Guiding Pilgrims

Friday, May 5, 2017--Pamplona

My jar of Catalonia salsa wasn't bad this morning, although homemade would have been better.  I cut some slices of bread and started eating one with the salsa.  It was so good that I ate another.  Then another.  I had planned to fry a couple of eggs and to have some cheese with some of the bread, but this salsa is so good.  Here are a couple of recipes if anyone wants to try making their own to spread on toast and drizzle with olive oil:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/how-to-make-pan-con-tomate.html

http://chefinyou.com/2013/05/28/pan-con-tomate/

It is so much fun watching the pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago come through town, especially since many of them pass right in front of my apartment.  I believe the Cathedral across the street is one of the check-in points where they can get their passports stamped to show they walked the trail. 

This morning after exploring the walls of the city (Pamplona is considered to have some of the best preserved walls in all of Spain), I walked outside the walls to the Puente de la Magdalena, a bridge from the 1600s that is part of the trail for the pilgrims.  Many people were already passing it.  All tend to have backpacks.  Many have walking sticks.  Some bike the trail rather than walking it, since it is wide and even includes roadways at times.  I saw one biker with a GoPro camera on his biking helmet; I don't know if he was live-broadcasting his trip over the Internet or if he was just recording it to have for later. 

There is a point just after they pass the bridge where there are two trails leading to the walls of the city.  I stood there a while directing everyone to take the one to the French Gate which is the official entry point for people walking the trail.  I eventually walked with two Italian men from Bari.  I took a photo of them together at the gate and directed them to the Cathedral after we entered the city.  They have until May 29 to make it to Santiago de Compostelo; that's the date that their flight returns them home to Italy. 

After the siesta hours, I went back out.  I explored the Plaza del Castillo, the main plaza of the city and the location of the Cafe Iruna, the place where Ernest Hemingway frequented while living here.  It was his story, The Sun Also Rises, which made the running of the bulls popular.  I also went to see the statue that commemorates the running of the bulls.  After that, I headed to Parque de la Taconera, a very beautiful city park just outside the walls of the old town which has nice formal flower gardens throughout it.  The chestnut trees were blooming which is always a beautiful sight to see in Europe in May.  The tulips had all disappeared, but other flowers formed beautiful displays throughout the park.  Just beside the park, I went into Church of San Lorenzo which has a chapel dedicated to San Fermin, the local patron saint whose festival is when they have the running of the bulls.

I made pintxos here at the apartment again tonight using cheese, dried ham, and olives and had them for my dinner with the rest of the local bottle of wine I opened last night.  As I ate, I sat with the double doors open on my balcony looking onto the Cathedral across the street.