http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Spain , Navarre , Pamplona en-us Tue, 17 Nov 09 02:33:16 +0000 Tue, 17 Nov 09 02:33:16 +0000 Hey EveryoneThanks for all the messages and comments on my blog and on the photoson FB. I truly appreciate them all. It makes me feel closer to home.After I left you last time I was in Puenta La Reina. A large town or small city. I was staying in an Albergue that didnt really have any charm to it. It was in the basement of a hotel. I found out later that there were 2 more there. One was an anc http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-438149.html ...and Im singinmy hobblinsong....Im just hobblinalong...HellllooooFirst Id like to thank everyone for the healing energy I felt it allSo after I wrote the last time I went for a little walk around the Albergue and found a couple of nice Irish girls Betty and Linda. Both from Dublin. They were cousins. Betty has done the Camino many times and knows the author of the book that most peop http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-437318.html Pamplona was amazing home of the running of the bulls. Toured the Bullring and walked the path the bulls run before having a quick walking tour. Had some great Tappas and San Gria as well as visiting Hemingways Hotel Room. Would love to return as again felt like I would have liked to have longer there. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-436273.html Arre to Cizur Minor 16.5km Total 91.4km Day 6The next morning in Pamplona we farewelled one of the South Africa couples Rob and Barbara after 4 days of sharing the Camino and we were invited to visit them in their home country. We spent most of the morning looking at the citys historical sights again and had an enjoyable day. The old pilgrim building is now going to be a 5 star hotel and t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-435842.html ldquoRunning with the Bulls I would never do that. Thatrsquos crazy. You could die Theyrsquore all idiots...rdquo Two years later there I was standing in the sea of red and white people packed like sardines on the narrow cobblestone streets of Pamplona at an appropriately named junction called ldquoDeadmanrsquos Cornerrdquo. Amazing how things change.I was in the middle of my tri http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-428513.html We were so excited to arrive in Spain...we touched down in Madrid airport and headed straight to the bus station to head to Pamplona for the San Fermin Festival and to join up with the Ground Crew. Our real excitment was seeing Nicole and Caitlan from our old flat in London. We arrived at about 10pm and Chrissy our boss picked us up from the bus station and took us to the campsite El Melino w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-425798.html Two weeks ago I experienced the most chaotic wild crazy odd enormous cultural festival I could have ever imagined possible. and that is STILL an understatementNothing could have possibly prepared me sufficiently. The week before the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona I learned all about the San Fermin Festival in my classes. It is a week in July to honor the San Fermin Each town has a p http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-420335.html Well it has been a while since my last update and I will try not to make this too long. When I last wrote Richard and I were planning on heading to the bull arena in Pamplona to try and get tickets for the bullfight. We headed there and found scalpers everywhere...seemed as though everyone we talked to was selling tickets. The prices started high 7050 euro as it was a couple hours before the ma http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-419406.html Two weekends ago we went to Pamplona with our University group from Madrid to partake in what is the most unbelievable cultural event in the world. The actual festival is called San Fermin a week long celebration from July 714 every year to honor the patron saint of Pamplona San Fermin. The main event of this festival is el encierro the running of the bulls. The running of the bulls takes plac http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-418436.html Now I've heard of and gone through with some pretty bad ideas in my time. Running in a throng of Spaniards dressed like idiots being chased by bulls certainly ranked right up there near the top though. I guess I really had no idea what exactly to expect before I got there. I just planned on showing up to Pamplona running like I was being chased by death or death with horns laughing at the end http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-417756.html Saturday 4th July 2009 Up early and so excited for Pamplona. There are six of us going on the trip Jo Cynthia Daehon Ross Kyle and me. We are leaving by 10.30am because of the tube closure between the stations where we need to meet.At the last minute my roommate Denise decided to come on the trip as there is a vacancy. So seven of us now all travelling together on the tube towards Spai http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-417097.html Hey EverybodyI know that itrsquos been far too long since I updated so I just wanted to make a quick post to let you all know that Irsquom still alive and doing just fine. I just completed my third week of classes and for the most part they are going well. Irsquom in three Spanish for Business Usetype classes a Literature class that I absolutely love Translation and a more intensive http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-377368.html The past few days have been among the craziest of my life. The Running of the Bulls is by far the most insane festival I've ever been toSo I sat with Dan en route to Pamplona and we drank sangria as did the whole rest of the bus and got pumped up for the festivities to begin. Dan and Paul actually got pretty wasted Paul was a nice shade of green by the time we got there. We arrived at the h http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-363761.html Claustrophobiamdashit was suddenly all I could think about. The walls of the buildings were enclosing me. My 5rsquo1 stature felt like it could reach up and touch the bottoms of the balconies without stretching. The makeshift fences littered with people were on top of me. I couldnrsquot make a move without bumping into a drunk. I took a deep breath to remind myself that I was only walk http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-346742.html My first day in Spain was a rather interesting and surreal experience perhaps because I was deliriously exhausted from lack of sleep. The trip started well on the flight over. My seatmate was a man from the Canary Islands named Michael who spoke very little English. Combined with my lack of Spanish though to my surprise I remembered quite a lot of helpful words thanks Nina for all those conv http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-346219.html This blog has been a long time coming as I got back from this trip over a month ago but with all that happened on this trip I needed to write something to remember all the things that happened. Before I start I just want to say that this festival called San Fermin better known as the running of the bulls was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was complete sensory overload for 2 1 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-314773.html 5708Pamplona Running of the bulls festival was a must see on my list of things to do immortalised by Ernest Hemingway in The Sun Always Rises. This crazy festival runs from the 614th of July where the city is over run with thrill seekers me and Dale and the bulls. The Encierio Running of the bulls starts at 8am daily the bulls and people run 825m which takes three mins. We stayed with Top d http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-301150.html We survived the bull run It was a fantastic tiring couple of days but completly worth it Ill mention what we got up to in Madrid first not much at all really Coming from Scotland where it had been raining and windy the whole time and hitting 38 Deg it was just exhusting for us two The first day there we were buggered from the travels getting to Spain so we just foud a park and had a siesta http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-300551.html it is almost impossible to explain everything that went on over the 8 days we were in pampona. we caught the train up from barcelona early morning the only seats we were able to get were first class so we were looking farward to our first class experience. we were a little dissapointed to say the least our first class experience consisted of a big seat and well that was pretty mush it. it was a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-300214.html WOWWhat an adventure in Pamplona A group of us 9 total went to the encierro... AKA the running of the bulls. No amount of study knowledge understanding of the culture etc. could have adequately prepared me for the experience. It was absolutely amazing... something I think that every person should see at some point in their life. We left Salamanca on Friday afternoon as soon as classes http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Navarre/Pamplona/blog-299738.html