MADRID

From March 25th - March 28th, 2023

Day 1

• Flew in from Santiago Chile and checked into the Four Seasons Madrid

• Walked outside to Plaza Mayor, stumbled upon a fashion show showcasing modern designs for traditional Spanish-style clothing. The women walked around in Flamenco dresses while men rode horseback dressed in traditional Spanish clothing. The plaza was buzzing with locals and tourists.

• We stopped at Mercado de San Miguel for a quick drink and bite to eat. We ordered some Spanish wine from Ribera, moved to another stand to order mini pizzas, then moved to the next stall for croquette empanadas. Mozheart, the mozzarella bar, also looked to have great food.

• After the food market, we got in line at San Gines to have churros, the oldest chocolateria in Madrid. There were 2 different lines, and both moved pretty quick. We only waited about 15 minutes before being seated with our churros y chocolate.

• We strolled through the La Latina ‘neighborhood’ (but it was actually more like a street) for more tapas, we accidentally ordered an entire pitcher (garafe) of Tinto Verano and we did our best to drink it all.

• Dinner that night was scheduled at A BARRA, which was about a 45 minute car ride from La Latina neighborhood. Traffic was bad through the tunnel, so it took about 20 minutes longer than we thought. The restaurant suggested wine from the Cruz del Pendon producer, made in the region Ribera del Duero. We ordered the highest quality jamon, caviar on blinis and split beef Wellington. Right next to A BARRA was another cool restaurant, Anonimo, which seemed to have a cool environment and chef’s table-style entertaining experience. The lights of the restaurant were changing colors and announcements coming from overhead. Both restaurants are worth considering!

• We left dinner around 10:30 and took a 30 minute car ride back in to have drinks at Salmon Guru. They served very unique drinks in specially made cups, all local people were inside, and the line was extremely long when we left. We walked home which was about 5 minutes from the Four Seasons hotel.

Day 2

• We were scheduled with an 11am walking tour around the city and wove our way through the Madrid Marathon that was in progress along the main streets that morning. The city was bustling with people and it was beautiful to see the spring flowers blooming all around the city. It must be one of the best times to travel through Spain. The weather was perfect.

• We walked through Retiro Park, enjoyed the landscape, history and the Glass House

• We walked by the Prado and other well known museums, walked through other streets of the city, loved the shops along Calle Del Leon and saw where Miguel Cervantes (author of Don Quijote) lived, in Calle de Cervantes.

• We finished our tour in front of the Royal Palace and we opted not to go inside. Next time.

• We ate a very late lunch back at the hotel, underneath the hotel in a food hall called Galeria Canalejas. This was a pretty cool setup to have a luxury mall connected to the hotel and a luxury food hall underneath it all. There’s a variety of restaurants to try here, all very chic. Reminded us of the food hall inside Harrods of London.

• Dinner that night was at Casa Lucio, which is well known for many things on the menu and an establishment in Madrid. We got sardines soaked in olive oil (a complimentary welcome tapa dish), cured meats, fresh Spanish cheese, pan con tomate, incredible local green Spanish olives, sautéed mushrooms, and eggs on top of potatoes/french fries (this is the dish they’re most known for). The place was packed, the food was traditional and delicious, but we couldn’t stay long because of our flamenco show scheduled next.  

• We walked from dinner to the flamenco show at Corral de Moreria. You have the option to dine before the show, but we decided just to come for a drink and show. We highly recommend going for just the show only, although the food did look good and might have a Michelin star. The reviews suggest to not ‘sit in the panhandle’ section of the space. The dancers were Patricia Guerrero, Alfonso Losa; the singers were Sergio “el Colorao”, Antonio Heredi, and Jose Fermin was on guitar. Their collective talent blew us away.

Day 3

• Our last day in Madrid was a slow and relaxing one. We spent time getting massages at the spa, checked out the view from the rooftop, and prepped for an evening self-guided tour of Museo Prado.

• Museo Prado was full of people, and the museum is so massive that it might be best explored with a local guide. The main highlights were seeing Las Meninas by Velasquez, but also other artwork by Goya, El Greco & Rembrandt.

• We went for some tapas at Tiki Taco, a recommendation from the bartender at Salmon Guru. The vegetable quesadillas were the best, then the beef taco, then the Tinga, then the cochinita pibil. It was the closest thing we’ve had to actual Mexican since traveling! It also took us to a neighborhood that we might not otherwise make it to.

• We stopped for drinks a La Tuerta Funky Castizo, who had a guest bartender from Salmon Guru. We went right when they opened and there was nobody there.

• We had a quick dinner at Wok to Walk, a fast casual restaurant that resembles the experience you’d get at Mongolian BBQ in the states. Only eat here if you’re looking for something quick to hold you over.

• We called it an early night as we had a 4.5 hour drive the next day to Granada.

GRANADA 

From March 28th to March 29th, 2023

Day 4

• Picked up a rental car from Enterprise at the Atocha station in Madrid and made our way towards. We passed by many molinos de viento about an hour into the drive. Would have been nice to stop in Toledo, but we were already running a little late. Next time.  

• Checked in at the Alhambra Palace Hotel, which was set a little apart from the city. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the hotel down to the center of the city. The walk is beautiful and there are charming shops the whole way.

• We stopped for our first tapas at Botilleria, had beers, cheese, jamon, pan con aceite, green Spanish olives - great people watching. No other tapas places were open this early (around 5pm), so we stayed for a little while. The full plate dishes looked great and there were people dining that you can tell this is their usual spot.

• Went to Hailey’s old school at Centro de Lenguas Modernas, saw old tapas places that we used to go, Potemkin, went to Hailey’s old dorm that’s now half a casino and half a four-star hotel.

• Went for churros at Plaza Bib Rambla, drank Alhambra beer, and ate churros con chocolate as we watched the Spaniards around us spend time with their families over churros. There are some newer, hipster, ‘to-go’ churros places around, but we opted for the classic Gran Cafe Bib Rambla.

• Later we walked paste Calle Elvira and by Granada Diez. It was closed and didn’t reopen until later in the week. Timing in Granada is tricky, definitely make sure you’re there near the weekend and prepared to start your evening around 8 or 9pm when everthing is open.

• After our fill of churros, some shopping and walking, we hiked the 15 minute hike up to the best lookout point in all of Granada, Miradora de San Nicolas. We arrived about 30 minutes prior to sunset and found ourselves at the top with a number of others taking their seats waiting to watch sunset while local musicians played their instruments and sang.

• Right next to the miradora was our dinner spot at Las Estrellas. They did not have an outdoor patio area, but others just next door did. Next time we will try another spot like Juana Las Huertas (doesn’t take reservations, but walk-ins looked easy) or Carmen Las Tomasas.

• After our traditional Spanish dinner, we walked less than 10 minutes further into the Albaicin to catch an authentic Flamenco show at Cueva La Rocio. This was a very lively spot and the Flamenco show was in a small intimate cave. This is one of the higher rated places to see Flamenco in Granada.

• We walked about 10 minutes down the hill to catch a cab ride back home to the Alhambra Palace Hotel.

Day 5

• We woke up around midday for a guided tour through La Alhambra; a 10 minute walk from the hotel. The hotel suggested to take 3 hours exploring the property, we did it in 1… maximum all you need is 2. Unless, of course, you have an entire day to enjoy the property. Some people had brought books to read on benches. The landscaping, architecture, and views are spectacular.

• Drove to Malaga and Marbella 

Other tapa suggestions:

• Tried to eat at Paloma Blanca, but it didn’t open until 8pm

• Ruta De Velet, considered the “top restaurant in Granada” (“the Pedraza Brothers are the best”) 

MALAGA & MARBELLA

From March 29th to March 31st, 2023

Day 5

• We started our day off in Granada touring the Alhambra, but got on the road around 1pm to make the ~2 hour drive to Malaga. We stopped for unch at Baviera Golf Course and had a lunch with a spanish tour company, Citi Travel to talk about another upcoming trip for Max’s YPO group.

• After a lengthy and delicious meal on the golf course we drove another hour west and made it to our hotel at the Marbella Beach Club. This hotel is an establishment and has rich history in the area. We found ourselves enjoying the hotel amenities, landscape, people watching, and relaxing on the balcony of our room. [Local tip: the only other hotel choice that compares to Marbella Beach Club is Puente Romano].

• After a proper Spanish siesta, we made our way to a lavish dinner at The Grill, the main restaurant at Marbella Beach Club. The food options were plentiful and the fire grilled fish, vegetables and steaks did not disappoint. We found ourselves wishing we had more time to stay in the restaurant to enjoy the whole package.

• After a hearty meal, we went across the hall of the restaurant to a small but lively room that was their live music and hotel bar, called The Bar. The room reminded us of a smaller version of Delilah (Las Vegas) or Sketch (London), decorated with velvet and silk fabrics and colorful drapes everywhere. The singer was dressed in her finest sparkly and short outfit, and the band brought their energy behind her. The band was entertaining as well as the eclectic and outgoing bar goers. People were singing along, dancing, smooching and letting loose.  

Day 6

• We woke up early to return the rental car to Enterprise. It was a slight disaster… and we don’t recommend renting a car at all. The streets are narrow, one way, absolutely no parking, and roads are closed down without warning causing you to have to reverse out backwards of an already tight alleyway.

• We explored through Old Town, which was basically a large number of independent coffee, food, and retail shops buzzing with people. The shops were very charming and had unique styles and designs we hadn’t seen elsewhere.

• We walked about 30 minutes back to the hotel from Old Town along the main street and window shopped along the walk back to the hotel. When we got back to the hotel we ordered lunch at the pool (fish tacos, guac, and a burger) and sat there for hours. Max went for a massage and Hailey relaxed on the lounge chair, sipped on cocktails and continued to people watch. There is a trail right in front of the hotel that’s somewhat similar to the boardwalks you find in California (kind of like the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach).

• We had dinner at El Patio, the more casual restuarant on property. While dining, Hailey went and shopped at the Louis Vuitton and Chanel shops that are part of the same property as the Marbella Beach Club. Again, the people watching. We ate baba ganoush, broccolini, little gem lettuces, tiger prawns, eggplant parmagiana, and drank delicious drinks.

• After dinner we walked along the boardwalk to see a little bit more of the surrounding area, but found that our little area of the beach was our favorite. We walked on the pier to take a picture at sunset and called it a night. Marbella reminds us of a Spanish style Laguna Beach. The shops were small, cute, and local, the boardwalk beach area was well kept, and the sun was always shining.

Next time we visit, we plan to check out:

• Spend more time relaxing in Marbella

• Play a round of golf

• Explore Puerto Banus, where the high end retail shops are and the yachts are parked in the marina

IBIZA

From July 4th to July 7th, 2022

Day 1

• We flew in midday from Paris and checked into the Nobu Hotel. We immediately felt like we could have been somewhere like Cabo San Lucas. A lot of the hotel guests were ‘sceney’ and seemed like they were all from California. We were hearing a lot more English than we were expecting. We settled in at the room and grabbed a spot at a cabana at the pool overlooking the sandy beach. We relaxed for a while, sipping on cocktails, watched the waves go by, enjoyed the warm weather, and observed the instagram influencers come in and out for photo ops. 

• Perhaps the most redeeming quality of the Nobu hotel is the Nobu Restaurant at the hotel. We absolutely loved our first dinner eating sushi while continuing to people watch and appreciate the sunset retiring for the evening. There were all kinds of people showing up for their dinner, wearing fancy cutting edge fashion, enjoying the evening by candlelight, and taking their instagram photos while parade around with all of their importance. 

Day 2

• We started the day off exploring by food, unknowingly going for almost a 5 mile walk around the area. We walked south/west from our hotel, along the beach and stumbled into the Marina Ibiza. We came across an upscale area that wasn’t on our radar, but we’re glad we found it. It was a small area, but packed with luxury. They had tiny high fashion boutiques lined up from fashion houses such as Dior, Bottega, Louis, Chanel, Versace, etc. We started the notice the boats were also getting a bit nicer also. 

• Just next to the shops we noticed a really popular spot called Lio (part of the Pacha group) and knew immediately that we wanted to go back for dinner and a show. We had the hotel concierge book us for a table of 2 that night. 

• Just a little further west along the road is the Puerto de Ibiza where the super mega yachts were parked. We recognized some of the names of the yachts owners, Cristiano Ronaldo and The Jones Family (owners of The Dallas Cowboys). Parked side by side, it was neat to watch the deckhands clean and prepare the boat for the private VIP passengers to get on and off. 

• We grabbed some quick tapas at a restaurant in the Puerto de Ibiza area and enjoyed our jamon con queso, y pan con tomate.

• We headed back to the hotel to clean up, take a rest, and prepare ourselves for a busy evening. 

• Just as we were showing up to Lio for dinner and the show, we noticed that the Jones Family were also headed to the show that night as well. There must have been a few hundred people inside the show biz restaurant. We’re sure there were other famous Europeans (they were dressed to impress and people were taking pictures with them), but we didn’t know who they were.  

• The show at Lio was entertaining, energetic, sometimes dorky, but all in all it was extremely entertaining and we highly recommend going. The end of the show was extremely risqué, not what we were expecting! 

• Later that night we had plans to go see Nora En Pure, one of our favorite EDM artists, at a little discotheque across the island near San Antonio Abad. We took a taxi to the other side of the island and got to sit in the VIP section right next to her DJ booth. We made some Spanish friends and invited them up to our section to sit in our area with us.

Day 3

• We spent this day mostly recovering from the day before. We dedicated ourselves to the pool, ordering lunch at a cabana and trying all the other concept food that the Nobu hotel had to offer. We had beef sliders, spicy edamame, a caesar salad and french fries. 

• After researching more about Lio and the variety of entertainment Ibiza has to offer, we were recommended to try another show on the other side of the island called 528. We were told 528 was named after the frequency of love, so the show was surrounded by this theme. The show was much more acrobatic, like a small local Cirque du Soleil show, than it was singing and coreographed dancing like at Lio. 528 also seems to be more of a favorite amongst Spaniards, locals, and artists. Lio might be considered more tailored towards tourists and foreigners coming in for some quick thrills. 528 is more artistic and authentic, Lio is more Vegas show biz ‘scene’. 

Day 4

• We went for another nice hour long ~3 mile hike from our hotel north/east towards Santa Eulalia del Rio around ibiza Bay. The scenery was beautiful, with light colored cliff rocks that plunged into the crystal clear turquoise, green and blue water below. We mostly forged our own path, there was no exact trail. It felt like we had the cliffs to ourselves. We saw a number of families that were vacationing taking their turns jumping off the cliffs into the water below. Another set of cliffs nearby had 30 children also jumping off, all around the ages of 5-15.  

From July 16th to July 18th, 2022

Stay:

• The Standard - hotel in the center of Old Town Ibiza (we preferred it over the Nobu Hotel)

Go/See:

• Boat to Formentera Island

• Late lunch at Beso Beach Club

• Rent beach loungers at the Tattinger Lounge at Cala Bassa Beach Club

• Dance the night away at Ushuaia Beach Club

BARCELONA 

From July 7th to July 10th, 2022

Day 1

• We flew into Barcelona from Ibiza and checked into our hotel at Mandarin Oriental; right in the middle of the action in Barcelona. 

• We wasted no time and set off to have lunch at a highly rated vegetarian restaurant called Fat Veggies. There were a number of people inside (even though it was in the middle of typical siesta time) and Max still craves these veggie dishes to date. 

• After lunching and touring around the city for a bit, we headed to Casa Mila to catch sunset and a rooftop concierto at the top of the historic and architectural masterpiece by Gaudi. Tickets should be purchased in advance. From the top of Casa Mila we were able to see a number of Barcelona’s other gems of the city, which helped us map out what we wanted to visit with our remaining days in the city. 

• When the sun went down, Max had his sights set on the number 1 bar in the world: Paradisio. We waited in line about 30 minutes, but after making it inside we stayed for hours. It’s no wonder this bar has been at the top of the list for several years, and now holds the top spot in the world for #1 bar. It was an absolute party inside. Don’t forget to ask to head into the secret bar inside the bar… but only after having ordered a few drinks first. 

• We walked home from Paradisio and found ourselves passing through lively neighborhoods like Passeig El Born.

Day 2

• We started the day off, again, walking through the streets of Barcelona making our way to La Rambla. There were tons of people out midday, enjoying the scenery, the weather, and the action buzzing about. 

• We popped off La Rambla and went inso La Boqueria to have some traditional and authentic Spanish/Catalan food. We finally picked a spot, ordered a few dishes off the menu, ordered some wine, enjoyed our time, watched the crowds of people scurry around, and marveled at the unique food creations in the market.  

• Next we walked over to the Picasso Museum to see a few pieces of his original art that the museum holds. The key art piece to see here is Las Meninas, his interpretation of Velasquez’s interpretation of the Royal Family. It also holds a lot of his work from the blue period and other phases of his life. 

• We took a one-way gondola ride over the Barcelona harbor from Port Vell to Mirador del Poble Sec. FYI: There’s much more to do in the Port Vell side. When we got to Mirador del Potable Sec, we walked around the garden for a little until we flagged a taxi ride to our next spot. 

• We made our way to another top bar in the world, Sips. Sips was Hailey’s favorite bar in Barcelona. The cocktails were incredible, the presentations were perfect, and the glassware was entirely unique. 

• A bit liquored up, we made our way to dinner at Lasarte, a three Michelin star restaurant that blew us away. 

Day 3

• Our last full day in Barcelona started with marveling at The Sagrada Familia. Yes it’s worth going inside and an absolute must. The attraction has smooth operations, and the free app/audioguide gives you just the right information you need to know about the church that’s been under construction for over 200 years. Almost 50 countries later,  La Sagrada Familia is one of the most beautiful attractions we’ve ever visited. 

• We had a little bit of time, so we made our way to Casa Batllo, another one of Gaudi’s masterpieces. We had to fly through the observatory, so we didn’t spend much time, but it’s worth looking up and seeing if they have events on the rooftop of this building also. 

• We ran across town to make our entrance into Parque Guell, an artistic creation by Gaudi. Another must while in Barcelona. 

• To finish off the evening, we went for dinner and cocktails at another one of the worlds top 50 bars in the Raval neighborhood: Two Schmucks. The food was also one of the best, if not the best, we’ve had at one of the worlds top 50 bars. This street had a number of other bars and restaurants to try, it was a cool part of town but maybe one you don’t want to be in when it gets dark after midnight. 

• Upon leaving we walked by the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art and watched skaters practice their tricks. It was a fun mix of new world architecture & art mixed with urban city life not wanting to let go of their turf. 

From July 14th to July 16th, 2023

Stay

• If you want to stay near the beach, stay at the W Hotel. Otherwise, we prefer to stay closer to the center of town, which is a lot more walkable to the rest of the parts of the city. The W Hotel and surrounding area/clientele reminded us of a mix of LA and Miami.

Go/See

• Views of the Sagrada Familia from atop the Sercotel Rosellon Hotel (you would need a reservation)

• Cocktail making class at Dry Martini Speakeasy

• Dinner at The Alchemist, tasting menu style dinner

SAN SEBASTIAN

From July 10th to July 12, 2022

Day 1

• We landed from Barcelona to Bilbao and had about a 1.5 hour car ride to our hotel Akellare in west San Sebastian. The modern and minimalistic hotel sits on top of a hill overlooking the city/beach of San Sebastian. In order to get to the center of town, you’ll have to take a 20 minute taxi ride to do so.

• After we checked in, the hotel had a list of tapa (otherwise known as pintxos) recommendations for us to try while we were exploring town. Photo below. 

• Upon getting to town, you’ll see that the cars are only able to go so far, before you have to get out and start walking by foot to get to the center. San Sebastián is a small and quaint town which is why so many people come to visit it for its charm. Upon getting out of the car, we were met with an accordion player playing music for the street to enjoy. 

• We started off our food tour at Ganbara and ordered the mushrooms with egg yolk, puff pastry with Basque sausage, and spinach croquettes. The next pintxos stop was at Gandarias, where we ordered Spanish tortilla, jamon con pan and sirloin on toast. After eating from pintxos place to pintxos place, we took a mini food break to walk along the waterway and enjoyed more of the scenery of San Sebastián and the architecture. A band started playing in the main square and people were enjoying the traditional tunes. The beach was packed with peopl; there was not much space in between the different parties of people. The colorful umbrellas and towels on the beach made it feel authentically Spanish. 

• The last pintxos stop of the day was at the famous place for burnt cheesecake, La Viña. It was delicious, but our bellies were beyond full and we definitely didn’t need to be eating any more. 

• Back at the hotel things were very calm compared to the bustling city of San Sebastián. We took to our hotel outdoor patio area to enjoy an evening cocktail as we watched the sun go down. There were couples having romantic dinners, somebody had just gotten engaged, young Spanish families on vacation, and a few ‘influencers’. We ordered our fair share of croquettes, jamon, queso, nuts, and break with olive oil. 

Day 2

• Lunch the next morning was at Rekondo (two Michelin stars), which we can’t recommend high enough. We scored a last minute reservation and were very excited to see what the buzz is all about. Rekondo has been in that same location for many years and it feels like a local establishment. We ordered some nice Anne Gros French wine and sat back and relaxed our way through a long 3 hour Spanish lunch. Max had the mushroom with eggs, had the clam risotto. Can’t recommend the clam risotto enough. Our waitress really loved us and brought us over some Licor de Herbs from Oruro de Los Picos. Then we got escorted down to the wine cellar below the restaurant, and the rest is history. 

• We skipped dinner, took an early bedtime and prepared for our big day the next day traveling over to Pamplona. 

From July 11th to July 13th, 2023

Stay

• The hotel, Maria Christina, is closer to the center of San Sebastian and a 5-10 minute walk to the pinxtos bars

Go/See

• Lunch at Restaurante Bedua on the Urola Ibaia

• Drive to Zumaia and hike around the Flysch ibilbidearen hasiera and relax at Itzurun Hondartza Beach

• Dinner at Sidreria Petritegi (The Cider House) for an authentic grass-roots feeling Spanish experience.

PAMPLONA 

From July 12th to July 15th, 2022

Day 1

• Started our day off at Rekondo in San Sebastián with dinner on the front patio. We took the 2 hour car ride from our hotel over to Pamplona to check into our hotel La Perla. 

• Everybody in Pamplona was so nice and also as excited for the Running of the Bulls as the hundreds of thousands of visitors that come to their city during the Festival of San Fermin. Already, everybody was dressed in the traditional gear of all white clothing with red scarves tied around your neck. 

• Shortly after arriving, we were to pick up our tickets for the weekend (bullfighting tickets and private dinners) and meet up with our tour guide to get a run of events from him on the process of running with the bulls. Max went to get the tickets while Hailey met up with the tour guide and group for a tour of the city and of the route to take when running through the city with the bulls. After the city tour and ‘safety briefing’ was complete, we walked around the small city and drank in the street with the locals. We picked up a few bocadillos to bring inside the bullfight with us at Plaza de Toros de Pamplona.

• We had a nice suite at the bullfight and absolutely everybody else inside the suite was a Spaniard. We had gentlemen to our left writing down notes about each bullfighter and their performance. We had gentlemen to our right heckling their friends down below and not in the suite. By the end of the bullfight, everybody was offering us their half eaten sandwiches and their cocktails they had smuggled inside. It felt like an initiation of sorts. The bullfight was an amazing cultural show, and although the shock of the whole process in the beginning can be unpalatable, but the last fight of the day you find yourself a part of the show and excited too understand the torero’s craft. 

• We went for an organized dinner at Abaco Restaurant that was not open to the public during this time. It was a bit fancy compared to the casualness of the festival, but the food was great. 

• We took to the streets again, slowly making our way back to the hotel, stopping into bars to drink rum and cokes with the locals. We danced in a few bars, we ran into a plaza that had a great big stage set up and concerts going on with hundreds of people drinking and dancing in the streets. We stayed for about an hour before heading back to our hotel room around midnight. Once getting to our room we realized things weren’t going to get quiet for us for a while. Full on marching bands were marching in the streets with their brass and drums making as much noise as they could. This is not a festival for people who like to sleep. 

Day 2

• The next morning we set our alarms around 6:30am to watch Running of the Bulls pass by our hotel balcony by 7am. We turned the tv’s on to get a live feed from where the bulls were being held behind the gates and also we watched people take to the streets to get their ‘places’ ready for ‘the run.’ Sure enough, just shortly after 7am the crowd slowly starts to jog, then the jog turns into a rushed panic running away from the directions of the bulls charge. We watched the ~10 bulls run through the streets, trample over a few people, and then carry on into the bullfighting ring for the evening bullfighting entertainment. The whole run is over within less than minutes.

• Later that evening we went back to the bullfighting ring, with a whole suite of new friends in the arena, shared the same ‘initiation’ experience with the new group, watched 10 rounds of bullfights, then made our way to the top of the Baluarte Palacio de Congresos for a closing ceremony of the event. From the roof of the Baluarte Palacio de Congresos we watched a show of fireworks shooting off the old city walls, then after made our way to the balconies of a local family that lives in the center of Pamplona. From there we watched as hundreds of people packed into the plaza to sing the famous “Pobre de me” song to mark the end of the festival. Just when you feel like more people can’t fit in the plaza, you see the crowd continuing to get more and more packed full of people. A truly surreal experience. 

Day 3

• After a truly unique experience, we packed our bags and set out for Amsterdam from the Bilbao airport. We are headed back to Running of the Bulls again in 2023. This time I think we will run!  Update from 2023: we did not run!

From July 13th to July 14th, 2022

Go/See/Eat

• Dinner at Restaurante Europa