Pamplona y Logroño

Pamplona and Logroño were awesome; however, I liked Pamplona more than Logroño. Why? Because of the history surround the running of the bulls, but we'll get to that. First stop on our excursion was La Iglesia de Santa María de Eunate which is about 15 miles from Pamplona and is part of El Camino de Santiago. El Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage route to La Catedral de Compostela in Galicia (northwest province of Spain), the supposed resting place of Saint James, one of Jesus' 12 apostles. La Iglesia de Santa María de Eunate was important because it served as a resting place for 'peregrinos' (pilgrims) traveling by way of Camino de Santiago.


Here's some pictures of the church... and of course Herman is in all of them, so good luck!

Next, we headed over to Pamplona... Where Saint Fermín is the most popular guy in town! Fermín is the patron saint of Pamplona to this day and because of Earnest Hemingway has anything and everything to do with the running of the bulls. Fermín became a saint when he was beheaded in Amiens, France as a cause of his christian beliefs (He was not martyred by his own father - got that one wrong in some postcards!). But, what does that have to do with bulls? Another saint by the name of Saint Saturnin was martyred, by being tied to a bull by his feet and being dragged to death to the place where the church named  "Our Lady the Bull" now exists in his honor. I'm assuming as a cause of one of Hemingway's books the two stories have been mixed into one. Saint Fermín has become more famous in Pamplona because he was from Pamplona .

The purpose of this event was in origin to transport the bulls from the off-site corrals where they had spent the night, to the bullring where they would be killed in the evening. Youngsters would jump among them to show off their bravado. Spanish lore says the true origin began in North-eastern Spain during the early 14th century. While transporting cattle in order to sell at the market, men would attempt to speed the process by hurrying their cattle using tactics of fear and excitement. After years of this practice, the transportation and hurrying began to turn into a competition, as young adults would attempt to race in front of the bulls and make it safely to their pens without being overtaken. When the popularity of this practice increased and was noticed more and more by the expanding population of Spanish cities, a tradition was created and stands to this day. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Running-of-the-Bulls/108541425836877

If you look at the clothing you can see that all of them are wearing red bandanas around their necks which symbolizes Fermín getting his head chopped off, the white is to represent the sacredness of

Fermín I think... As you can see, they are also carrying around newspapers in one hand. This is so they can feel if the bull is coming up to close and still watch where they are going. The goal is, to be able to run only about 3ft in front of the bull, if he touches that newspaper you've got to run fast!

I didn't get any pictures of Herman in Pamplona, but here's a small tour of the city!

Government Building



Sculpture by Rafael Huerta in 1991 - Some of the men look very similar to government officials at the time...

Cafe Iruna... They just love them some Hemingway in Pamplona! To the right of this picture there's the usual hotel that Hemingway stayed at when he visited Pamplona - which costs 1700 euro a night to stay in... For those of you who don't know, one of Hemingway's books takes place entirely in this cafe, and another takes place entirely just outside in the plaza mayor of Pamplona.

That's it for Pamplona and onto Logroño... Logroño is famous for their wine. So obviously we couldn't go there and not go to a winery and have ourselves a little tour! Here's some photos for y'all! In the second picture you have to find Herman's friend too, Panda...

After the wine tour we headed into town and they were celebrating all sorts of stuff as well. There was this band of people who were playing the drums and it was so catchy that my friends and I had to follow them. They took us through a few alleys and around a corner. My friends and I almost thought they were leading us somewhere to be abducted, but we liked the music so much that we couldn't stop following! Here's a video of the action!

I hope y'all liked the post for this week! Next week is a mystery week so be ready!

Guggenheim Bilbao

Guggenheim Bilbao is full of interesting art pieces, most of which are modern art... And, I don't know about you, but I think modern art is crap. Modern art should be called expressionism because, from what I can tell, the artist is trying to convey something to it's audience. An idea or a symbol of some past reality that once was; however, that reality is not apparent by just looking at the art, you have to read the description. Which, in my opinion, if you are trying to prove a point or symbolize something it should be more obvious. A more interesting exhibit within the Guggenheim is this room that they covered in cardboard boxes and duct tape to look like a cave. Inside the artist put a number of different books, posters, tv shows, etc all to demonstrate the inequality of people within the world. This artist conveyed his point clearly through the extensive cave. Oh! And, a favorite part of the museum would have to be the two Jackson Pollock paintings they have on display on the top floor. The best actual art piece of the guggenheim would have to be the building itself. Frank Gehry definitely got it right with this one.

Anyways enough with my opinion and onto the searching. I didn't get a lot of pictures inside because I was told that I couldn't take pictures after the first three photos.

This is a creepy spider outside that's supposed to symbolize mothers and their protectiveness... Where is the osito? Check the feet!

I took this picture to show the underbelly of the spider, but Herman isn't in it...

These are some sculptures inside the building that I got the chance to take a picture of before I got scolded... If you can't find Herman... Look at the feet.



This is another one of their outdoor exhibits... I wish I knew what the flowers were made of! Look to the right if you haven't found him yet!



These are really cool to whistle in... This one is kinda easy so I won't give you a hint...

This is part of the interior of the building... It's really hard to find him but, can you do it? I think you can!

Here's a hint!

Here's a picture of one of the most well known displays at the guggenheim... The puppy... Which they pronounce: El Puppy - but puppy sounds like poopy... Herman is really easy to find in this picture!

This is the bridge you can see from the picture with the spider, but closer up...

And that's it for this week! I hope y'all enjoyed your little tour of Guggenheim Bilbao!

Next week: Pamplona and Logrono!







Universidad del Deusto

Introducing Deusto!

The University of Deusto was inaugurated in 1886. It was erected because the Basque Country wanted to have their own university, and the Jesuits wanted to move their college of La Guardia (Pontevedra) to a more central location. -Taken from Deusto website

Here's kind of a mission statement for the school:

"Our aim is to continue the long established tradition of university life, and particularly university life at Deusto. Now we are driven by a fresh impetus to offer you the opportunity to experience university life in a deeper, even more creative and intense way. This is born out of the essence of the university's identity itself, which is in keeping with the values we wish to transmit to our students." - Vice-Rector for Identity and Mission, Jose Javier Pardo Izal

Enough of the facts... Let's find Herman!

I thought this one was quite comical!

As well as this one...

This is in the school chapel...

Secret staircase!

In the courtyard...

Here's a hint!

The beautiful architecture surronding the plaza inside the school... There's two of these...

The cafeteria... He should be easy to find here...

The main courtyard to the side of the main entrance to the school...

Front of the school again but, this time... Where's Herman and a little bit of where's Waldo?

Next week: Guggenheim! Don't miss it!

Escenas del Casco Viejo (Old Bilbao)

Herman and I took a walk today to see what hiding places we could find... I hope y'all have fun!

This is the view of Casco Viejo near where I live... It's very pretty... But, where's Herman? If you can't find him... Here's a hint:

Hay en el arbol!

I was walking down to Casco Viejo when I stumbled upon this weird looking structure... Might have been used as an oven at some time or another...

Here's a hint:

The next place is an old church that's right in the middle of Casco Viejo...

I think y'all can see him... But, here's a hint anyways...

The next image is of a fountain right in front of the church...

No hint this time... Can you see? Look to the right...

The last one is of the old opera house, I think this one is really difficult but, we shall see...

Here's your hint:

Next week on 9/16/11 we'll explore La Universidad de Deusto!

Madrid y Toledo

Herman and I have traveled halfway across the world from Denver to Toronto to Madrid. Altogether a 17 hour trip but, we made it to Madrid in one peice. We even made a few friends along the way, Klara and Bea. Klara was headed back home to Sweden, and Bea was headed back home to Majadahonda, a city just outside of Madrid. In Madrid, we also met 27 people who are in the same study abroad program.


Anyways without further ado... Where's Herman?

Here's a hint:

This is a random wall of the side of the road near the hotel in Madrid 15 minutes by foot from the main city center... It was perfect! Well known places that I went to are: Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol and Museo del Prado - to name a few.


Toledo: I liked Toledo much more than Madrid because it was like an old timey movie rather than a metropolitan city. This is a sign near the ciy center of Toledo. Can you find Herman?

Here's a hint:

I found some other places to hide him that might be easier to see as well:

This is inside the Museo Sefaradi, an old mosque turned into a synagogue, turned into a museum. The most famous painting of the artist, El Greco is still there to this day.

 The last picture I have with Herman in it is in El Monesterio de San Juan de los Reyes - built 500 or so years ago:

I hope you enjoyed finding Herman in Madrid and Toledo! Next week: Scenes from Bilbao!