Metauten; Apiculture museum in Eltso; and finally, the wine & vineyard exhibition centre in Olite.

I think I got it.. I know what to eat, but… what about drinks? I mean, is there any typical or local drink? I heard something about Kalimotxo but I‘m really confused…

You are right! Kalimotxo is a mixture of wine and coke and it is very typical teenage drink and a speciality during San Fermines!! You get drunk fast & cheaply! But forget about that!! In Pamplona you can find excellent Rosados and Red wines with the label of origin “Navarre” or “Rioja”. Besides wine, you can try Vermouth called “marianito” before eating and after an abundant meal you have to finish with a “Pacharán”! Which is a hand-made liquor in Navarre and it is really digestive!

All Saturdays in October, you can visit the vineyards of the wine route of the Santiago Way (www.entrevinos.org) and you can also participate in chats about wine that take place in Hotel Maisonave.

Ok, I will take your advice. Ah! One last question, where could I go at night? As far as I know, Pamplona is a very lively city, isn’t it?

Yes, there is a lot of atmosphere on weekend’s nights. Hoards of people live it up throughout the old part and Plaza del Castillo’s bars until 4.00 am more or less!! You can also enjoy live music during the summer in some places like: Caballo Blanco on Thursdays; Media Luna Bar on Fridays and finally in Subsuelo Bar.

Great stuff. Thank you very much for all the information you have given to me
You’re welcome! Have a good time!!

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BLANCA: We have prepared a plan for you for next Monday morning. As you have spent all the week in on the course, we think that you will probably prefer some to breathe fresh air, to do a nice walk or something like that. What do you think?

MIKEL: That’s a good idea!

ANA: There are some nice walks around the walls….They are not the Great Wall of China, but the walls of Pamplona are said to be one of the most interesting and best preserved defensive complexes in Spain. They say a lot about the military character of the city, which remained safe from the attacks of her enemies over the ages.

One of the most beautiful places on the wall is The Ciudadela, once the place for the military pavilions, ditches, bulwarks and bastions, now made into a sports and cultural venue. While crossing through one of the big gates that surround it, we can visit one of the art exhibition rooms, or just have a walk, or take a rest on the wide grass fields and imagine for a while that you are in the 16th century. I used to do it when I was a student and needed to relax after an exam!”

BLANCA: Surrounding the Citadel like a green belt, you can find the Vuelta del Castillo. With 280.000 sq.m. covered with trees and grass fields, It is the green lung of the city. This area is a meeting place for joggers, amateur footballers and walkers and it’s also the best place to attend the fireworks every night during the Sanfermines festival. I remember the Circus settling there when I was a child.

And then we could go to see The Taconera Gardens. It is the oldest and most beautiful and emblematic park in Pamplona. Its 90,000 square meters are located near the old city walls very close to the Old Quarter of the city, and the park has a marked romantic and Versaillesque character. In fact, my wedding photographies were taken there, so I ‘m very fond of this place.
The mini-zoo in the moat of the walls that contains deer, ducks, pheasants, swans, peacocks… in a state of semi-freedom and is often visited by families with little children.
The Viennese Café is a popular place for artists and students or simply to meet friends.

ANA: From the Taconera, we can get to the Museum of Navarra, the most prestigious museum in Pamplona, it’s worth the visit. It occupies an old hospital, and overlooks the Cuesta Santo Domingo, on the old part of the city. From there, we can pay a visit to the General Archive of Navarre, a beautiful building which used to be a Palace, the residence for Bishops and Kings in the Middle Ages, and now are the new headquarters of the Archive, which holds very valuable documents that give you an idea of the importance of the old kingdom of Navarre.

MIKEL: What about the Cathedral of Saint Mary?

BLANCA: Well, it’s the most emblematic monument in Pamplona and it’s devoted to a Romanesque Virgin from the 12th century, the oldest image of Maria in Navarre. Do you know that the kings of Navarre were crowned, christened or blessed before this image? Although I particularly hate his neoclassical facade, when you enter it you are immediately transported to the Middle Ages, thanks to the Gothic architecture, with its stained glass windows, the starry blue vault, the alabaster sepulchre of King Carlos III and his wife, Leonor. Another curiosity is that it has the second biggest bell in Spain, la Campana María, weighing around 12.000 kg.

What it’s essential to visit is the Cloister, the jewel of the Cathedral. Few cloisters around Europe can match it.

The most important spots are the Puerta Preciosa, the most beautiful gate, the keystones, the 24 lancet arches or Barbazana Chapel, devoted to the bishop Arnaldo Barbazán.

Next to the Cathedral is The Caballo Blanco, one of the best viewpoints on the Northside of the town and the oldest part of the walls. I remember going there with my grandmother when I was a child to see a man making ropes with a big wooden wheel. It has also a nice terrace and the Barbazana Way, a pleasant walk that takes you to the Parque de la Media Luna.

ANA: I like very much that park, one of the oldest and most beautiful parks in the city and a romantic place. It owes its name (literally, “half-moon park”), to its design in the form of a waning moon and it is located in the southern end of the city walls. The park has excellent views from its elevated position over the river and a wide variety of tree species, including a beautiful giant sequoia. In a corner of the park there is a monument to Pablo Sarasate, the famous violinist from Pamplona.

At to finish the walk, we can have a drink in the terrace of its café, a particularly popular meeting place during the long and warm summer nights.

encierro

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When people speak of San Fermin in Pamplona, they usually talk about men running before the bulls in the streets, which is call the Encierro. We want to explain what exactly the Bull Run is.

Every morning in July, from the 7th to 14th, the bulls are led from a corral to the bullring, through some streets in Pamplona. The race is about 850 meters long, and doesn’t take more than 4 minutes to do, but it is a breathtaking experience, no matter, if you take part in it or just watch it.

To speak about bulls in the streets may sound dangerous, and it is. Not for the general public as the route is closed off by a double wooden fence to prevent bulls from running freely through the city! The space between both fences is reserved for the police, authorised photographers and paramedics in charge of assisting runners when required.
Yes, but it is not the same for the runners; every year between 200 and 300 runners get injured, 6 or 8 of them seriously wounded. The bulls are not the only danger, but also the number of runners; the chances of falling and being injured are very high.

Nowadays the Encierro has a massive participation, especially at the week-end, but very few amongst the attendance are really what people from Pamplona call “runners”.

That’s true, in Pamplona, if you want to say you really ran in front of the bulls you must have run close enough so as to have seen the bulls, smelt them, heard the noise of their hoofs on the street’s cobblestones or even felt their warm breath breathing down your neck, and nobody can keep the bulls’ pace for more than 50 to 100 m..

And those people really prepare for the run. Learning to run properly takes a long time so it is not advisable that you try to run on your first day in Pamplona. It would be ideal to ask a veteran runner for advice or even to run both together. You must wear comfortable clothing and appropriate running shoes, no sandals! It goes without saying that it is not advisable to spend the whole night out drinking and dancing before the run; you have to be in good shape to minimise risk.

It is advisable that you first watch the run several times, either in the street or on TV, to choose a place to run and see how veterans do it, as every stretch has different characteristics, and also you have to learn how you start and stop running. For a newcomer I would suggest to break into a run gradually and let the bulls catch up with you. When you feel you can’t keep running just move aside.

You must bear in mind that this is a violent race and you must look back and forth to watch both the bulls and the runners that may fall in front of you. You must be aware that other runners may push you away as they try to make room for themselves in front of the bulls. And never, never stand on the street if you just want to watch; you will be putting other runner’s lives at risk as well as your own!

If you need to let steam off or just a jolt of adrenalin, try jumping off the top of Navarreria’s fountain, with the Aussies’ permission, of course!

bullfight

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I am little scared of the bullfight but I’ve heard that this is a core part of the San Fermin festival. I mean, do you think it is worth going to?

I think so, although after having seen one you may decide not to go again anymore!
Bullfights are one of the most important shows in San Fermin, and, you know, the show is not only what happens in the arena between the “matador” and the bull, but also the parade at the beginning, the spectacular clothes of the people involved, the music, the atmosphere in the bullring…It’s a “fiesta” inside the “fiesta”.
Don’t let go the opportunity of experiencing it pass you by. They take place in the arena everyday from the 7th to the 14th of July at six thirty in the afternoon.

That´s interesting, but how can I get a ticket?. Besides, I am travelling low cost and I don’t want to spend a huge amount of money on the tickets?

Well, getting the tickets is the most difficult task. It’s almost impossible to buy tickets for the bullfights, because 90% of the seats are reserved for season ticket holders, who renew their passes every year.
Despite this, the tickets (only for the upper tier) can be bought the previous day, after the event, at the box office and also an hour or half an hour just before the show starts from the ticket-touts. In this case, prices may double but if you buy the tickets at the last minute, just when the bullfight is about to start or even when it just starts, prices drop off and you can even buy them at face value. Ticket-touts are easily found near the arena offering their tickets.

I have heard about the sun and the shaded areas in the bullring. What about this?

Oh yes, this is a very important point to take in account if you go to a bullfight. The areas in the sun, “tendidos” number 5 and 6, is an anarchist territory leaded by peñas or private gastronomical societies & social clubs. Here the attention is not paid to the bullfight mainly, but to their own music, singing and drinking.
For you to have an idea the peñas are groups of young, and not-so-young people, that have, each one, its own blouse, emblems, charanga (musical band) and banner. They have a total of 5.000 members and almost all of them are in the bullfight in the sun area. So, let me give you some advice, if you go to this area it is worth coming across as an authentic man from Pamplona, totally dressed in white, wearing loose items and a hat, especially if you are a foreign blond girl!!!. If that is the case and you go in your natural appearance, surely you will be the target of all the men of the seats around yours and they will throw wine, pieces of fruit, champagne over you …
On the contrary, in sectors 1, 2 and 3, bullfighting is the main event. The audience remains more or less in silence, paying attention to the bullfight. But here you can also see all the people having sandwiches and drinking wine and champagne.

Wow, it sounds amazing! Is there anything more I should know?.

Well, if in the end you don’t go to the bullfight you can enjoy the atmosphere when it’s over. Leaving the bullring is one of the funniest moments of the day. At about 20:30 H. the peñas leave the bullring dancing to their own music and parading with their banners (5 m. wide and two and a half high) where celebrities, politicians, laws or current circumstances are made fun of, mixing criticism with humour.