Pamplona, Spain - July 1995

Brief History/Information

Pamplona (Spanish: Pamplona; Basque: Iruña) is best known worldwide for the annual San Fermín Festival and its famous running of the bulls. Before Roman settlement, the area was inhabited by the Vascones, ancestors of many modern Basque people.

The San Fermin Festival

Pamplona's most famous event is the San Fermín Festival, held every year from July 6–14.

Key features include:

• Encierro (Running of the Bulls): Participants run ahead of bulls through narrow streets toward the bullring.

• Religious processions honoring Saint Fermín.

• Music, dancing, parades, fireworks, and traditional dress (white clothing with red scarves).

What we did

After a brief lunch stop in Zaragoza, we continued the drive and drove 1.5 hours to Pamplona. We came here specifically for the Pamplona Bull Run (the Encierro). We checked into the Hotel Maisonnave right by where the Encierro takes place. After we checked into the hotel, we decided to walk the path of the running of the bulls in order to get a clear understanding of the run. A nice little point is that there were a lot of American people that looked like Ernest Hemingway! After walking the path, we ended up at the finish, which is the bull ring, so we bought some tickets for the next bull fight. We went to the Windsor pub and then went to an excellent restaurant called Casa Mauleon. We went to Bar -Txoko- Taberna and had two pickers of sangria.

The (first) day of the running!. Everybody was nervous, and just like that - everybody started running. All Greg thought about was how stupid I am for doing this – also there are no exits.

Major Attractions

• Plaza de Toros (bull ring) - buy tickets for a bull fight.

• Pamplona Cathedral — a Gothic cathedral with a neoclassical façade.

• Citadel of Pamplona — a large 16th-century military fortress.

• Plaza del Castillo — the city's historic social center.

• City Walls of Pamplona — among the best-preserved military defenses in Spain.

• Sections of the Camino de Santiago passing through the city.