On Monday morning, we drove just one hour and 10 minutes from San Sebastián, through the foothills of the Pyrenees to Pamplona. We explored Pamplona by walking the path of “Running of the Bulls,” from the corrals to the Plaza de Toros. Pamplona has a long history dating back to the Romans, with much fighting and changing of rule through the centuries. We enjoyed seeing the Citadelle of Pamplona, built in the 16th and 17th centuries, numerous ports to the city, and the Saint Nicolas Church.
After a Pintxos lunch in Pamplona, we started our drive north. We stopped in Roncesvalles, a village of 20 people, and home to an Abbaye. We visited the Church of Santa Maria, the cloisters and the chapter house, whose origin dates to the beginning of the 12th century, when the Bishop of Pamplona ordered the construction of a monastery-hospital to attend to pilgrims on the Chemin to Saint Jacques de Compostella. The Kings of Navarre from 1134 to 1234, developed the site. Sancho the Strong had the collegiate church built, and his remains are there. The dormitory can sleep over 180 people. The oldest building on the site is Charlemagne’s Silo. Legend has it that the Franks who died in the Battle of Roncesvalles in 778 are buried there. It was a pilgrims cemetery for centuries. This site was an enjoyable surprise for us!
