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The Beginning of Something New

Moving to another country sounds exciting until the moment you actually arrive. When I got to Pamplona, the first thing that hit me was the cold. It was August, I had just left Rome where the air still felt like summer, and suddenly I was pulling my jacket tighter. But there was something special about that chill. The streets were quiet, the light was soft, and for the first time in a while, I felt calm.

Those first hours felt like pressing pause. The city wasn’t rushing anywhere, and somehow it made me slow down too. I remember thinking, maybe this place doesn’t shout to be loved, it just waits for you to notice it.

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First Impressions that Stick

The first thing that truly made me feel at home was the smell of bread from Taberna, the little bar under my apartment. Every morning, that smell filled the air, warm and comforting. It made my small flat feel like a place I belonged to. I didn’t know anyone yet, but that smell made the city a little less strange.

The first week was a mix of curiosity and confusion. I had to get used to everything: the language, the pace, even the way time worked here. People ate lunch at three, and dinner was when I’d usually be back at home, already in bed. Trying to follow conversations in Spanish felt like chasing a train that never stops, yet little by little, I started understanding words, rhythms, and faces. That’s how Pamplona works, it doesn’t open up fast, but when it does, it’s real.

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When the City Comes Alive

If I had to choose one moment when Pamplona truly clicked for me, it would be my very first Juevintxo. It was truly unforgettable, the streets were packed with students, music everywhere, people sharing pinchos and laughs like they’d known each other for years. You didn't need perfect Spanish there; you just needed to be open.

That night I stopped feeling like a visitor. I wasn’t just the guy who came from Rome. I was part of the noise, the laughter, the crowd. That’s when I realized that Pamplona isn’t a city you visit, it’s a city you join.

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Finding a New Home

Now, every time I pass by Taberna and smell that same bread, I remember those first days. The cold air, the confusion, the excitement, the laughter. All of it blended into something that feels like home now.

Pamplona doesn’t welcome you all at once. It takes time, a few mornings, a few Thursdays, a few smiles. But once it does, you feel it everywhere. In the air, in the people, in the way the city quietly tells you, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.