Pamplona

Saturday 18 June - Pamplona

We woke up at about 7:30 to a cold but dry morning, the temp about 14°C. As soon as we were ready we headed out to have a breakfast of pastries and Café con leche - delicious! We then walked to the city walls and the drawbridge. Amazing views! 

We wandered down a beautiful alley to the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Real. We never went inside, but the exterior was very beautiful. We got our first sellos here! 

Sellos are rubber stamps. As a pilgrim (peregrino) walks the Camino they have their pilgrim's passport (Credencial) stamped at places of accommodation, such as albergues, as well as in churches and cathedrals, and various food establishments. Each place has a unique sello.

We then wandered the lovely, narrow streets to Cafe Iruna, a beautiful art deco establishment, where we had a brief interlude with Ernest Hemingway and the most delicious eat-with-a-spoon hot chocolate. 

Next we wandered to Plaza de Toros, tried not to think about the bull-fights, found a geocache and got caught in a freezing cold rain-shower. It got SO cold. I was colder than I can ever recall being in my life - no exaggeration! We eventually stopped at a café to have a hot drink and a bite to eat as I swear I felt the beginnings of hypothermia! Once the rain had stopped and we had thawed out a little we headed to Casa Consistorial, the beautiful town hall where we had one of those serendipitous moments and caught a folk dance being performed. 

So lovely! Then we slowly made our way back to our hotel for a siesta. After a long relax we went down to the bar for a couple of drinks and dinner.