Pinchos in San Sebastian

Last weekend I braved the cold, wet weather and headed for San Sebastian on the coast. Regardless of what the weather is doing, San Sebastian is usually an uplifting place to go to. It has some wonderful Pinchos restauarants – the best in northern Spain. Pinchos are little snacks – usually a mixture of bread, ham, fish, peppers, sausages - that you have with a drink. They’re so tasty, it’s difficult to stop at just one, and sometimes they look like works of art. My favourite pinchos bar is this one pictured, in the old town of San Sebastian. A group of us were all crammed in there eating the pinchos, with a couple of dogs eyeing the counter, hoping to get a scrap or two. I think I ate about five!

Cute dog… I wanted to take him home!

Street photography in Barcelona

Before the Christmas holidays I headed to Barcelona for a few days. The weather was gorgeous - a lot warmer than Pamplona – and the city buzzing with Christmas shoppers, tourists and families enjoying the December holiday that fell during this period.

During my stay I met up with a Spanish photographer friend, Jordi. I first met Jordi while backpacking around Eastern Europe. Jordi gave up his job as an astrophysicist a number of years ago to become a full time photographer, and has since travelled widely with his work, particularly in Latin America. His most recent trip saw him spend three months travelling up the Amazon, from its mouth to its source in the Peruvian Andes.

We went on a walk around Barcelona and I picked up some tips in street photography. Here are some of the shots he took, which I think nicely capture different aspects of this colourful city…

Iglesia de Santa Maria de Eunate

A few weeks ago, on a sunny Sunday evening in late autumn, I visited this lovely little Romanesque church with a couple of friends.

Iglesia de Santa Maria de Eunate sits along in a field on the Camino de Santiago route, providing shelter and rest for pilgrims as well as being a place of worship.

As the sun set, the shadows of the arches fell across the walls and the stone ground. The three of us spent a long while walking around the church, which is octagonal in shape, taking photos and basking in the warm glow of the sun and the serenity of the place.

I can imagine how it must feel for a pilgrim, having walked for days, to come across this little church in the middle of nowhere, and to find sanctuary and refuge here before continuing the journey.

Pamplona to Estella

Last weekend I walked another stretch of the Camino, this time in the right direction – to Santiago, not France. With the Scallop shell as our guide (the symbol of the Camino de Santiago), we walked from Pamplona to the village of Puente la Reine the first day (roughly 24km), and a further 22 km to Estella the second day.

Leaving the Pyrenees behind us, we passed through gorgeous villages such as Obanos and Lorca, where we got out little Camino books stamped, a differently designed stamp for each place. We picked fruit and herbs too – rosehip, almonds, berries and rosemary. The weather was lovely both days – clear and crisp, with bright autumnal colours all along the way.

On the Sunday evening we stayed overnight in Puente la Reine, in a small hostel that was once a convent. It was just 4 Euro…proof that a pilgrim doesn’t need to spend too much on the Camino. It was basic accommodation, but sufficient.

There we met a young Korean girl, who had given herself 50 days to walk the ‘Camino Frances’ route from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago. It was her first time in Spain. She said she decided take time out of work and walk the Camino because she needed time to think. I really admired her – it must take a lot of courage to set off on a journey like that alone, in a foreign country, with very little English or Spanish.

After the first day I felt as though I was getting into a rhythm with the walking. I can see how doing this pilgrimage in one go must make a deep impression on someone. The hours of walking, the thinking, the weight of the bag on your back…but also the friends made along the way, the satisfaction of reaching each destination, and walking a route that so many pilgrims have trod over the centuries. Just after two days I felt very inspired.

First steps on the Camino

Pamplona to Villava

Trinidad de Arre

The longer I’m here in Pamplona here the more excited – and privileged – I feel to eliving on the Camino de Santiago trail. Every time I see a pilgrim walking through Pamplona, with back pack, and walking pole, I feel really envious.

So last Sunday afternoon I decided to walk a short section of it from Pamplona with my flatmate Ivett. Heading out from the city, following the shell signs that mark the Camino, we went in the direction of a village called Villava, on the outskirts of the Pamplona. By mistake we went in the direction of France, not Santiago, so against the flow of pilgrims!

Headed out through the city walls, we passed alongside allotments, farmland and a run-down gypsy area, before arriving in Villava, also known as the Trinidad de Arre.  In the village we came to a lovely medieval bridge and an old pilgrims’ hostel, once a hospital for pilgrims. Crossing the old bridge we passed a few pilgrims who were probably stopping off at the hostel for the night.

From here we looped to Pamplona… a perfect way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, and gentle introduction to the pilgrimage.

San Sebastian

The weather here in Spain has been amazing lately. It’s supposed to be a lot cooler at this time of year in northern Spain, but lately it’s been in the mid 20′s, and sunny skies everyday. To make the most of it I visited San Sebastian recently, an hour away on the bus from Pamplona. The bus ride itself was amazing - sweeping views of mountains on all sides (the region is on the edge of the Pyrenees), and then the coast (the Atlantic) opening up as we arrived in San Sebastain. The city has a rather glamourous feel to it. The old town is stunning, with quaint churches and lovely piazzas, and there is a lovely large beach here too. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

 

Escape to the desert

After a rather strenuous first week of teaching Spanish kids, I went on a mini road trip today with a few other teachers to a semi-desert area about an hours’ drive south of Pamplona.

Compared to the lushness of Pamplona, the landscape of the area, called the Parque Natural de las Bardenas Reales was quite a contrast. It stretches for miles, as far as the eye can see, and has these odd looking plateaus and gullies dotted over the dusty, windswept terrain. It was a bit like something from a Star Wars movie. So we spent some time scrambling up the odd hill and taking in the panoramic views from the top.

On the way back we stopped off at the city of Tudela, a rather attractive city that has been home to Arabs, Christians and Jews for 400 hundred years. With these different religious influences, it’s an interesting city to wander around. There is also a big statue of Christ on a hilltop nearby, looking down over the city.

Exploring Pamplona

I’ve been in Pamplona a few days now and feel I’m gradually getting to know the city. It’s certainly all a change from London…new job, new flat, new housemates etc.

Pamplona has hills on all sides, which is a lovely change from living in a big, sprawling city. The weather can be pretty temperamental. It was 30 degrees when I arrived and now it’s down to 16! I think it’s due to be near the Atlantic and having mountains (the Pyrenees) nearby too.

The city is prettier than I thought it would be, and bigger. The old town is a colourful maze of cobbled streets, and the new town is smart with lots of big shops, food markets, fountains and parks. The streets are really clean and the standard of living seems generally very high here.

My room that has a balcony overlooking the cobbled streets below – the streets that bulls run down every July during the San Fermin festival. Unfortunately the building opposite is being renovated, so I can hear building works most days. I have no idea when it all started, or when it could end…as it seems they’re renovating every balcony in the building!

Building works aside, it’s lovely to have a balcony. I can people watch, spy on people eating their tapas. I can also see pilgrims with their big rucksacks passing through the city en route to Santiago.

Leaving London

After three years of toying with the idea of working abroad, I’m finally doing it –in a few days’ time I’ll be headed to Pamplona in northern Spain, where I’ll be living and working for 9 months as an EFL teacher.

I know a few things about Pamplona, but not a great deal. It’s a fairly small city, with a population of around 200,000; has a world famous annual bull running festival – las festia de San Fermin, and has the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route passing through. I believe it’s the first city that pilgrims arrive at from France, so I might be encountering the odd pilgrim here and there during my stay! It’s also fairly near the coast, the nearest coastal town being San Sebastian, and has the Pyrenees pretty much on its door step – so hopefully there’ll be plenty of opportunity for hiking / climbing.

Although Spain isn’t exactly far away, it seems a big step to be uprooting, even if just for nine months. It’s only now that I’m leaving, with all the packing up and the goodbye’s, that I realise how rooted in London life I’ve become during the past eight years. I’m appreciating everything around me more than ever, now the various props of my life here are gradually being removed. It feels like a hard step but a necessary one, and I’m looking forward to seeing what new things lie ahead.