Best layover yet

Having decided to move on from San Sebastián, we planned out the bus-hopping route that would get us from there up into the high Pyrenees. The first two legs included a five-hour wait in Pamplona. We thought we’d be missing that city (a sad reality of traveling, having to skip places you’d go if you had more time), so we were excited to have at least a bit of time there. The bus station had a place to leave luggage and was in the middle of town (why can’t it be like this in the US?), so we dropped off our bags and set off to roam the city.

Fresh off the bus, Amber elected to snooze in the sun. Matt went wandering through the Ciudadela, the 16^th-century citadel that’s now a big park. The whole area is enclosed by 40-foot high stone walls, and right after stepping through the gate, the noise of the city and its traffic disappeared. It was a lovely and beautiful refuge from all the movement and chaos outside.

We spent a good couple of hours in the Plaza del Castillo, the main city square, where old men in wool berets sat joking with each other on the benches, and young families with kids in strollers ambled by. We returned to the Plaza later for lunch, at an outdoor table in a nice sunny spot. Almost all of the plazas we’ve encountered (in Madrid, San Sebastián, Pamplona) have bars and restaurants around the outside, and on nice days, they put out tables and serve food and drinks. Some of the places seem to not even have indoor seating. They just have a kitchen tucked away somewhere and send out waiters to the “terraza”, as they call it. These places make for fantastic people-watching, and we’ve been hitting them often for coffee, lunch, and the occasional snack.

While enjoying such a lunch in Pamplona, we were treated to a wonderful display of urban birdlife. First a pair of storks circled low overhead, slowly making their way over the city. These huge black-and-white birds bring babies to expecting parents, nest on chimneys, rooftops, and other high points, and can often be seen perched up on their massive stick nests. Also cruising around the rooftops was a Red Kite, a bird that even non-birders can admire from afar.

We also checked out some of the city’s more popular sights – the cathedral, the old city walls (which presented great views out over much of the city), the narrow streets where the running of the bulls occurs, and the bullfighting stadium (which was actually quite impressive). Then we scurried back to the bus station, wishing we had another hour or two to explore the city. Even with several months, we feel the pressure of time constantly.