Welcome to my story style travel blog, featuring my adventure through Spain and Portugal in the summer of 2025.
You can read the blog in order, or about whichever destination intrigues you! Within my stories, I’ll offer some recommendations and some tips and tricks for a smooth journey. When I travel, I mostly do group tours and the reasons are:
* As a solo woman traveler, it is much safer especially if traveling long distances or to countries that can be dangerous in some areas
*The itineraries are amazing and usually include all of the things you’d want to see and do…and if not, there is free time to do as you wish
*You don’t have to worry about booking transport, finding hotels, etc. Sometimes that can contribute to the adventure, but it’s also nice to sit back and relax and let your Tour CEO be in charge
* And finally…the new people you meet on your tour become your family, and I’ve made lifelong friends in these journeys. For myself, this has equal importance with exploring new countries.
This time I used Expat Explore; the tour is called Spain and Portugal Explorer. It’s actually split into 2 parts….you could do either part, or do the whole thing so of course I did the whole thing! I’ll explain more about that along the way! This is my second time traveling with Expat, and their European itineraries are really awesome and not super expensive. Also, transport is by coach bus which is nice because the buses offer air conditioning, comfy seats, WIFI and charging ports.
This morning we say goodbye to San Sebastian and make our way to Pamplona. You may have heard of it before…best known for the Running of the Bulls during the San Fermin festival held every July 6-14. We are here on July 1, so we just miss all the craziness by less than a week! Which might actually be a good thing. Haha. The old town has a walled medieval core abundant with narrow lanes, lively squares and Gothic churches. Pamplona was founded in 75 BC by Pompey the Great as Pompaelo, and had an important strategic position and rose to power during the Middle Ages. We start at the Encierro monument that depicts the participants in the bull run.
We head over to Plaza De Toros, the arena where the bulls end up, so we are going to walk the route in the opposite direction.
The wooden fence barricades are being put up, so it really gives a feel for what is to come next week.
The streets are narrow, which makes it ideal and it looks so different from what I’ve seen on TV.
We finally end up at the starting point of the festivities, in the square that houses the City Hall(Ayuntamiento).
This square gets absolutely jam packed with people during San Fermin, so I’m grateful that we have some space today.
And also, everyone gets completely shit-faced drunk. Haha.
The San Fermín Festival is a centuries-old tradition that blends religious devotion with popular festivity. Its origins date back to medieval times, combining a feast day in honor of San Fermín, the city’s co-patron saint, with summer trade fairs and bull-related events. The festival officially begins with the chupinazo, the firing of a rocket from the balcony of City Hall, and the most internationally renowned event is the Encierro, or Running of the Bulls, where participants run through the streets ahead of the bulls destined for the evening bullfights. This happens at 8am every morning! Click here to see the first bullrun of 2025!
https://www.youtube.com/live/tZ4rX3WdrAA?si=Ljhf5vbOCiVHmaQe
Now we have some free time to explore, but it’s not nearly enough time to see all of what Pamplona has to offer.
I make my way over to the Cathedral Metropolitana de Santa Maria la Real de Pamplona, but I don’t want to pay to go inside.
Whatever, it’s still cool from the outside! I wander back to the Plaza del Castillo to check out Café Iruna, made famous by Ernest Hemingway.
He wrote his first novel, The Sun Also Rises, with inspiration from his travels around Spain and in Pamplona, as he also had an interest in bullfights. I started reading the book before I left on this trip; at the time of me writing this I still have not finished it. Haha…soon though!! Anyways, I have a quick peek inside and I wish I had time to sit and imagine I’m enjoying a coffee alongside Hemingway and his friends.
I also try to find the hotel he stayed in, but I can’t find it even though my map says I’m standing right in front of it? So confusing, so I give up.
There is a souvenir shop that takes photos so it looks like you’re running with the bulls…well, I can’t pass this up right?
SOUVENIR ALERT – there are so many cool items to bring back from Pamplona, my favorite being the posters from the San Fermin festival. I pick up a copy of the one for this year as well as the one from 1954. It is soo hard to choose!
Also these red scarves, which are part of the festival attire along with white tops and bottoms. The white is said to deflect heat and respresent the outfits from a working class club, also with ties to religious purity. The red represents the blood shed during San Fermin’s beheading!
And of course, you can’t leave without a bull or two!
We get back on the bus and drive for an hour to get to a winery called Bodegas Pagos de Araiz. It’s located in this weird mansion in the middle of nowhere.
All of the wine is kept in the cellar, and the whole setup reminds me of a bunker where one would hide during an apocalypse. In one of the hallways there is a row of sculptures called The Apostles Gallery.
There is also a lot of art installments along the tour, which is sort of bizarre but also makes for a cool atmosphere.
The guide gives us some info about the wines and shows us all the tanks and barrels, and then it’s time for tasting!! We get to try 3, with a plate of meat and cheese nibblies.
Not gonna lie, I get a little tipsy and that’s perfect because now I can have a really amazing bus nap!
Our lunch stop is at another one of those highway cafeterias that is again, wayyy too expensive for what is offered. I’m not super hungry so I settle for mediocre pastry.
We arrive at our next destination in the late afternoon, which is nice because it’s hot, but not as hot. We are in Zaragoza, an important industrial city with a rich cultural and religious heritage, mixing Roman, Moorish and Christian influences. It’s less touristy than some of the other big cities here in Spain, which allows for a more authentic feel.
We check into B & B HOTEL Zaragoza Plaza Mozart….this hotel is close to the old town center which is handy.
This is one of my solo no-roommate nights and let’s just say thank god because these rooms are TINY. Bruno drives us over the bridge into town to meet our guide Karin. We have her for a couple of hours; she shows us some cool things around Zaragoza. First, the most impressive structure here in town..the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Piller, that sits along the Ebro River.
This beautiful Baroque style church is the first ever church dedicated to Mary; she appeared to St. James the Apostle, standing on a pillar of Jasper that is still preserved inside the church. It’s in the Royal Chapel
Apparently I’m not paying attention today, and I miss seeing the piller so I have to look up a picture of it.
This is the opening at the back of the chapel that allows one to touch or kiss the small portion of the stone of the piller
And the rest of the inside is stunning!
In 1936, there were a few bombs dropped on the church during the Spanish Civil War. Two landed on the roof, but amazingly, never exploded. There is still a visible hole in the ceiling
And two of the bombs are on display
The famous Spanish artist Francisco de Goya was born in a nearby town, so the church features some of his frescoes and overall, he is an important part of Zaragoza’s history. This is where he had his early training and his first important works were created here.
The Basilica lies in the main central plaza of the old town, and is the largest pedestrian plaza in the EU.
Another notable building here in the square is La Lonja.
It was originally a merchant exchange hall, and now functions as a main exhibition hall which hosts art and cultural events. The architecture is a fine example of civil Renaissance…and look at the faces carved into the façade.
Here is the Little Horse of La Lonja.
A street photographer named Cordero had a paper mache horse set up here, and families would bring their children to be photographed on the horse, starting in the late 1920’s. Many years after he died, the city decided to place a statue here in commemoration, so the custom of posing with it will live on!
And now things get interesting….Zaragoza is one of the very few cities to have TWO cathedrals . The other one is La Seo, and it was once a The Great Mosque of the Moors so it’s a total fusion of different syles.
The best part is the Mudejar apse, covered in intricate brick and ceramic – it’s also a UNESCO site! We can’t go inside today, but the exterior is just as impressive.
I continue exploring as far as the Arch of Dean
It was built to connect the Dean’s residence with the cathedral.
After wandering around for a bit, I need to find somewhere to eat so I meet up with Sina and Ron from the tour,who come from New Zealand/Australia/Samoa. We start the night at Mestiso, for tapas and beer.
I have a croquette and the most amazing tapas I’ve tried so far in Spain. It’s pork cheek on top of a creamy mashed potato with a banana chip. Heaven!!!
This is also my first beer of the trip, and it’s an Ambar, the leading brand here in Aragon.
We decide to hit one more place before calling it a night; we find a taberna called La Flor de la Sierra. It is located down a quiet lane, and has a view of La Seo.
I enjoy a tinto de Verano, while learning more about Sina and Ron…they are lovely!!
As we cross the bridge over the Ebro to head back to the hotel, the soaring towers and tiled domes of the Basilica rise above the city and are reflected into the river below…amazing!!
We pause for some breathtaking photos…and also it’s super windy tonight so my hair and dress are blowing all over the place. Haha.
Overall, a top day here in Spain! Pamplona and Zaragoza are two places I would definitely return to! Stay tuned as we make our way to Barcelona!
Everywhere On Earth With Erin 