Bagni di Lucca and Beyond

Pamplona is the capital of Navarre province in northern Spain. It is best known for the Running of the Bulls festival in July. We were there in April, so no bulls. It is also a major stop along the Camino de Santiago, a medieval-era pilgrimage route. We were not there to do that either.

In the winter of 75 – 74 BC the area was a camp for general Pompey in the war against  Sertorius. He is said the be the founder of Pompaelo, which became Pamplona. It is also called Iruna

Its most important religious building is the 14th century Gothic Catedral Metropolitana de Santa Maria la Real de Pamplona. Our hotel was close by so we walked there to take a look.

The current 15th century gothic church replaced the older Romanesque one. The Neoclassical facade was designed by Ventura Rodriguez in 1793

Take a look inside.

Another impressive building is the town hall. It dates from 1423, built under the direction of King Carlos III. It was renovated between 1753 and 1759.

An old pharmacy has been converted to a shop.

Not far away is the main square in Pamplona, Plaza del Castillo. It is large, 14,000 square metres, and is  surrounded by colourful and interesting historical buildings. Lining 3 sides of the plaza are cafe and restaurants. The bandstand in the centre was built in 1943 to replace a wooden one from 1910.

Walking a little further on we found the life size bronze sculpture, Monumento Al Encierro, designed  by Rafael Huerta of Bilbao. It celebrates the Bull Run. It was created in 1997 and expanded in 2007.

We walked along a long shopping street and found more stunning buildings, gardens, fountains and sculptures.

Of course we had to visit the street where Hemingway liked to drink and eat tapas, San Nicolas. The first time we went was Saturday night every place was crowded with people spilling out onto the street. We went back the next evening and it was much better.

We stayed at the Hotel Catedral on the edge of the town, just inside the city walls. The hotel is lovely and has a car park, with valet parking…what a bonus!

The pool area from our window.

It had a very nice restaurant, which was a good thing. Our first night was a Saturday and the street where Hemingway had is tapas was packed,  noisy and unappealing and we could find nothing much else.

The best part of the hotel was the delightful people working there. The reception and restaurant were excellent. If you go to Pamplona I suggest you stay at Hotel Catedral.

The hotel is near the edge of town and sits high above the new Pamplona, which is huge.

As you can see from the photos, the weather was not the best, but we enjoyed our visit to Pamplona despite the cold and rain.