Pamplona Iruna

The name Pamplona is thought to originate from times of Roman occupation by Julius Caesar's rival Pompey around 75BC. The city is also know as Iruna and is one of the three Southern French or Northern Spainish cities that form part of the Basque cultural region.

Our apartment on Calle Curia was so centrally located everything I needed to do on my rest day was no more than 50m away. While Pamplona becomes the centre of the world for a day or two during the running of the bulls, the rest of the year it remains a lovely ancient city worthy of a visit for it well presented cathedral that displays a thousand years of history within its wall. There is access to many parts of the cathedral including the Roman foundations and mosaics, naves and many chapels of worship built in different eras. The modern displays brought parts of it history to life and the cloisters were an architectural delight.

I tried my first Spanish hot chocolate and while it looks good, it didn't live up to expectations but occupied me while I checked out a cafe famous for being frequented by Hemingway.

I have arranged to test out a pack porting service and while I have a long walk tomorrow, hopefully the lighter load will put a spring in my step or at least stop my feet from feeling like lead weights. Fingers crossed.Read more