Blogs from Navarre, Spain, Europe - page 27

Ok, so I definitely did not plan on heading to Pamplona to run with the bulls - it was always one of those things that I’d watch on T.V and think - wow, that looks like something smart to do  But, while in Valencia I passed up the offer to go with someone.. so when I met Steph and Dave’s friend Mark in Madrid who was heading to Pamplona to meet up with his friends and run with the bulls I thought, this must be a sign  Overall it was a great experience, I got to meet and hang out with Mark’s friends who were awesome and together we formed a group of 4 %100 Canadians. The festival itself of San Fermin was incredible - Everyone took part from young to old and ... read more

Hi My name is Vaca, I am a cow and I live in Spain. Being a cow in Spain isn't the same as being a cow in any other country in the world because every year in July the Spaniards hold the San Fermin Festival aka The Running of the Bulls. Sanfermines, held in honour of Saint Fermin, the patron saint of Pamplona and Navarre now attracts visitors from all over the world... visitors hoping to run with the bulls and survive, witness a bull fight and party all night long. Well thats all well and good. If your not a bull. Or a cow for that matter. Every year I see my friends, my husbands, my brothers and sons go off to take part in this madness. Theres no stopping them, there is a lot ... read more

Arrived in the UK on the 2nd, spending a few days catching up with Bernie and Shaun in Preston before flying out to Madrid for a nine day adventure through Spain with Karen and Mick. Our first few hours in Madrid was spent trying to navigate the maze of motorways to find our caravan park. Mick did a fantastic job of driving the motorhome through heavy traffic....all on the opposite side of the road! Spain was a very pretty place with fantastic weather in the central parts. Our South East Asian body thermometers didn't really appreciate a little bit cooler weather on the coast but the scenery certainly made up for it. We explored some of the towns to the north and west of Madrid including Salamanca, Burgos and the northern coast before arriving in Pamplona ... read more

The next morning we begged and pleaded with the nazi-lady who managed the refuge to let us stay another night, because Ezra was still sick. We even had proof of it because a spanish girl that we'd been drinking sangria with the previous night was a doctor. But nazi-lady would not hear of it. We were kicked out of the refuge. Poor Ezra was in bad shape. We were sitting outside the albergue (another word for refuge), looking tired and miserable, and we got to chatting to a very interesting Italian journalist who was doing the camino by bike. He told us that the next refuge was only a few klms away. So we decided that our only option, other than paying 15 euros each for a hostel in Pampalona, was to walk to this refuge. ... read more

Well, I guess this is my catchup entry, for I have not written anything in almost a month. I will do my best to give a synopsis of the whirlwind that has been the last twenty-plus overstimulating days. I left the flat and happy Po River valley in Italy, which seems to be the only flat place in the country, and embarked on my largest climb by bicycle to date. Picking a backroad off of my map, I chose my path over the Alpenines to the Mediterranean. From about sea level, I climbed 8,500 feet in 40 miles to the summit of a road that never should have been paved through the mountains, which were surprisingly inhabted by people living in towns that never should have been built. Lest I decended. Every turn was 180 degrees, ... read more