An UnBullievable Trip!!

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Back in sunny, Tampa,. Florida. Back to my most excellent bed. My overgrown yard. Back in traffic. Back to work. Back in traffic. Back at Starbuck's gulping down Venti Iced Latte's like a madman. Back to telling stories to my friends instead of living them. Back to normal life. Back to dreaming of my next adventure!

Nothing helps though - my heart and mind are still running through the early morning streets of Pamplona, the excitement of the unknown barreling down on me like a tsunami of people and beasts moving at an astounding pace - then suddenly overwhelming me, enveloping me in a hurricane of sound and smell of sweaty fur and hoof, then leaving me as fast as they approached. The elation at not getting run over by the mob, or trampled by bulls, or gored and skewered, or any of the above! Enjoying the sheer terror and awe of watching an 800 pound bull leap over my head, his undercarraige as sleek and powerful as any SUV, then slamming into a crowd of especially frenetic thrillseekers bent on smacking his ass and getting away with it without feeling the wrath of his horns or his head or his dangerous feet. Watching the countryside glide by in a chair at least twice as big as on any airplane. Being immersed in a sea of people, all friendly, all calm, most serene, watching Bob Dylan play and even humming to a few songs I recognize, along with the largest crowd of people I've been in in my life. Eating outside in the sun and wind, drinking pitchers of Sangria, quaffing beer and Mohitos inside bars, watching American baseball and Aussie football and highlights for days of the world cup (Forza Italia!!). Tasting different foods and shopping for different clothes. Having a buddy and now a good friend beside me, himself giddy from his upcoming marriage in September, but cool enough to know when to expound and explain, and when to simply be quiet and enjoy the momentous trip we are both on, together, but separate - open and willing to accept whatever fate felt like throwing our way. And overall, fate was kind.

I look at the gash on my leg, souvenior from a bull who was so angry he jumped over the wall of the arena 3 times, and the hundreds of pics and I read this travel blog and the grin on my face overshadows everything! It was a tremendous trip full of good and bad and unexpected and absolutely no boredom. My soul is still on fire as I close my eyes and stand in the hot sun beneath a big red Spanish sky gazing at my favorite plaze in Pamplona, a small one right outside the municipal office, where the architecture and beauty made me catch my breath in its simplicity and elegance. The comfort of drinking in a bar full of people who speak English (silly, but strangely gratifying to be understood and understand), and lastly, walking through three unique Spanish cities (Pamplona, San Sebastian, Madrid) at 4am when I can hear the whispers of countless other souls who also walked their own streets in a timeless stroll, alive and awake in Spain, with a fresh perspective on life. Some run with the bulls, some don't. Some live with open arms, some don't. Some love waking up everyday, some won't. This trip is over but I am not the same, that's the beauty of travel. Today, I'm more Peaceful. More quiet. More content. And more antsy about where I'm going next. The joy of moving through a moment of clarity in a life of adventure. A gypsy king.

Without being overly dramatic, it could have been me or Mark upturned and hurt in the arena so to hear about this adventurous guy, Ray Ducharme, getting partially paralyzed two days before our own adventure, really affected us deeply. If you are interested in reading about what happened or monitoring Ray's progress, check out the family website and leave a little message, he's doing better but the prognosis is really sad.

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Photos

In honor of Ray Ducharme
Ray was trampled and partially paralyzed in the arena a few days before Mark and I had our adventure. Our best wishes go out to him and his family.