10 and a Half Things I Miss About Living in Pamplona, Spain

It has been six months since I left Spain and reflecting on the good times, I've come up with a list of things that I most miss about my life in Pamplona. Though I was sad to leave, I'm glad I had the opportunity to live there.

Ya ha sido seis meses desde que me fui de España y estaba reflexionando sobre los buenos recuerdos y he hecho una list de las cosas que más les echo de menos de mi vida en Pamplona. Aunque estuve triste irme, estoy feliz que tenía la oportunidad para vivir allí.

Ainhoa and I watching the almadías go down the river

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This American's Guide to Pamplona

The Guiri's Guide to Pamplona

After living almost three years in Pamplona, I am unequivocally and indisputably qualified to give advice about what to do and how to live in the city. I received a certificate from the ayuntamiento and everything! Read on and soon you'll be as qualified as me to speak on everything Pamplonés. You could also just go to the tourist office.

The encierro statue on Carlos III

The Guiri's Survival Guide to Pamplona

History	The Basics	Nightlife	Food
Tourism	Green Space	Leisure	Basque Influence
Shopping	Famous People	Events	Random Tips

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This American's Survival Guide to Spain

Thinking back on my experiences in Spain, I realize that others could learn from my victories and mishaps. But, instead of telling them what they should do, I will simply describe my experiences and what I learned from them, kind of like a story.

So, I present the totally awesome (and totally non-exhaustive) survival guide for guiris in Spain. Most of these should be applicable anywhere in Spain, but just know that the majority of my experiences come from living in Pamplona, Navarra.

Three things that determined my experience

1. Input - researching activities, having friends that recommend things, and then actually doing stuff.


2. Perspective, not circumstances - how I viewed the experiences. What could I learn from the negative experiences that would make future experiences better?


3. Habits - finding a routine is very helpful for adaptation and adjustment in a new situation. But, I didn't let habits keep me from stepping outside of my comfort zone to experience new things.

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Southern Spain Road Trip 2017: Skipping San Fermin for Summer in the South

A Hot Car Ride to Madrid

Load the car with camping gear and head south into the blistering heat. The plan is to pueblear down to Granada, next to Almería, and then up the coast to Alicante. I want to visit Murcia, which will be the 16th comunidad that I've visited, of the 17 in Spain (the Canary Islands is the only one I haven't been to). Ainhoa will do all the driving because I'm not good with a stick-shift (aka, useless). 

Over 2,000km in 7 days

Head out the afternoon before the first day of San Fermin. It's a hot car ride at 36°. We somehow miss the highway and take the longest route ever. Arrive in Madrid and stay with Ainhoa's aunt and uncle, Pili and Ricardo, who are gracious hosts and feed us and provide wonderful company. They recommend we do in Úbeda and Baeza on our way to Granada, so we add them to our list.

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How Having A Car Makes Life Easier... Sort Of

It's funny that I've had this draft since the middle of 2015, yet now it seems like I need to change the title, hence the "...sort of". Let me start at the beginning. Having a car is awesome. It is very useful for traveling long distances with friends (Pamplona, Lisbon, Cádiz, León, Les Cases, and Galicia road trips), it is useful lugging heavy exercise equipment to and from workouts, and it's just convenient for going to the movies or anywhere late at night when the buses have stopped running.

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Barcelona, Spain: More Coca, Si Us Plau

Ainhoa and I are heading to Barcelona to hang out with her sister, Irantzu, and some other friends we have there. It is also during the fiesta of San Juan (or Sant Joan), so let's see how the Catalans celebrate compared to the Navarrans.

At the national museum of art, looking out on the city (on day 2)

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Puebleando the Pyrenees: Spain and France

A summary (then you can skip to the photos)

The viejo monasterio de San Juan de la Peña
(sounds better than the old monastery of Saint John of the big rock)

Ainhoa's parents have loaned us their van and we put a makeshift bed in the back and plan to camp each night on our trip as we tour around the Pyrenees mountains. We plan to circle around the mountain range into France, and then cross through it on our way back into Spain.

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The Best and Worst of Pamplona

So, I've been living in Pamplona for two and half years, and I can now say I understand what makes the city so great... and not so great. I have chosen to omit things that can be found anywhere in Spain, like bureaucracy and sense of time. Here is my list of the top and bottom, the coolest and lamest, the best and worst of Pamplona.

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Puebleando to Andorra

A Day in Huesca

Head out in the morning toward Huesca. Stop for almuerzo along the Gállego River, watching kayakers and rafters go down the river. Go up to Los Mallos de Riglos and see rock climbers, donkeys, vultures, and eagles. Have a pincho while watching the birds and rock climbers. Talk to some rock climbers about the climb and descent. 

#RoadTripSemanaSanta2017

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Les Cases D'Alcanar, Spain: In Between Cataluña, Valencia, and Aragón

Synopsis: Ainhoa has been telling me about her parent's beach house that is on the Costa Dorada, in the province of Tarragona, right on the edge of Cataluña and Valencia, and near to many natural sites, including beaches, mountains, and the Delta del Ebro. Although we've invited a few others to go with us, no one else can make it, so we will venture out on our own. 

You gotta look at the castle from a different point of view

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30 Amazing Places This American Has Visited in Navarra

So, what's in Navarra? I've been here for a year and a half two and a half years, traveling, discovering, eating, and aprovechando (taking advantage of) my time here. There is so much to be discovered within the small northern province of Spain. Here is a glimpse of some of the places that I have been to in Navarra. If you are from Navarra, have you been to all of these places? Join me on my adventures in and around Spain VEN con TMax.

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14 Things This American Notices Between Spain and Belgium

After a year and a half of living in Spain, and almost five years living in Belgium, I’m going to compare the two countries, based on my experiences in them. Obviously, everyone is going to have different opinions, and feel free to post in the comments, but this is my blog, so you get to experience these two countries through my eyes now (and you will like it because I have good vision. I got Lasik a few years ago. Best decision ever). I will do my best to avoid a Pamplona versus Brussels article, and keep it more general, however, the majority of my experiences have come from these two cities.

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Guest Blog: Neal Taylor - Skiing in Spain and Dancing with the Stars (Baqueira)

Skiing in Spain - the journey to Baqueira/Beret 

We picked up Aussie Pete from the bus station and threw his snowboarding gear into the back of the van.

As soon as the van door slammed shut, the banter began. For four hours the banter didn’t stop as the three of us were swapping stories, jeering and joking as we edged closer to the mountains.

The wives, girlfriends and children remained in the safety of Pamplona (i.e. out of earshot) whilst we headed closer towards Baqueira/Beret - a ski resort noted for her excellent snow, elaborate trails and substantial infrastructure. Baqueira was also known as being the preferred choice for celebrities, nobility and the upper echelons of society.

The banter van contained none of those finer gentry and the obscenities emanating from the van could only be matched by the miasmic smell of our room the following morning.

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This American's Basketball Career in Europe

So, I've lived in Germany, Belgium, Spain, and have visited many of the countries in Europe. But how did I come to live in Europe? Basketball. 

For those too lazy or uninterested to read the entire post, here is an infographic that sums it all up:

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Galicia, Spain: Semana Santa, Mariscos, y el Fin del Camino

Synopsis: Semana Santa is Spring Break in Spain, and I have 11 days free to travel. I've been planning to go to Galicia for a long time, and now I finally get my chance. This time I will road trip with some new travel buddies: Alberto, Cristina, Hugo, and Julia. I don't know them that well, and some of them don't even know each other, so this is going to be a really interesting trip!

1,857 miles (2.989 km) including the day trips everyday

(from left to right) Me, Cristina, Julia, Hugo (behind), and Alberto

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This American Records A Year with Spanish Wine

On February 8, 2015, I began tracking the different Spanish wines that I was partaking in, at the behest of Emilio (the dad) of my au pair family. It was a great idea and I did my best to track every wine that I tried, up to February 8, 2016. I tried well over 100 different wines, but I was only able to track and record just under 70 different wines. I always drink responsibly and enjoy in moderation. 

Below are 10 of the recorded wines, not necessarily my favorites, but I like the labels so they made the cut. There are a lot of pictures, so if you want to view the complete slideshow of the almost 70 wines, go here. 

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León, Spain: Carnaval and Free Pintxos

Synopsis: I have a three-day weekend and I look at my list of places I want to visit and see my next stop: León. I invite several people, but in the end, it comes down to the faithful few adventurous friends I have, Ainhoa and Greg. We plan to stop at a few places along the way, since we are following the Camino de Santiago and will likely encounter some interesting sights.

Seems so much closer on the map

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Handstands Around Spain

Museo de las Murallas in Pamplona

For those who follow my instagram, you'll notice that it is dominated by pictures of me doing handstands while I'm traveling. Over the last year in Spain, I've compiled an impressive collection of handstands in some really amazing places. I've done handstands in 31 of the 50 provinces of Spain. 22 are pictured below.

Click on the pictures to read about that specific adventure! Hover over the provinces in red to see where I've been. Leave me comments below.

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Top 10 Questions This American Hears in Spain

I'm really enjoying making these infographics. So much so, that I will likely make many of my future lists, solely as infographics. Unless the legions that are my followers, prefer me to write out the blogs? One, two, and three. So, all three of my followers are cool with the infographics. Your will is my bidding. 

To view the interactive and dynamic version, click here.

If you like this article, you'll probably also like my series on random observations of Spain and Europe:
Part 1 - 14 Random Things This American Has Noticed About Spain and Europe
Part 2 - 21 More Random Things This American Has Noticed About Spain and Europe
Part 3 - 16 Even More Random Things This American Has Noticed About Spain and Europe

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This American's Favorites (100th Post)

This is definitely the hardest post I've done. I already have trouble committing to live in one place, do one job, have one personality...

But, in honor of my 100th post, I would like to finally decide and share what are some of my favorites, based on the questions people have asked me over the years. So, knowing that I can declare these as my favorites, and then later change my mind, I finally, reluctantly, undecidedly, present to you, my favorites, so far.

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