Trips

Fri., 10/21/16 – Pamplona and Walk on the Camino de Santiago
            This morning after breakfast in the modern chapel room, Judith led us on the path where the bulls run from the barn to the bullring.  Six bulls are “led” by two trained oxen and run through the streets with a bunch of crazy young men wearing white shirts and pants with a red neckerchief and red sash.  The path is lined by stout wooden fences, reinforced with steel.  The city is packed with exuberant spectators.  This is repeated for seven nights with seven bullfights in the bullring.  Of course, the animal lovers protest but the drunken crowd sees it as a reason to drink. 

 

Basque flag	Flag of Navarro
Running of the bulls sign	Route of the bulls
Route of the bulls	Route of the bulls
Route of the bulls - fence to protect people	Route of the bulls - fence to protect people
Route of the bulls	Route of the bulls
Route of the bulls	Bakery
We stopped in a fascinating gourmet food shop and were given some samples and most of our group bought things to take home.  I bought two Navarra (the region we are in) dark chocolate bars, one with sloe berries.
Gourmet food store	Gourmet food store
Gourmet food store - Chocolate	Gourmet food store - Tinned foods
Gourmet food store - Basarana liquor	Running of the bulls photo
Route of the bulls - ends at the bull ring	Judith and OAT then treated us to a morning coffee at Cafe Iruna on the central square.  The adjacent bar is where Hemmingway sat and drank.  There is a full-sized statue of him standing at the bar.
Iruna Restaurant - Hemmingway favorite	Iruna Restaurant - Hemmingway favorite
Iruna Restaurant - Hemmingway statue	Big heads and giants
We rode on the bus for 1½ hours to the start of the “Way of St. James” at the French border at Burguete.  We walked down the hill on the dirt path to the town of Roncesvalles, about one mile away.          At Roncesvalles we had another multicourse meal and then walked another mile of the Way through the Witches’ Woods.  Evidently witch covens were once held in these woods.  I got our “Camino de Santiago” passports stamped in Roncesvalles.  The stamps record how much of the pilgrimage you have walked (not much, in our case).  Some hikers walk the whole 800 km from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostella, walking 25 km (about 15.5 miles) a day.	St. James Way plaque
View at start of hike	Marker to Roland at start - 778 to 1967
Way of St. James trail marker - sea shell symbol	The trail
Trail with horse droppings - makes hiking so pleasant	Walking through the horses
Roncesvalles - Lunch	Lunch
Lunch	This sign probably gives pilgrims pause
Trail markers	The Sorginaritzaga forest area
Sign for the Cross of Roland in the Sorginaritzaga forest area	Cross of Roland in the Sorginaritzaga forest area

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