Pamplona

Yesterday I was disappointed not to see the storks nest in the bell tower which I remembered from my visit to Puente la Reina three years ago. I found out at breakfast that two nests had been removed and carefully placed on top of a nearby derelict building where they were less of a hazard. I’m not sure if the danger was to the storks or people. I had a couple of hours to fill before the bus to Pamplona hoping to see them, unfortunately they were clearly out and about hunting.

The bus was 15 minutes late and almost full. By chance I had booked my ticket and was the only person allowed on. Extremely annoying for the others who would have had to wait another four hours for the next one.

I arrived in Pamplona and spent the day being a tourist. In May 2023 I arrived in the middle of the triathlon, and a heatwave, when many of the streets and attractions were closed. Today it was refreshingly cool. The cathedral de Santa la Real de Pamplona was impressive and included a magnificent cloister, diocesan museum and a bell ringer’s house - extra.

I had a decent late lunch, checked into my hotel room and explored the city walls following the Camino route from the river that had been cordoned off in 2023. A group of young lads were drawing quite a crowd as they jumped from the Puente de la Magdalena into the river Arga. It looked a lot of fun, and suspect safe enough since the water appeared to be very deep.