Mass and Festival

Saturday, May 6, 2017--Pamplona

The Cathedral is across the street from my apartment.  As I sit at my table talking, I can see the facade and people coming and going.  Most churches here in Spain charge for admission, but my guidebook said that it would be free if I went before 10:30, so this morning I pushed myself to get dressed and walk over there.  It was about 9:50, and a mass that started at 9:30 was going on.  There were 4 priests conducting the mass and about 12 parishioners there for it!  The best part was that an organist was playing, so besides seeing how beautiful the church is inside, I sat and enjoyed the music.

After eating breakfast, I headed out again.  I could hear a band playing in the nearby streets, so I followed the sound.  It was obviously a Catalan band from the dress--berets, triangular neck scarves, etc.  It was an accordion/percussionist band named Auzoeneko Trikitilariak.  But after following them, I came across more activity--a group of people wearing huge costumes with paper mache heads twirling and dancing through the streets.  Then I came across a large group of people being led in singing what sounded like patriotic Catalan songs; the leader held up a sign with a number on it, and the singers had songbooks and turned to that song number to sing.  They sounded great.  Later in the afternoon, I came across people dressed in native costumes and two more bands--another accordion band taking a break and a band called Pena Oberena which was a mostly brass band like the ones I heard in previous city festivals.  I checked on-line to see why there was all this entertainment, and the city is having a Folk-Life Festival today. 

While out, I went to Layana Confiteria.  The owner of my apartment had said it is the best place in today for the specialty cookies (called pastas here) that are part of the reputation the city has for good eats.  I bought 200 g of associated cookies, and they truly are good.  I ate half of them at Parque de la Media Luna and have the rest to eat tonight after my dinner.

I came home to bring the rest of the cookies and some bread I bought for dinner.  While here, I read the last few pages of The Turner House by Angela Flournoy.  It was on the short list for the National Book Award in 2015.  It is the story of a Black family that moved to Detroit from Arkansas to try to have a better life.  It follows the family to about 2008 as inner-city Detroit goes through riots, white flight, neighborhoods burning, etc., and as the family has 13 children who grow up to have children and grandchildren of their own.  I stretched it a bit to give the book 4 stars out of 5; I see that the average rating is about 3.6 out of 5 which may be about right.

Before dinner, I went back out on the streets.  There were crowds everywhere.  One small plaza where Calle Navarreria turns two blocks from my apartment is very popular with young students who sit on the sidewalk and in the doorways of the buildings drinking beers they have bought at grocery stores instead of at the bars.  It's always fun to walk through there to see who is around.  Then I passed through the main plaza of the city where many people were sitting enjoying the warm sunshine.  And finally I walked down Calle Estefeta, the street where there are many tapas bars and where they have the running of the bulls during the annual festival here.