Programme in Pamplona-Iruña (December 2016)
Planning for the week (click to open in a new tab)
Visiting in Pamplona 12th December – 17ht December
Sunday 11th of December- Monday 12th of December
Our journey to Pamplona left from Joensuu at 21.30. We were enthusiastic but also very tired when the bus headed to Helsinkii. When we arrived to Helsinki-Vantaa airport we ate some breakfast.
Our flight from Helsinki to Munich left early in the morning before sunrise so we were able to enjoy the beautiful city lights of Helsinki.
We made a short stopover in Munich and after that we continued our journey to Bilbao.
When we landed to Bilbao airport we met Spanish exchange students. After a short chat we continued to the center of Bilbao and we visited the Ellacuria Center. There we compared our opinions about immigration. We also heard a personal story of one immigrant who now lives in Spain. The visit was very interesting and eye opening.
After the visit we explored the city under the guidance of Spanish students.
Before our bus left from Bilbao to Pamplona we saw the Guggenheim Museum and magnificent works of art.
In the evening we ate delicious Spanish dinners in the students’ families.
[PICTURES OF BILBAO AND ELLACURIA CENTRE]
Tuesday, 13th December
First in the morning, we saw traditional Basque dance. After that we gathered in a class room where each group showed their presentations about different aspects of immigration.
Then the city tour started. Our destination was the city hall and along the way we saw beautiful bridges. The bridges are annually crossed in Santiago de Camino.
Then we came to a statue called Running of the Bulls.
Next we arrived to the city hall and had a tour there. Each year the fireworks that start San Fermín are fired from the balcony of the city hall.
Also we visited in Mercado Publico which is a market hall, built in 1876.
We got the privilege to visit in Archivo de Navarra which is a museum dedicated to the Spanish Civil War.
Lastly some of us went shopping and some of us went to a Christmas market held in Plaza de Toros de Pamplona.
Wednesday, 14th December
In the morning on we went to the school and students made their presentations about different parts of immigration. In the first picture, Siiri and Rosita are making their presentation about integration.
Wednesday was an exercise day. In the afternoon we did typical basque sports with the school’s physical education teacher. Tug-of-war and sawing, for example, are typical basque sports.
In the evening we went to a shopping center to spend some money.
Thursday, 15th December
On Thursday morning we packed our lunches and headed for the school a bit earlier than usual. The plan for the day was to drive to Gernika and visit some important attractions.
We don’t remember much of the bus drive from Pamplona to Gernika, since it was early in the morning and we spent most of the travel sleeping. Whenever we were awake, the view outside the windows was breathtaking. The complex serpentine roads in the mountains is something we don’t see everyday in Finland.
In Gernika we split into two groups and visited the Museum of Peace and Assembly House. The Museum of Peace was an interesting, interactive location where the time went by quickly. The Assembly House was a very beautiful and photogenic site with an interesting history. We learnt that the Tree of Gernika has a deep symbolic meaning concerning the history and traditional freedoms of the Bizkaia and Basque people.
At the end of our daily journey we visited Gaztelugatxe in Bermeo. To us, it was the highlight of the day, and perhaps even the whole week. Hiking in the beautiful scenery by the ocean was a unique experience that won’t be easy to forget. The fact that the series Game of Thrones has been filmed in Gaztelugatxe made it even more exciting. On top of the island there’s a small church with a bell anyone could ring. Just then we didn’t know that if you rang the bell three times, you could make a wish. We rang the bell anyway and only found out about the legend later on.
Finally, we began our bus trip back home to Pamplona and were so exhausted that fell asleep on the bus. It was already quite late when we got back, so some of us went right back home to sleep, where some still continued their day at the city.
[PICTURES OF GERNIKA AND GAZTELUGATXE]
Friday (16.12.2016) We went Villa Javier restaurant for disadvantaged people. We had short presentation about their business.
After that we went to a castle called Olite.
In the evening we went to the school to have dinner with host families.
Saturday, 17th December
Our last day started early in the morning. We took a bus from Pamplona to Bilbao and from Bilbao we flew to Munich and from there to Helsinki.
In Helsinki we had our personal bus driver Jukka waiting for us. He drove us straight to Joensuu. We were all happy but tired, full of new experiences and memories. But we all were ready to get home too!
The trip took us about 20 hours. It was tiring but fun with good company!
Erasmus blog 