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Paris
- 2 nights
3 July - You will be met upon
arrival at Charles De Gaulle
Airport in the morning and driven
to the Esprit Saint-Germain, an
elegant, discreet, ultramodern
hotel designed like a private
residence. This unique, recently
renovated 4-star hotel awaits you
in the artistic and spiritual
center of Paris on the beautiful
and chic Saint-Sulpice in the
6th.
After
a brief rest, you'll have the
rest of the day to explore the
area of the 6th Arrondissement of
Saint-Sulplice and Saint-Germain
de Pres which is filled with
fashionable designer boutiques
and exclusive food emporia before
heading to your specially
selected gourmet restaurant in
the evening for a dinner of
traditional or new-wave French
cuisine.
4
July - After breakfast you
can visit the Musee d'Orsey and
the Louvre before lunch (museum
passes included). After lunch
you'll have time for shopping,
strolling through the Luxembourg
Gardens, or visiting the Tower
Eiffel. That evening you can dine
at one of Paris' finest
restaurants, take a walk along
the river Seine after dinner and
return to your hotel for a
nightcap. We have a select list
of restaurants to choose from and
the hotel will make the
arrangements for you if you
wish.
5
July - After a leisurely
breakfast at the hotel, you leave
for Gare Austerlitz to catch the
TGV (1st Class) to Biarritz and
then on to Pamplona with a
private transfer service.
Pamplona - 4 nights
5 July - Arrive in
Pamplona-Iruña. After
checking into your hotel. You
will be met by your host who will
give you a pre-fiesta tour of the
Casco Viejo (Old City). We'll
have dinner that later that
evening in a renowned local
restaurant as part of a
pre-fiesta celebration and an
introduction to outstanding
Navarran cuisine. You will also
have a chance to shop for the
traditional costume of white
pants, white shirt and red sash
worn throughout the
fiesta.
6
July - The fiesta begins
begins at noon with the
chupinazo, the firing of the
rockets in the town hall square,
which you will see in all it's
amazing splendor from the
privileged view from a private
balcony next to the town hall.
Lunch today will be at 13:30
(1:30 p.m.), following the
chupinazo, at a typical Basque
restaurant in the Navarran
countryside.
7
July - It's "Bulls before
Breakfast", a tradition unique to
Pamplona, as breakfast follows
the daily encierro. The
encierros, the
"Running
of the
Bulls",
commence this morning at 08:00,
where you will watch this
thrilling, adrenaline laced event
from the safety of a private
balcony overlooking the
route.
Today
you will join all of Pamplona as
it celebrates the religious feast
day of its Patron Saint San
Fermin. The procession of the
statue of San Fermin starts at
the Capilla de San Fermin after
mass at the cathedral at 10:00
a.m., accompanied by the Gigantes
y Cabezudos (the giants and big
heads), the official city band,
festival and city officials and
hundreds of children and their
parents.
Our
celebration lunch today will be
at a typical Basque Sidra (Cider
House) located in the countryside
a short distance from the city.
We will meet at the Hotel Tres
Reyes at 13:30 (1:30 p.m.) to
take the private transfer to the
restaurant for lunch, returning
to the city just after 17:00
(5:00 p.m.) in time for the
bullfights.
The
bullfights begin promptly at
18:30 (6:30 p.m.). You should be
at the Plaza de Toros, the
bullring, by 18:00 (6:00 p.m.),
as spectators are not allowed
into the seating area after a
fight has begun. Be sure to take
a bottle of wine and food to
share with those sitting around
you. This is another tradition
unique to Pamplona and the
fiesta.
The
"Toro del Fuego" (bull of fire)
appears at the Plaza de Santiago,
adjacent to the Plaza
Consistorial, every evening at
22:00 (10:00 p.m.).
There
will be a fireworks display
nightly at 23:00 (11:00 p.m.) in
the Parque de la
Ciudadela.
8
July -You'll be able to enjoy
the 2nd encierro, the "Running of
the Bulls" from a private
balcony, followed by breakfast
before be driven to the airport
in Bilbao for your connecting
flight home.
9 July -You'll be able to
enjoy the 2nd encierro, the
"Running of the Bulls" from a
private balcony, followed by
breakfast before be driven to the
airport in Bilbao for your
connecting flight home.
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