Now You Tell Me

Pamplona, Spain
We decided to treat ourselves and take a rest day in Pamplona. Sleeping in was such a luxury! Then it was off to run errands, like being on the doorstep of the laundry for an honest to goodness washing machine after doing the honors by hand since arrival. There's a medieval festival in town and the streets are filled with venders of all sorts and performers. Stalls of beautiful produce, baked goods to include loaves of bread the size of flat watermelons, spices and herbs for every ailment, candles and soaps, and the list goes on. People are everywhere, shopping, greeting their friends, and enjoying the action. We found a sporting goods store to pick up a few items and had a delightful conversation with the proprietor. He complimented me on my Spanish but said I had a Venezuelan accent. No big surprise, as that's where I learned Spanish. We got into a discussion on accents, and just like the USA, people from different parts of Spain speak differently. Evidently a British couple who live in Andalusia (Southern Spain) and frequent the store provide quite a bit of amusement from a linguistic perspective. The proprietor also asked where we started the Camino. When we told him St Jean Pied de Port, he laughed and asked how we enjoyed the climb over the Pyrenees. Seems most Spaniards avoid that part and start in Roncesvalles. Good to know! Once our errands were complete, we soaked up the local scene over coffee in an outdoor café on the plaza, right outside Hemingway's Hotel Perla. Great place to observe the running of the bulls, but a little pricey for our blood. We explored the ancient part of the city, tracing the path of the running of the bulls to the finish at Plaza del Toros. We went to a restaurant with a reputation for terrific pinxtos (think hors d'oeuvres on steroids) and ended up with a 3 course feast. We essentially spent our "rest" day walking around Pamplona, putting in a mere 5 miles on the feet.Read more