Monday May 30th

Today dawned cloudy and chilly.  We had our early morning “route” meeting, and we were anxious to begin.  As we gathered in the hotel courtyard, a feeling of excitement and anticipation filled the air.

Our ride would take us back to Pamplona, through small towns and villages.  I was a little skeptical when one directive on the cue sheet read, “Road goes up”.  Shortly after we began, it started to rain -ugh- but the morning and the ride were young, so on we went.  Having had the blessing of the night before, we were pretty certain, the sky would clear.

 

We experienced some pretty steep hills, and whenever we saw the van waiting on the side of the road (with snacks and water), it was like seeing an oasis in the desert.  When the sun finally broke, we could appreciate the landscape and the beauty of our surroundings.

 

We made it to the parking lot of a small rest area, which was the beginning of the camino.  Here we were to wait for Rosita, who would then escort us directly into Pamplona.  She took us on a protected bike path into the city.  A few ups and downs, footbridge crossings, but on the whole, easily negotiated.  The weather had changed once again, and I’m always concerned about slipping.  When we exited the trail, we were in the city proper, actually biking on sidewalks.  This proved to be a little dangerous.

 

Pamplona was a walled city during the middle ages, and some of these walls were rebuilt in the 17^th century.

 

We checked into the Grand Hotel La Perla, which was beautiful.  Robes, slippers, huge shower with all kinds of sprays - great accommodations.

 I ventured to the cathedral with Jane and Darryl to get our passport stamped.  There is a museum and cloister attached and we spent some time wandering around marveling at the antiquity and opulence.  This was one of those cathedrals built on the site of an earlier church.  A section of the museum was dedicated to the artifacts found during the rebuilding.  When bones were found, an excavation ensued, and a museum section was built around this excavation.  You could walk above it, and it was quite fascinating, even if I couldn’t read the explanation placards in Spanish.

 

While I was exploring the cathedral, Lenny, along with Conrad and Glenn were discovering a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway.  Thanks goodness it wasn’t time for the running of the bulls, or they might have decided to run!!  Needless to say, they had a great time.

Dinner was at a restaurant where we sampled seven different pintxos.  We started with a type of pea soup served in a very different style bowl.  It looked like a stone.  We did have dessert, but the middle of the meal - lost!

Early evening, for an early morning call, however, there were those of us who set their alarms for 3 am.  My San Franciscan friends are die-hard Warrior fans.  They got up to watch the game, that Glenn streamed for them.  Good thing they won!