Resting on Memorial Day!

Chapel of the Cross
Note the Pilgrim's Prayer on the kneeler.

Well my sunny respite ended as I awoke to a rainy Pamplona.  I am not as upset about it since I am only touring the city and not walking the next 16 miles to Puenta La Reina till tomorrow.  I am so glad I have this extra day to let my body recuperate a bit.  Besides it's a holiday in the States and I rested accordingly.  So I left my backpack in the hotel and headed back to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Real to celebrate Mass (for the deceased of the armed forces) and offer some prayers.  They have a wonderful Blessed Sacrament chapel and I think Spaniards sleep in as a rule.  I had the same sacristan, Carlos, who was expecting me.

Pamplona is really two cities:  one within the old fortified walls very much touristy and more bustling communities outside the walls and ramparts.  Pilgrims were very well represented and they, of course, are easy to spot.   If the size of their packs don’t give it away, the mud on their boots will.  They are either passing through or have started their days journey in Pamplona.

My San Fermin Outfit for July

There are some truly stunning buildings here.  But Pamplona’s fame in now linked to the feast of Saint Fermin and the “Running of the Bulls.”  Ernest Hemingway I guess introduced it to the English-speaking world in "The Sun Also Rises" and it has grown in fervor and popularity.  It is the big draw without a doubt.  But surprisingly almost as many pilgrims on the way to Compostela pass through each year as come to the Running of the Bulls in early July.

Happy Memorial Day.
May They Rest in Peace!

Arena in the Plaza del Toro
All the bulls end up here