Monday 13th April
We could hear it raining but got ready to go out and get wet, however there was just one shower and I was in the Cathedral at the time! I’d left Richard and Rio sitting in the sunshine and came out to find them sheltering from the rain. That was the only rain we had though it was a chilly 9 degrees.
I had heard about an elevator going up to the town but hadn’t followed it up, however we came across a very strange cave like entrance with glass doors across it. I noticed the name Otis on a button and realised we had found the elevator, only it was a modern day funicular! Because Pamplona is built on a plateau surrounded by lower-lying neighborhoods, the city has several other "urban lifts" that function as public transit.
Our first port of call was to have a look at the Town Hall which is one of the most iconic buildings in the city, famous worldwide as the site where the "Chupinazo" rocket is fired to mark the beginning of the San Fermín festival every July 6th. The festival is one of the largest street parties in the world, transforming the city from a quiet provincial capital of 200,000 into a sea of over a million people dressed in white and red. Everyone wears white clothes with a red neckerchief (pañuelico) and a red sash (faja). However you don't tie your neckerchief until after the Chupinazo rocket goes off on the 6th! The bull running is part of the festival.
Today in the Town Hall Square were some protesters, but they were peaceful. There was a bit of “what do we want”, but then there was silence. As we left the Square music started and the protesters all started singing! Apparently in many Spanish cities, including Pamplona, pensioner movements hold regular Monday morning rallies to demand pension increases linked to the CPI (cost of living index).
Of course, we wanted to visit the bull ring. I had emailed them to make sure it was dog friendly and they welcome dogs. However, even though I checked the opening times that was for a Sunday (we were a day late getting to Pamplona) and it is closed on a Monday. I could not believe it and was gutted and cross with myself.
We walked to the Plaza de Castillo. I shouldn’t say it was a disappointment but it was after Salamanca, however there were some very attractive properties. BUT the good thing was that I found a Tabac that sold stamps to the UK and there was a post box two minutes away. Now the big question, will we get home before the cards reach their destinations?
We really should have gone to Salamanca last as I’m not sure anywhere will match up to it in my eyes. Pamplona Cathedral, the Catedral Metropolitana de Santa María la Real de Pamplona, looks rather austere from the outside but it got better once I was inside. There were lots of little chapels with some pretty amazing reredos (look it up!!). In the nave is the royal tomb of King Charles III "the Noble" and Queen Eleanor of Castile. The main altar is behind bars but I managed to get my camera between them to take a photo.
The tradition of Gigantes y Cabezudos (Giants and Big-heads) is seen all over Spain, though it is particularly strong in the northern regions like Navarre (where we were), Aragon, and Catalonia. In Pamplona the giants come out for the San Firmin Festival. In the cathedral are two modern day giants: Alejandro and Elena (The Kings of the West). The original giants which were used for the Corpus Christi processions as far back as the 16th century were lost in the mid 1800s. The modern day giants are "high-tech" giants—their eyes were 3D modeled and printed to look incredibly realistic, and their clothing was made using geometry patterns from 1618. They were unveiled in late 2025.
We sort out the Monumento al Encierro (Monument to the Running of the Bulls. It consists of 11 bulls (6 fighting bulls and 5 bullocks/steers) and 10 runners (mozos). It is 36 feet long and 13 feet wide. We found it rather realistic but macabre.
Our rumbling tummies told us it was lunchtime. We found a restaurant in the Plaza de Castillo that had a good menu del dia. We had a Spanish cheese and avocado salad to start with, Iberian pork rib for main and then Torreja for desert. This is stale, thick bread soaked in milk (infused with cinnamon and lemon peel) until it is almost falling apart. It is then dipped in beaten egg and fried. This was served with custard and ice cream. The description on the menu was “fried milk and custard”! Add a bread roll, half a bottle of wine and coffee and the cost? €25 (£21.50) each.
We wandered back to Kiwi and collapsed - 3.8 miles
Tuesday 14th April
It was time to dig out my vests! It was only 9 degrees yesterday and it looks like the same today.
We left Pamplona after putting it on the “we will return to” list, but I will make sure it’s not a Monday next time! In fact I must remember that Monday is not the day to go sightseeing.
We headed off towards the Pyrenees. The sun was shining and sky was blue giving us beautiful views of the mountains, some with snow on.
We went to the supermarket in Jaca and were surprised at the amount of blocks of flats which all looked shut up. Jem told me that Jaca is considered the "snow capital" of the Spanish Pyrenees, though it is technically a mountain city that serves as the main hub for nearby ski resorts rather than being a "ski-in/ski-out" resort itself. It is located about 25–30 minutes away from two of the most historic ski resorts in Spain, Astún and Candanchú. In Jaca is the Ice Pavilion (Pabellón de Hielo), a world-class facility with two ice rinks (one Olympic-sized). It has hosted world championships in ice hockey and figure skating. I wondered if the Winter Olympics had ever been held there but apparently Jaca is often called the "eternal candidate" for the Winter Olympics. While it is a world-class winter sports hub, it has never actually hosted the main Olympic Games, despite trying 4 times.
Canfranc isn’t far from Jaca and then Canfranc Estacion is a few minutes further north. We had seen the Estacion on TV so were very interested to see it in real life. Opened in 1928, it was a massive engineering feat. Because it sits on the border between Spain and France, the station had to be enormous to house two of everything, two customs offices, two national police stations, and two post offices. It is 725 feet long (nearly as long as the Titanic) and features 365 windows—one for every day of the year. The station building is now a unique luxury hotel destination that seamlessly blends 20th century history with modern high-end hospitality. There was a big problem with the trains as Spain and France used different railway gauges. Every passenger and all cargo had to be physically moved from one train to another at this station, which is why it needed so much space and so many workers.
During World War II, Canfranc became a real-life Casablanca. Between 1942 and 1943, roughly 86 tons of Nazi gold passed through the station, hidden in crates on their way from Switzerland to Spain and Portugal in exchange for tungsten (wolfram). Before the Nazis occupied the French side of the station in 1942, it was a vital escape route for Jews and Allied soldiers fleeing occupied Europe. The French Resistance and British intelligence operated a spy network out of the station, using a local transit official to smuggle messages across the border.
The station's international life ended abruptly in 1970. A French freight train carrying corn derailed on the French side, destroying the L’Estanguet bridge. France decided not to rebuild it, effectively cutting the line.
Today deep in the tunnels beneath the mountains, is the Canfranc Underground Laboratory where scientists use the silence and rock-shielding to study dark matter and neutrinos.
We wandered round the grounds and couldn’t quite work out what was what. However we watched a YouTube video in the evening and realised that the trains must have come in on the other side of hotel! You can get guided tours so we will do that next time as Canfranc is n the list to come back as there is much more to see than the station.
Wednesday 15th April
It was a glorious morning, blue skies, sunshine and snow capped mountains, plus it wasn’t cold.
A quick top up with fuel as it is cheaper in Spain (€1.96) as the government are subsidising it.
It was then into the Somport Tunnel to take us under the Pyrenees and into France. When the rail tunnel closed in the 1970s the only way to travel was by car or lorry across the winding mountain pass (Col du Somport). Following a new treaty in 1991, construction began on a dedicated road tunnel. It was built parallel to the old rail tunnel and opened on January 17th 2003. At 5.3 miles, it remains the longest road tunnel in Spain. I got a text message from EE when we were about half way through, saying welcome to France. That was the only way we knew we had crossed the border as there were no signs!
As we exited the tunnel we were met by wonderful scenery as we drove down the valley and out of the Pyrenees. We stopped for coffee and sat on a little bridge taking in the wonderful scenery.
It was a long drive, 163 miles and well over 4 hours. Usually there is a motorway or a good dual carriageway, but today was all two way road with lots and lots of roundabouts! Richard actually felt tired and I took over the driving for the last hour - that doesn’t happen very often as Richard admits he is a bad passenger!
We took Rio to the beach, he just loves the beach and was so excited when he realised where he was. He just ran and ran, loving the freedom and the feel of the sand beneath his feet! It was all right for Rio - he has four feet, we only have two and the sand was very soft getting onto the beach which made the going pretty tough! However it was a lovely beach and Rio really enjoyed himself.
