We had one more day in the town and chose a few sites which we wanted to revisit, but it also allowed me to reflect on a week in Pamplona.
Read more: A week in PamplonaMuseum of Navarre
I loved the frescoes in the Museum of Navarre and needed to have another look. And as always, when you return, you see more, and you see differently. There is more time to look carefully, and perhaps to think a little more about what you are seeing.
The Maestro of Artajona caught my eye because Artajona is a small town close to Olite, our next stop. He decorated the Church of San Saturnin with these marvellous frescoes at the beginning of the 1300s. And then there was also another painter, Roque de Artajona, who added further murals later in the century.
The Maestro of Olleta? I stupidly didn’t make a note of the painter.
And this fresco reminded me of Fra Angelico… The Maestro of Olleta was apparently two people who worked in Olleta, a small village between Olite and Pamplona.
The Maestro of Olite who decorated the Church of San Pedro in Olite was one of two such maestros, discussed in detail here. The frescoes below were by the Second Maestro of Olite, and I planned to visit the church when we stayed in Olite.
Taconera Gardens
After several days of walking the streets and the walls the green of the Taconera Gardens was relaxing and I wanted to return on our last day – I could have lingered much longer…
The Cathedral
Walking along the river and wandering in the old streets
Wandering along the river was enjoyable, and surprising – Pamplona is incredibly green, and the river parks are part of that greenness.
And of course walking along the streets in these old towns is alway fun. Buildings are old, and may look it, but in Spain the interiors are often extremely modern and comfortable.
And nighttime in Pamplona is active!
Serendipity
There had been a wedding in the Church of San Lorenzo and the guests were standing outside waiting for the bridge and groom. As usual, the ladies were wonderfully dressed! The older generations of Spanish ladies alwys dress stylishly, and in strking colours and patterns. And just look at their shoes.
And then there was this little community garden hidden between the buildings in the old town – a very unexpected find.
A Fortified Town
This was the aspect of Pamplona which was most surprising – Pamplona was, historically, a fortified border town. The walls and the fortifications remind me of the Vauban forts and Vauban-like forts which we have seen, and the Citadel is massive.
And then it was time to move on – a week in Pamplona had ended. The week had surprised us; this is a town which ‘holds together’. The old town is lively and very much part of the new town, unlike Avila, or even Calahorra, which, although interesting, didn’t quite ‘work’. I would strongly recommend Pamplona as a visit, and forget about the bulls and the tapas!
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