out and about

we have been having some interesting dialogue lately with a priest studying at a seminary here in Pamplona. Yesterday he invited our family out on an excursion - - a favorite Spanish activity which usually involves getting into your car and driving for a while, finding a field, or a castle, or an old pueblo (which exist in abundance around these parts), walking around for a few hours, then finding a local family friendly bar in which to drink a cafe con leche or each some pinchos and to talk for a couple more hours before you head back to your car and drive back home.
The way our excursion fate would have it, we ended up at the ancient city of SOS (the birthplace of Spain's famous king Ferdinand) where we were actually delighted to find ourselves in the middle of this pueblo's yearly fiesta (you know the running of the bulls festival that Pamplona is so well known for? well, that is Pamplona's fiesta; pretty much every city or pueblo here in Spain has their own - - not all as ellaborate or as famous as Pamplona's, but crucial to the pueblos' existence nonetheless)and so we were treated to the locals dressed in Renaissance garb, banners hanging from the terraces, a reenactment of the queen giving birth to sweet baby Ferdinand, and, of course - - the pueblo's beloved (and just a little bit creepy) gigantes parading through the narrow, cobblestone streets, stopping in the larger plazas to dance to the music of the musicians playing ancient, typical instruments;and after all the parading we went (along with most of the other paraders, it seemed) in search of an empty table to sit and sip a hot coffee. we did find a table, and had some more good conversation - - when we weren't dragging Selma and Josu away from the glowing lights of the gambling machines.
and then we got in our car and drove home. excursion complete.