Road Trip Day 2 - Zaragoza-Pamplona
By Arnd
Have you ever been to Pamplona? Probably not. But you've surely seen pictures from Pamplona. It's the city where once a year bulls are allowed to chase people. And then after 825 meters end up in the bullring as punishment. 6 bulls, 4 oxen, and 3,000 people. Most of the time the people probably stumble over each other ...
After our usual long phase of indecisiveness, my older daughter suggests that we drive to San Sebastián today and stop in Pamplona on the way. A great idea!
Award-Winning Jams at Hotel Sauce
The morning started with a good breakfast at our somehow funny and lovable Hotel Sauce. The hotel not only offers a cake-filled café of superb quality but also has award-winning jams in its selection. I didn't even know there were awards for that ... So I try three of the flavors along with a very, very mediocre croissant. Hmm. Well, they are interesting flavor combinations. But I don't really see the point. Strawberry, raspberry, and vanilla is obvious, we've had apple with blackberry before too, but tomato with chili I find a bit creepy for breakfast. But I'm probably just offended that my anticipation of a good croissant was (once again) disappointed. Dear Hotel Sauce, please change that. Everything else was so wonderful. You don't need to serve this soggy floppy thing for breakfast!
Good Weather Makes Colorful Photos
The weather is much better than yesterday, there's a fresh breeze. The sky has cleared up, the light is fantastic. Even the often shabby-looking yellow brick that dominates Zaragoza's streetscape suddenly looks friendlier and more distinguished. Before heading down to the underground parking, we take a few more photos of El Pilar and Co. — I've put them in the gallery for you. Incredibly impressive and worth seeing! This was the first time I tried Lightroom's functions for adjusting image geometries. As you can see, I succeeded with varying degrees of skill, but I'll keep practicing!
Off we go towards Pamplona. We start on the highway and at first the landscape remains somewhat, let's say, pale and not particularly beautiful. At some point we decide to drive the rest of the short stretch on country roads. Which turns out to be a great decision, because we immediately find a beautiful and gigantic aqueduct that we would have otherwise missed.
Oh Yes, the Romans ... Think Again ...
Wikipedia tells us it's the Aqueduct of Noáin. I thought the Romans were responsible for this infrastructure project that probably wouldn't be built today because some rare bark beetle species is dropping off little beetles at beetle school somewhere. But it was King Charles III of Spain who had this over 1-kilometer-long masterpiece of 96 arches built in 1782. Although it surely had a longer construction phase than just one year ...
The landscape changes, as you can perhaps see. More of a Tuscany feeling is setting in. The colors become fresher. The green lusher, the yellow more intense. Beautiful! And we reach Pamplona. My older daughter has chosen the restaurant after hours of research, we park right under the bullring — of course — in the underground garage. I once again admire Spanish underground construction expertise and we're already standing in front of La Olla.
La Olla in Pamplona
At first I'm a little disappointed because it basically looks more like a touristy place in a pedestrian zone. And we're largely ignored by the overwhelmed service staff at that point. But once we're seated and get the menu, I understand why my older daughter chose La Olla.
At the next table, the Spanish couple still has one last little sausage on their plate that somehow smiles at me. I ask the nice waitress if we can order that too. We can, and I learn that these little fellows are called Txistorra. She says I should just order two as a greeting from the kitchen, because otherwise it would be too much.
D'acuerdo! When the two sausages arrive, we quickly agree that they know what they're doing here in Pamplona. With sausages ... The typical consistency of Spanish sausages, but not too fine or processed too many times. Good texture! And of course it oozes reddish from the sausage. That's where the really good bread (!!) comes in handy, so as not to let this unhealthy and delicious aromatic oil go to waste.
Then I had ordered something made from red peppers. Called Pimientos de Cristal. I was horrified when the plate arrived. It looked like a slimy nightmare from a broken refrigerator. But: far from it. Incredibly delicious. Still slightly crisp. One could perhaps have removed individual threads, but that's splitting hairs. Flavor-wise, a light acidity with the gentle sweetness of the peppers. Delicious! Wonderful appetizer.
After that come the mussels. A wonderful sauce. And honestly, with many dishes that's what it comes down to ... Light acidity from white apple cider vinegar. And then there should have been cognac in the sauce, which I honestly didn't taste. But it was incredibly delicious and simply more interesting than mussels in the typical wine broth. Strong recommendation!
The octopus I had as a main course unfortunately fell short. It had a very bitter aftertaste in parts. Probably roasting residues in the pan that had been colonizing the cast iron for a while. But I was basically already full anyway and had stopped eating.
My older daughter had ordered Bacalao. The cod is prepared differently, especially in Portugal but also in Spain. It was traditionally dried in salt, which in my personal opinion benefits neither the taste nor the texture. I find it turns into salty rubber. For many people, however, Bacalao is a true delicacy. So you have to find out once in your life which group you belong to.
The super attentive service was puzzled when we were suddenly sitting in front of two relatively full plates and indicated we were full. He wouldn't let it go and I explained the octopus issue from my perspective. But added that we were full anyway because everything else had been very good and also "generous" in portions. It bothered him and he disappeared into the kitchen. Came back and asked if they could treat us to a dessert. 110 kilos of me screamed "Yes" and fate took its course.
Teja de chocolate Blanco it was called. When I googled it, different things came up, so please don't take this too literally. In any case, it was a white chocolate mousse. I believe a cream cheese was worked in. A bit of lime added a hint of acidity. Over the mousse, pistachios and coconut were very finely grated. Just enough to create a fine complement and expansion of the flavor explosion. Without the dominance of any single aroma. Next to it a mint leaf, on top some sweet and firm strawberry pieces and a few forest berries. The whole masterpiece arranged on a wafer-thin shortcrust pastry base.
Wow. Delicious! That alone is worth driving to Pamplona for. And after that you'll show those bulls who's boss! My verdict on La Olla: Highly recommended. Great value for money. Incredibly attentive service apart from the slight hiccup at the beginning.
Alright, off we go. I'll check back in later!
Arnd