Iberian Traveler - On The Road

FITUR - Feria Internacional de Turismo

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 14:35:02 -0800

We're off to Madrid in the morning to attend FITUR, one of the largest international tourism shows in the world, networking at its best.

Iberian Traveler and the Bulls of Sanfermín 2011

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 07:42:37 -0800

La Comisión Taurina de la Junta de la Casa de Misericordia, the bullfighting commission of the House of Misericordia (MECA), the charity that operates the bullring in Pamplona and organizes the feria and the encierro, the running of the bulls, has selected the eight bull ranches for Sanfermín 2011.

The eight ranches chosen for Sanfermín 2011 are:

Miura
D. Victoriano Del Rio Cortes
Hros. de D. Jose Cebada Gago
Torrestrella
Dña. Dolores Aguirre Ybarra
Nunez Del Cuvillo
El Pilar
Fuente Ymbro

The list of matadors, the cartel, will not be available until late May.

The award for the best bullfights of SF2010 was shared by the bulls from the Fuente Ymbro ranch, which ran the encierro on the 9th (matadors: Antonio Ferrera, Oliva Soto & Rubén Pinar) and the bulls from the ranch of D. Victoriano Del Rio Cortes, which ran the encierro on the 12th (matadors: Curro Díaz, El Juli & Alejandro Talavante). The best bull of the feria was "Tramposo," No. 150, from the Fuente Ymbro ranch, fought by matador Antonio Ferrera.

Join Iberian Traveler and Pena Seattle in Pamplona for the Fiesta de San Fermín 2011. Choose one of the exclusive festival packages, from 1 to 10 nights, at a select 3, 4 or 5-star hotel in Pamplona.

Popular standard packages include balcony reservations for the encierro, the running of the bulls, followed by a special buffet breakfast in the Nuevo Casino, Pamplona’s premier private social club, located in the Plaza del Castillo, the center of the fiesta, above the famous Café Iruña.

Check available packages at: http://iberiantraveler.com/pamplona.html

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 14:27:45 -0800

AlmaPamplona - Muga de Beloso*****GL

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:55:09 -0700

New all-suites hotel opens in Pamplona

This is the 3rd luxury hotel of the Barcelona based Alma Hotel Group to open and the 2nd in Spain. The first, Schlosshotel im Grunewald, is considered the most beautiful hotel in the most prestigious neighborhood in the German capital of Berlin and sits surrounded by gardens. The second, the Palacio de Villapanés, a beautifully restored 18th century stone palace, sits in the heart of Sevilla’s romantic Santa Cruz quarter.

Muga de Beloso is the only hotel in the Alma Group built from the ground up instead of being a reconversion of an existing palace. Thus, the exterior is strikingly modern and the interior design clean-lined and contemporary.

You will be struck by the distinctive personality of Muga de Beloso. Peace, well-being and beautiful views await you at this luxury oasis retreat, two kilometers from Pamplona’s city center. Magnificent, spacious rooms and fine-tuned services of the Alma bring glamour and exclusiveness to whatever events or celebrations you may wish to enjoy.
The new luxury all-suites, avant-garde hotel has only 59 guest quarters, all with exterior views and some with enormous outdoor terraces. They feature specially designed Alma beds dressed in crisp linens and soft white duvets and are decorated in a very soothing color palette of soft grey, cream and white. Each room offers a pillow menu, complimentary Wi-Fi, free mini bar, 24 hour room service and evening turn down service, a CD player and Loewe plasma TV. The ample sized baths come with bathrobes, slippers, separate tubs and showers and Bulgari toiletries. In addition, the hotel offers a Spa Wellness Center with gym, indoor pool and a complete array of spa treatments. Guests will find free private parking right outside the door and in the underground garage. In the summer the Alma will offer a kayaking program on the nearby Arga river, along with bicycle rentals.

Deluxe Room - 35 sq meters (376 sq ft) - 1 Queen bed
Grand Deluxe Room - 40 sq meters (430 sq ft) - 1 King bed
Executive Suite - 60 sq meters (645 sq ft) - 1 King bed (max of 3 people)
Alma Suite - 160 sq meters (1722 sq ft) - 1 King bed, one bath plus powder room.

The elegant Ribera Restaurant features updated Navarran cuisine designed by a noted Guipuzkoa chef. Buffet breakfast is served from 7-11 am, while dinner can be taken from 8-11 pm. The cozy lounge bar opens from 8 am until midnight. We were very impressed with our visit and highly recommend this exclusive property to you during the fiesta, or any other time of the year! Be one of the first to experience the Alma Pamplona!

The Gastronomy of Navarra & where to dine during the fiesta

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:58:48 -0700

Gastronomy Of Navarra
Pamplona is a city blessed with more than 300 cafés, bars and restaurants to choose from, offering some of the finest cuisine in the north, on a par with the Basque country and Catalunya. More than 80 local cafés, bars and restaurants participate in the annual pintxos competition, which celebrates the best of miniature haute cuisine. While most restaurants continue to offer their standard menu during the fiesta in addition to their special “Sanfermines Menu”, the pintxos bars and cafés located in the Old City (Bar Gaucho, Baserri, Iru, Museo, Fitero, La Mandarra), by necessity, cannot offer their standard offerings of haute cuisine pintxos at the bar during the fiesta. The last night to sample their usual array of award winning pintxos will be the 5th, which is also the last night the famous and historic Café Iruña on the Plaza del Castillo serves pintxos at the bar.

Most restaurants in Pamplona are smaller, family-style, so reservations for lunch and dinner are essential, and without exception on the 6th and 7th and over the weekend of the 10th, 11th and 12th, the start of the Bastille holiday when the French Basques fill the city. It is extremely important not to break a reservation without first contacting the restaurant, otherwise the table will sit empty for the entire night. Most restaurants have only one seating at lunch or dinner and will not offer your table to someone else, as it is not unusual for Navarrans arrive late for lunch or dinner and are never in a hurry to finish a meal.

There are cafés and taverns where you can find a quicker meal, but most will be located outside of the old city in the 1st and 2nd Ensanche; the Iturrama, San Jan Donibane and Ermitagaña neighborhoods.

Some of our favorite award-winning bars in other neighborhoods include Casa Luis (Padre Calatayud, 11), Chelsey (Iturrama, 20), handy to our AC Hotel headquarters, Aralar (Castillo de Maya, 25) , Melbourne (Olite, 36) and Letyana (Travesía Bayona 2). These will continue to offer an ample assortment of their more elaborate pintxos during the fiesta.

Some of our Favorite Restaurants

Gastronomic Dining
El Embrujo, C/ Padre Calatayud, 16
Alhambra, Bergamín, 7
Europa, Espoz y Mina, 11
Rodero, Emilo Arrieta, 3
Enekorri, Tudela, 14
Josetxo, Plaza Príncipe de Viana, 1
La Nuez, Taconera, 4
El Portal de Descalzos, Descalzos, 56

Traditional Navarran Cuisine
Otano, San Nicolás, 5
Casa Manolo, Garcia Castañón, 12
Casa Amparo, C/ Esquiroz, 22
Asador Olaverri, C/ Santa Marta, 4
La Olla, Avenida Roncesvalles, 2
San Fermín, C/ San Nicolás, 44-46

Fashion & Fusion
El Mercao, Tafalla, 7
La Trastienda del Colmado, Iturralde Y Suit 24

Navarra Tapas & Pintxos http://www.navarratapas.com/

Dining in Pamplona during the fiesta

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:57:23 -0700

Most people traveling to Spain for the first time will need to make some minor adjustments to their normal eating habits. This holds true both for the north and south, especially during the summer months when the days are long and don’t cool down until after 9:00 pm. Eating times come later in Spain than foreign guests are used to, especially in summer.
Desayuno – Breakfast is typically the lightest meal of the day, something simple after a late night dinner the night before. You should be able to find some sort of packaged pastry and espresso at any bar or restaurant open in the early morning hours, but during Sanfermín breakfast is not served until around 8:30, after the encierro.

During Sanfermines it’s always “bulls before breakfast”.

Be sure to try churros (fried crullers) and hot chocolate in the morning. This is quite popular in Pamplona as well as Madrid. The most lively spot for this typical Spanish breakfast is the bar in the Hotel Maisonnave in the old city.

There is also the traditional mid-morning break, called the Almuerzo, generally served between 10:30 and noon, when you can have your first tapas (pintxos in the Basque country) of the day, including a tortilla española (a potato omelet) with pan (fresh bread) or a bocadillo (a filled baguette).

Comida – Lunch, which is generally considered the main meal of the day, begins after 1:00, but is usually closer to 2:00 for most people. This holds true during the fiesta and is often starts even later on the weekends. This is also a major social hour in which one visits with family and friends. Note: butter is seldom served after the morning hours unless requested.
Cena - Dinner in the north typically begins at around 9:30 and is usually the lighter meal of the day unless you missed or skipped lunch. Dinner in Pamplona is often still being served well past mid-night during the fiesta. Most Pamplona restaurants will take a reservation for 9:00 pm, but not earlier. Most restaurants serve a special 4-course fiesta menu.

Dressing for the fiesta

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:54:55 -0700

The official mode of dress for all events during the fiesta is the traditional festival costume of white and red: white shirt and pants, red pañuelico (bandana) and red faja (sash). The “official costume”, which is also worn by Pelota players in Navarra and the Basque country, can be purchased in Pamplona at any of the clothing stores around the city, including El Corte Inglés, Spain’s leading department store. Or better still, to insure the proper size and fit, you can bring your own pair of white pants (chinos, jeans) and a short-sleeved white polo style shirt or jersey.
Our Peña provides our own pañuelico for our clients. Pañuelicos and sashes (fajas) can be purchased from street vendors, out in full force. Men, women and children wear the same red and white costume. Ladies wear either all white or a mixture of red and white (red blouse, white skirt or pants-but not shorts, red bag and shoes). Dressing in San Fermín attire will allow you to integrate smoothly and completely into the spirit of the fiesta.

Hotel laundry service is limited on the 6th and 7th, and stores are closed on the 7th, so you’ll need to bring enough clothes to see you through the first two days.
Remember that the traditional pañuelico is donned at noon on the 6th with the firing of the rockets, the chupinazo, during the opening ceremony, not before, and is not taken off and put away until midnight of the 14th, during the Pobre de mí, the closing ceremony.

Please note that clothing stores as well as most other shops in the city will be closed from mid morning until late afternoon on 6 July for the opening ceremony, all day on the 7th, which is also an official banking holiday in Pamplona, and on Sundays. El Corte Inglés opens from 10:00 to 10:00 daily, Monday through Saturday. Retail stores, except those selling festival-related items, close in the afternoon for lunch, with only a few stores reopening after 4:30 pm.

It is important that you bring a very comfortable pair of shoes as you will be doing a great deal of walking around the city day and night. Although the historic quarter of the city isn’t large, the fiesta is spread out over a much wider area, with music venues and special events being held in several different parks and plazas, some up to a half-hour walk or further from the Plaza del Castillo, the heart of the old quarter. Sandals and “flip-flops” are not recommended.

The City of Pamplona always does an amazing job of keeping the streets and plazas clean, but you will inevitably encounter broken glass along your way, especially following the opening ceremony, in the early morning hours of the 7th, or on Saturday and Sunday mornings when the crowds are at their largest.

Balcony Reservations for the encierro, the running of the bulls SF2010

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:52:32 -0700

If you want to watch the “running of the bulls” and be comfortable, having a balcony reservation is very important; otherwise you could find yourself in the middle of the crowd, often 30 deep, that fills the only public viewing areas along the route of the encierro.

There are four major public viewing areas. Calle Santo Domingo, at the beginning of the run, has three separate areas; the small square in front of the Museum of Navarra, above where the runners begin, a short barricaded section half-way up Santo Domingo at Calle Mercado, and another small space on the stairs, where a few people can sit, just before the bulls break into the Town Hall Square and Plaza de Consistorial.

There is a narrow section along Mercaderes, at Chapitela, before the bulls turn onto Calle Estafeta. The last area runs from Telefonica to Callejón.
These areas are lined with a double wooden barricade. You can try to find a spot along the outside barricade, but you should arrive by 6:00 am when the carpenters are setting up the final sections, enclosing the route. These areas will be especially crowded the morning of the 7th and for the weekend encierros.

The space between the wooden barricades is reserved for the medical teams, police, runners leaving the run and those needing medical attention.
http://iberiantraveler.com/encierro.html

While we are no longer accepting reservations for the first encierro on the 7th, we do have some balcony space available from the 8th through the 14th.
Most of our prime viewing balconies can be found along Mercaderes facing La Curva, with one special balcony located above the Banesto Bank. Others are in the Town Hall Square, the Ayuntamiento, and along Calle Estafeta, the long canyon-like section of the run.

If you are not already one of our hotel or balcony clients, you can email us to request balcony reservations, or add an additional morning on one of our premium balconies for the very best views of the encierro.

The Bulls of San Fermín 2010

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:50:18 -0700

MECA has selected the bull ranches, Granderías, for this years Feria del Toro.

Miura (Sevilla), Victoriano (Madrid), Cebada Gago (Cádiz), Jandilla (Badajoz), Dolores Aguirre Ybarra (Sevilla), Peñajara (Badajoz) El Pilar (Salamanca) Fuente Ymbro (Cádiz).

The trophy for the best bull ranch of SF09 was awarded to Dña. Dolores Aguirre Yabarra, whose bulls fought on 11 July (Serafín Marín, David Mora & Joselillo). The best bullfight of SF09 was awarded to the last fight on 10 July when Rubén Pinar faced bull No. 42, “Sabueso”, from the Jandilla ranch.

Adventures in the Priorat - Part 2

nospam@example.com (Philip Ross) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:34:12 -0800

Ruins of the country's first Carthusian priory, Scala Dei, founded in the 13th century.

A visit to the Priorat should not be limited only to wine and olive lovers. History buffs will want to visit the remarkable ruins of the country’s first Carthusian priory, Scala Dei, founded in the 13th century. or the fascinating lead mining museum at Bellmunt. There is also the newly restored Romanesque castle sitting high atop the city of Falset, or the strikingly perched, beautifully preserved stone hamlet of Siurana, one of Catalonia’s most picture-perfect medieval villages and its Moorish stronghold.

For Nature enthusiasts, hiking trails abound in the Parc Natural de la Serra de Montsant.

For accommodations one can now choose from a comfortable full service, family-run 4-star hotel with a vast top floor suite in the region’s capital of Falset, to a small, boldly contemporary boutique inn, a member of Rusticae, in the winery-rich village of Gratallops. There is also the a 5-star luxury Art Nouveau Monument-Spa hotel less than a 20-minute drive away in the village of Capçanes. A cooking school retreat in El Masroig offers programs ranging from a mere 3 days to a week in length.