Running of the Bulls


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July 9th 2012
Published: July 9th 2012
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Hands down the most insane experience of my life. The running of the bulls in Pamplona is incredible. It started with the opening ceremonies which essentially consisted of a lot of chanting followed by people pouring wine all over each other. It is quite literally the largest party ever. After a few plastic bottles of incredibly cheap sangria the party really gets started. People on the top floors of the cities main square poor wine down on the crowd below. Everyone in there white and red outfitts running the streets and drinking, drinking, drinking. After indulging in a few local beverages and taking a nice siesta outside of the bull arena we ran into some familiar faces. Brady and Lani Amack and George Moore just happen to be standing in the same line. after the initial shock of running into them, we planned on meeting up to run with the bulls the following morning. The party lasts all day and all night capped off with a bull fight that night. we packed it in a bit early in anticipation of the following morning.

After a quick nights sleep we were back in town. The carnage from the opening day is hard to explain. Empty bottles, mud, filth, wine, and other garbage lined the streets. The smell itself is almost unbearable. It might have ruined sangria for me. Here in Barcelona I had a glass and it immediately reminded me of the street smell. The running begins at city hall. We met up with the amacks and planned our route. Basically if you line up within the gate in time you can run. The bulls are released at 8 am so we were there at 7 to make sure we got in. About 10 minutes before they release the bulls they open the gate and allow you to choose a spot on the course to start. We headed down towards the end. About 300 yards from the stadium. The adrenaline rush is like nothing I have ever experienced. The anticipation is intense. And then BANG! A cannon goes off signaling the release of the bulls. Its hard to see them coming. Then all of a sudden people start running and the bulls emerge out of the crowd. They are much bigger than you realize. They run six bulls total. So as I was running four or so of the six ran by. I reached out and touched one as it ran by which was pretty cool. Then, as you get closer to the stadium the route narrows. People are falling down and running over each other. The most dangerous part is the people. They are less predictable than the bulls. Mind you there are still two bulls behind me. After jumping over a few piles of people I enter the stadium. It is the most unbelievable experience. The stadium is packed with 30000 people going absolutely insane. No feeling like it. The six bulls are quickly ushered out of the stadium. That is when the real chaos begins. They then release younger faster bulls who run around bucking people. These bulls got a lot of people. Every time a person gets flipped the crowd goes wild. I actually touched one of these bulls as well which was pretty crazy. Another thing you learn quickly is the respect the locals have for the bulls. You can touch them, taunt them, and run next to them but if you grab the horns or tail a bunch of guys in green shirts come out and beat the crap out of you with sticks. They beat a bunch of people up pretty bad. The small bulls are allowed to run for about an hour or so then the running is over and it is back to drinking. We went to Txoko Bar which is the popular spot where all the runners go. It is something I think everyone should experience. Even if you do not run with the them the atmosphere is like nothing else.

We have been here in Barcelona for two days and are off to Kos, Greece to visit Brian Kovary. Not sure of the wifi situation but I will try and find some while we are there. Cheers!

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