Bulls On Parade!

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04/07/13 - 09/06/13

So my first week in London had come to an end and this only meant one thing. PAMPLONA! As most of you know Pamplona is famous for the annual San Fermin festival or the Running of the Bulls as it's commonly know. This was one of the things I was looking forward to most on my trip! so to say I was excited was an understatement.

So 11am on the 4th on June came and I found myself waiting at Embankment for my PP Travel bus that would take me the length of France and into Northern Spain for the next leg of my journey. After boarding bus number two we were on our way, a journey that would see us travel through the night arriving at 8am on the 5th. Never did I imagine it was going to be 21 hours on the bus. Tired, cramped and unable to sleep the time seemed to crawl by, but in the end it was all going to be worth it. After arriving at Ezcaba Campsite and taking our gear to our tents it was straight on the free shuttle bus into town to get decked out with our traditional white clothes and red scarves for the rest of the week. The two other Aussie guys I had met and I the walked the route of what could be our impending doom in less than 2 days times. Which could have come a lot sooner as we were walking the bullrun track we were unaware it was in one area part of the street and we found ourselves in the middle of a fairly busy intersection, with some local motorists not seeming to realise there were 3 tourists wandering in the street in front of them.

After wandering the streets of the seemingly sleepy spanish town we decided to pick up some drinks for back at the campsite, so after finally finding the supermarket, it was soon realised how cheap parts of Europe could be. Inside we purchased 24 beers, a bottle of vodka, enough wine and juice to make 6.5 litres of sangria, some food, a bucket and ice to keep the beer in we had spent a total of approximately €9 each.

So back to the campsite to one problem, security on the gate didn't want to let us bring our own beers in, after some convincing we were unaware we were allowed and we wouldn't do it again we got it all in. So like the master brew masters we were 3 litres on wine, a bottle of vodka and the 6.5 litre bottle topped up with juice, the tent side sangria was done, making us a fair hit with people in nearby tents. Rookie error though what do you do with 6.5 litres of sangria in 38° heat and no means of keeping it cool? You start drinking of course. So thus began a rather big night for our first in Spain. The Spanish beer was much better than our sangria that was hot within about 15 minutes but we pushed through and made a great night of it. A pre-Pamplona party was held as the campsite was shared between PP Travel and the Fanatics. Even with a DJ pumping we'll into the night it was no preparation for the party I was about to be a part of over the next few days.

The 6th of July had come around which meant it was time for the San Fermin festival to begin. Opening day of San Fermin sees locals a visitors converge on either the Main Square or outside town hall. Hundreds of thousands of people cram into these areas awaiting a rocket at noon to announce the official start of the festival. This year, the beginning was late for the first time as they had to remove a Basque flag from in front of town hall. basque is the area of Spain where Pamplona is and some of the people around this area see themselves as not Spanish, so this flag was lowered in front of town hall as a protest.

I headed to the town square to take part in these festivities. Armed with 3 litres of sangria, half to drink and half to splash over fellow revellers when the rocket was set off. So jammed in with thousands of people like sardines, with kids I think as young as 14 stealing my sangria from my sack in 40+° heat we waited for the rocket. When the rocket went off pandemonium was unleashed with the most enormous roar I have ever heard. Sangria went flying, and not only that, anything that could squirt. I'm pretty sure I ended up covered in tomato sauce, with mustard in one ear and I'm pretty sure I was yoghurt in the other, it was chaos! After I'm not to sure how long of cheering, chanting and jumping around, the nearby balconies became our best friends as the residents began to throw buckets of water off to cool down and clean the people in the square. The feeling of nice cool water after the sauna of the crowd was amazing. After partying the afternoon away went back to camp for a relatively good night sleep because an early start was awaiting the next day as my took my chances against 6 half tonne bulls and 6 steers in the streets of Pamplona.

5.30am the next morning came and we were awoken by tour staff, because if we wanted to run we needed to make our way into town. The run is approximately 850 metres start to finish and starts at 8am. So into town we went, we made our way past party goers from the night before either still going or catching some zzzzz's before the opening days run, and onto the course thousands of people made their way staking out a position for the run. I took up a position in front of town hall, about halfway along the track. Waiting seemed to take forever as there is no warning as to when it's going to start.

Then a rocket went off and the crowd started walking in the direction of the bullring, then after 30 seconds or so another one went off and the walk became a slow trot, the all of a sudden seemingly out of nowhere there were people were running everywhere and at this time adrenaline took over and it's hard to remember but I remembered the words I'd be told echoing in my ears 'don't be at Deadmans Corner" when the bulls get to you. As I reached Deadmans I looked to my left and not more than a metre from me were the bulls. The rest of the run is a blur but i reached the bottleneck into the bullring and progress had stopped as one of the bulls had turned around. This little hiccup meant I didn't make it into the bullring but I had survived, unscathed. The feeling and emotion I was feeling having just completed the running of the bulls was amazing, nothing I have ever done before delivered a rush anywhere near it. It was Unbelievable!

After this it was back to camp for a quick breakfast then it was pretty well straight back into town. I was pretty excited for this afternoon as I was meeting up with Locky, Felix and Luke, others from back home who were also travelling around. Meeting up with them it was straight into it, partying and sangria. Like the beginning of the day the afternoon is a blur as well filled mainly with sangria, partying, pack lunches and random sangria drownings. While I was travelling alone, it was great seeing some familiar faces. Afternoon turned into night and we continued to party late into the night. We finished with the fireworks display. They too were nothing like I had ever seen, they were amazing. Apparently each night of San Fermin a different fireworks company make a show and it a competition to better each other. So as far as fireworks go, these were epic.

Went back to camp with every intention of meeting the guys back in town in the minding to join me for their bull run. The next morning my hangover had other ideas, and I decided to stay in bed, which probably ended up being a good idea as my time in Ezcaba was nearly up and I was on a one way ticket, so I needed to plan my next move. Over breakfast I overheard of some of the PP Travel staff looking to fill a car to Barcelona the next day, so after some searching and finding them, I asked and was granted a spot in their car the next day, so I organised one extra night and my next move was planned. Probably 90% of the people in the PP part of the campsite left and thus I was back to knowing very few people. I made my way back into town. I decided I was going to go into the afternoon bullfights today. Not something I totally agree with but I am all for taking in the culture of the places I visit. I sat next to a lovely Spanish lady in the crowd who fed me during the entire afternoon and gave me her homemade sangria (which was much better than the cheap stuff we were getting for the supermarket). The afternoon consisted of 2 matadors fighting two bulls each from the days run. It was a great experience and I am happy that I decided to go, still not something I agree with and I don't think it's a tradition that will last to far into the future. The best way I can describe it is graceful brutality. After the bullfights I ran into a group of Fanatics to spend my last night in Pamplona with. Liam and Byron, not that I knew it then would become people who really helped to shape my trip along with Breht and some other whose names escape me we had an amazing night just wandering the streets, partying with the locals, drinking more sangria and finally finished at he fireworks. We met quite possible one of the coolest 50 something year old guys and his wife that night, Adrian and other Australian and his wife, joined us for the fireworks again that night. With no PP bus back that night I managed to score a ride on the Fanatics bus and it was back to camp for my last night at San Fermin.

The morning of the 9th came, the day I'd say goodbye to Pamplona another place filled with memories I'd and people I'd never forget. I spent the morning helping to take down tents and pack stuff away as my ride to Barcelona wasn't leaving until that was all done. So when that was all done Jo, Grant and Ant got a taxi to the airport where Jo and Grant had a hire care that would be my chariot to the next chapter of my journey. Even being a passenger in a car driving on the wrong side of he road is strange enough but when you come to your first round about it really blows your mind.

Driving across the width of Northern Spain was great to travel through the. Authentic Spanish countryside and we arrived in Barcelona Jo and Grant were nice enough to help any and I find a hostel for the night, and as it was Jo's birthday and as they had paid for the car we all went out to dinner, mine and Ants treat. This seemed strange to me as it was already about 11pm but to my surprise a lot of cafes and restaurants were still open. Spanish paella and Mojitos were on the menu, the paella was amazing and I am told by the others the mojitos were the best in the world. As this was my first ever I had no basis for comparison. I am still yet to find one better since tho. After dinner Ant and I bid farewell to Jo and Grant as they were heading to Ibiza the next day and we were still unsure of our next moves. We walked back to the Generator, the hostel we managed to book. I was to be there just the one night, because the next day the next step was to happen. I was headed to Andorra aNd was again excited to see what was in store for me.

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Photos

Pamplona
Ezcabar Campsite

Pamplona
The Bull Pen

Pamplona
6.5 litres of campsite sangria

Pamplona
Town square opening day

Pamplona
Group shot

Pamplona
Locky, Hannah and I

Pamplona
Inside the bull ring

Pamplona
Liam, Byron, Adrian and I at the bull run statue. I forget the other blokes name

Comments

[Carmel]

Loved the blog Brett, looking forward to reading more of your adventures.