Meson del Barro

Rincon de Rodín

by mikey_e

The Roncon de Rodín may seem like a quaint, old part of the Casco Antiguo, but don’t be fooled – it was all built in the latter half of the last century. The building here, called the Mesón del Caballo Blanco, was built from the remains of a variety of old buildings. This is really just a café or a restaurant (I’m not sure exactly what they serve, but being Spain they undoubtedly serve some sort of food). It’s actually a really nice quiet area in which to relax after sightseeing. It’s not that the rest of Pamplona is plagued by tourist mobs or hectic traffic, but rather that there is a wonderful breeze and lots of sunlight, which provides a nice change from the crowded streets of the Casco Antiguo.

Monumento a los Foros de Navarra

by mikey_e

The Monumento a los Fueros de Navarra seems like it might be rather unimportant, but, in fact, not only is the monument itself impressive, but the history behind it is also quite interesting. The Fueros (foroak in Basque) were a set of traditional codified laws according to which Basque and Navarrese leaders had ruled their peoples since the organization of political entities in the region. After the incorporation of Navarra and the Basque Country into the Spanish Crown, the Spanish monarchs – including the Catholic Kings – made a point of swearing to respect the Fueros and allow them to be applied to the Basque people and Navarra. As such, these laws were the bane of members of the royal families and the political classes who dreamed of a highly centralized state in which Spanish, and particularly Castilian law reigned supreme. During the Carlist Wars, the Navarrese and the Basque siding with the losing parties, who promised to respect the Fueros, and as a result they were banished after the end of the Wars. On 4 June 1893, a crowd of 17000 gathered at the end of the Paseo de Sarasate near the Diputación de Navarra to call for the return of the Fueros. It was an unauthorized demonstration that galvanized Basque and Navarrese opinion and the struggle for the recognition of their rights. To commemorate this, the Monumento a los Fueros was erected in 1903. It stands 25 metres tall and has several inscriptions at its base that recall the historic rights of the Crowns of Navarre and Castille, as well as Basque inscriptions reminded the Basques of their duty to retain their culture for their children. The middle part has statues representing the virtues and an engraving of the shield of Navarre, while the monument is crowned by a bronze statue of a woman holding the Fueros high. It is noteworthy that, with the restitution of democracy in 1977, Navarre’s name official became the Foral Community of Navarre.

Pamplona y Sanfermin,o la mejor fiesta del mundo!!

by ekletik

"7 de Julio Sanfermin!!!"

Sanfermín is probably the single most unique, renowned and celebrated festivals in the world today.
Outside of Spain too much people kwnow Sanfermin like "The Running Of The Bulls".
In Mexico like "La Pamplonada"
Is the single most characteristic event of the Fiesta of San Fermin. This is the event which has given the Fiesta world-wide fame.It is held at eight o'clock each morning from the 7th to the 14th of July inclusive. It consists largely of young men who run in front of the bulls to lead them from their pen up and into the bull-ring.
The length of the run is some 800 metres.
With the first rays of light of the early morning the wooden fencing which lines the route is closed off. Then the night-long revellers are gradully cleared from the streets which line the route by the local police.
A rocket goes off at the moment the bulls are let out into the street.
This is the moment of truth in the Bull-Running : the bulls run like the very devil. It´s impossible to race them or even keep up with them for very long. The way to do it is, to start off slowly when the bulls are still a good distance behind, and as they draw nearer start running like the devil, before they get too close, hang in near them for a short time, as near as you are prepared to risk your skin, and then get out of the way as cleanly as possible. Be careful not to cross the paths of other runners. Look for a gap in the fence to slip through or jump over, or a space against the wall of the street.

As well as the danger inherent in running in front of a bull (it's worth remembering that this is an animal which weights about 600 kilos - some 120 stone - and which has two big rock-hard horns which can cut through practically anything, not to mention possible bruising from just being stepped on, there is also the problem of overcrowding in the run. So you have to be careful not to get bowled over or knocked down by other runners. The crowding is particularly dense at the weekends where the number of visitors to the Fiesta more than doubles.
Once the bulls have gone past the run has finished for you and you feel a special satisfaction and relief that nothing has happened to you. That is, as long as a bull doesn't turn back when it gets separated from the others - something which does happen from time to time and which creates a potentially highly dangerous situation. When you hear a third rocket go off it is to let you know that all the bulls have arrived inside the ring and a fourth and final rocket is sent off when all the bulls have been safely led into their pens.

Between that first rocket and final rocket only a couple of minutes will normally have gone by - but what a couple of minutes !

Well, that's what the running of the bulls is all about. So if you have been up all night, think carefully about what is the best thing for you to do at that decisive moment - to drag your tired body off to bed, or to take the risk of running, or to find a safe place to watch the run from behind the fences.
The nightlife:
The Fiesta of San Fermin is largely lived by night. Many people start their day when they get up for a late lunch at about three or four in the afternoon.Then it's time to start preparing the victuals and things for the bull-fight which will take place at 6.30 in the afternoon. If you go with a crowd and to the part where the "Peñas" are, you will probably be preparing a fairly generous picnic box - sangria, ice, salad, hot food or bread-rolls, coffee...The bull-fight is the real start of the day for many people.
After dinner you can enjoy the sanfermin night. You can do whatever you want, till your body tells you to stop or daybreak, the dianas start to play and it is time to see or take part in the running of the bulls.