ThLunarian
Member
I spent a month in Spain, and on my last weekend there, I went to the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona (what everyone calls the Running of the Bulls).
I went on a tour bus that's mostly for foreigners visiting Spain. It left from Madrid on Saturday at 11am, arrived in Pamplona at 5pm, and then was scheduled to leave at 9am the next morning, just after the daily Bull Run. I went with my friend Mollie, an American from California who I met during my stay in Madrid.
During the bus ride, we chatted it up with these four fellows from Britain. It turns out they were only visiting for the weekend, having just arrived in Madrid before the bus tour, and were going back to the UK on Monday. They had custom tee shirts made, each with their own nickname. "The Hair" is obvious; "The Doc" is because he's a doctor; "CM3K" is "Chowmaster Three Thousand" (I guess he likes to eat a lot), and "The Vivid Imagination" I still don't get. We decided later that he should have been "The Pied Piper".
So after an uneventful 5 hour bus ride, we arrive in Pamplona. Now, the first thing you need to realize about this event is that it's a week-long, 24 hour a day party throughout the entire city. It doesn't matter what time it is; in certain parts of town the streets are absolutely jam-pack-crowded beyond what you're probably picturing. The bull-related events only take up maybe two hours of that each day.
We arrived at 5pm, and the bulls were set to be released at 8am the next morning. That meant we had 15 hours to kill. After joining up with the four British fellows and another girl named Emily who had come alone, we were off. We started at a random bar on the street and got some appetizers. These are some peppers, doused in some spices. I don't know what the spices are, but I normally hate peppers and yet I enjoyed these.
After we were done eating appetizers and drinking, we set out in the city, wandering around and seeing what there was to see. Along the way, we picked up another girl who had been on our bus, and who had just been abandoned by the two guys she had been hanging out with; her name was Danielle.
"The Doc" came across a street vendor somewhere along the way who was selling these strange little robotic pink dogs for 5 Euro. He bought one and named it Jack.
Here's a video of Jack attempting to walk uphill: http://youtu.be/EEc4ovXwm74
And here's a picture of Jack attempting to hump Mollie's arm:
Jack had an interesting character arc during his brief stint in our group. His eyes lit up when he was turned on, so at first the girls acted scared of him, and we were calling him the Robotic Demon Dog; however, The Doc decided he was going to abuse the thing as much as possible, throwing it around and slamming it into things, and before long the girls started to see him as an innocent victim and began trying to defend him. This made The Doc want to abuse him even more, culminating in Jack's unceremonious decapitation.
We had been hanging out on a grassy knoll for about half an hour as we messed with Jack, and at one point The Vivid Imagination decided to break out his miniature bag pipes. Note the facial expression on the woman in the blue shirt.
So, after a bit, we decided to explore some more. There was a huge amount of people in the main city, so we decided to stray a bit, and wandered into the outskirts. Imagine our surprise when, looking over a ledge, down below we heard a band on a stage playing some music.
With nothing better to do, we decided to try and find a way down. We ended up finding a somewhat fancy elevator, and when it reached our level at the top, there was a drunk-ass man pissing in the corner of the elevator, hereafter known as the "Pissevator". I am attempting to avoid the puddle of piss in the corner, which isn't visible in this photo.
Despite our revulsion, we braved the Pissevator and rode it down to the level below. We followed a short path, and stumbled upon this gigantic country club, where the band was playing. It turns out that it was completely empty, save for the people who worked there,
but for some reason they let us in, and we had complete access to the entire place, all to ourselves.
There were various amenities, such as a swimming pool (we didn't use it), a bar, a restaurant, a library with free wi-fi...
...And a stage which just happened to have a band, rehearsing the set that they would have to play later that night.
Here are some videos of us dancing to the songs this band was playing, like it was our own private concert:
http://youtu.be/uHddXf_kebk
http://youtu.be/vTz4awMRcCw
After a bit of this, we wandered down to the actual stage area that you can see below us in the videos, and "The Vivid Imagination" decided to bust out his bagpipes again.
And, wouldn't you know it, they actually invited him on stage to play! (if you watch this video, skip to the 2-minute mark; before then it's kind of boring, as it's just him and the band synchronizing the key they were playing in)
http://youtu.be/-Zs5BohVR0E
So that was fantastic, but we weren't done at the country club yet. We wandered around some more, and after passing over a bridge that took us over a river (with no handrails or anything - it felt a lot more natural that way), we came across a sort-of rope swing... except it was hanging about five feet off shore.
However, the Doc is undeterred, and in his half-drunken state, decides he wants to use that rope swing to jump into the water, so first he climbs the tree to try and throw it to The Hair
In doing this, he nearly falls THREE TIMES, and directly under him the water was extremely shallow and the ground was clearly concrete, so we were all rather scared during this whole debacle, but he does manage to successfully get the rope where he wants it.
So, the Doc starts stripping down and prepares to jump in the water. At this point we realize that, past the concrete, we have no idea how deep or shallow the water is, and we implore him not to do it on those grounds alone, but he is undeterred, and even does a front somersault mid-jump, landing neck-first in the water.
Luckily, the water is sufficiently deep, and he does not die a horrible death. However, after leaving his soaked boxers behind and re-dressing, he does realize that he lost a necklace that had some sentimental value to him, and he's rather broken up about it.
The night continues. After a brief stop to watch some curious lightning in the distant clouds and getting into an argument of America versus the UK (which included a stint with competing National Anthems being sung at the horizon), we decide we're getting hungry so we stop to eat in a makeshift restaurant, where we are served bull (or at least that's what they told us).
At the table behind us was a small band of Bosque musicians (Bosque is a culture found in northern Spain), and at various points during dinner they break into song. There was an accordion player, a flautist, and two singers; they were actually quite good, and got rounds of applause after each song they sung.
After dinner, there was a span of a few hours where not very much happened. We attempted to go to a concert, but it was way too crowded and we got separated, so we spent some time regrouping and finding each other, and then some of us went back to the bus to sleep, while others went exploring. Danielle, the Doc, and myself went exploring, and we accidentally stumbled upon a carnival that none of us even knew existed. At this point, it was about 3:30am.
We went on the ferris wheel (which was kind of a rip-off, to be honest), and then after making fun of The Doc for a while because he calls bumper cars "dodge-ems", we decided to go on those bumper cars. On the way, we - completely by chance - run into The Hair and CM3K, who had earlier gotten separated from the rest of the group, so we all got on the "dodge-ems" together.
The night wears on, and after doing some other random stuff at the carnival, we decide to wander off. By this point, about 5am, the streets of Pamplona are absolutely FILTHY, covered in piss, vomit, beer, and trash, and it's really not fun at all to walk on them. We finally decide to split off into those who are running with the bulls, and those who will just watch. Me, The Doc, and The Hair are the only ones who plan on running right now, so we go off and do our own thing while Danielle and CM3K find a good seat from which to watch. On the way, I take this photo of one of the bulls who will try to run us down in a few hours: (it's not very clear, but you can make out the shape of the bull)
With about two hours to kill, we first decide to return to the scene of the rope swing, as The Doc would like to try and find his necklace. By some miracle, the rope swing area was completely untouched since we had last left it, and we immediately found the sunglasses that Doc had left behind... but after 15 minutes of searching for the necklace, we were ready to call it quits.
Then, AS WE'RE LEAVING, The Hair spots something on the ground... and it's the necklace! The Doc rejoices.
We go back to the original grassy knoll where we'd started the day to wait things out until 6:30, when we're supposed to head toward the bull track. Along the way, we take this precious photo with a random guy sleeping on the grass:
At about 6am, I get a text from Mollie, saying that everyone is awake and they're heading toward us. I tell her where we are, and 15 minutes later, her, Emily, and The Pied Piper join back up with us. Mollie and Emily have decided that they're not running, but the Piper is, and so after a brief goodbye, the four of us brave souls head toward Ground Zero.
The buildup toward the actual run is INTENSE. Everyone is antsy and nervous, and the energy in the air is palpable. The four of us stick together until about 7:55, when, unbidden, everyone starts moving... and then it was on. I got separated from the crew almost immediately.
The streets are maybe 20 feet wide at the most, so if you want to avoid getting smashed by a bull, you have to be along the very edge. Everyone is aware of this fact, and so the edges of the streets are all packed with people.
A rocket signals everyone to start running in earnest. Ten seconds later; another rocket. That means the bulls are loose. People start screaming, there is much shoving and gnashing of teeth. I get thrown around like a rag doll by the crowd, but I keep moving.
The bulls run past! Is that the last of them? I have no idea. I just keep moving, and looking out for more bulls.
THERE'S ANOTHER BULL! OHGOD! I keep moving, not paying any attention to the exits that I'm sure are littering the track.
ANOTHER BULL! WHOA! Up ahead is the arena. I make it into the arena!
Immediately after I took that picture, another good 5 bulls or so suddenly right straight through the exit I had just come in, and cross directly to the other side of the arena. I remember being grateful that I was not in their path, taking pictures like a moron.
So there are about a thousand people down in the pit of the arena, celebrating. I'm having a good time, and then I start wondering how to get out. Most of the walls are being guarded by... well, guards, who push you away if you get too close to the walls. So how do I get out of here?
Then a bull is released into the crowd. People start trying to mess with it, while others run away as fast as they possibly can. I have to brace myself and cross my arms in front of me to provide a barrier so that I don't get squished.
So the bull messes about for a while, and then they put it away, and I think maybe they'll start letting us out.
Wrong. Another bull comes out, and suddenly this is starting to get old. My bus is supposed to leave at 9am, and by now it's 8:20. I start asking various people how to get out, but most of them are as clueless as I am, and none of them have to leave as urgently as I do.
I finally find out that there's a specific section of wall you have to jump over, and then you have to search for a door that blends in with the wall so well that you wouldn't even notice it if you weren't looking for it. It's not marked in English or Spanish. Oh well.... whatever, I survived the running of the bulls!
So we all get on the bus to leave. Everyone is dead-tired, as no one had slept, having partied all night, and we're grateful to be on our way home.
Then the bus driver tries to pull out too hastily, and the window right next to me and Mollie gets smashed by the side-view mirror of the bus parked next to us.
We ended up stranded in Pamplona for another three hours, waiting for a replacement bus. What a way to end the weekend!
Finally the replacement bus comes, and five hours later I'm back at my home in Madrid. Just as I'm ready to go to sleep, J.M. Romeo tells me I need to come downtown to have a drink with him and Evilore. After much persuasion on his part, finally I agree, against my better judgment, and this is the resulting photo.
And thus ended my trip to Pamplona!
I went on a tour bus that's mostly for foreigners visiting Spain. It left from Madrid on Saturday at 11am, arrived in Pamplona at 5pm, and then was scheduled to leave at 9am the next morning, just after the daily Bull Run. I went with my friend Mollie, an American from California who I met during my stay in Madrid.
During the bus ride, we chatted it up with these four fellows from Britain. It turns out they were only visiting for the weekend, having just arrived in Madrid before the bus tour, and were going back to the UK on Monday. They had custom tee shirts made, each with their own nickname. "The Hair" is obvious; "The Doc" is because he's a doctor; "CM3K" is "Chowmaster Three Thousand" (I guess he likes to eat a lot), and "The Vivid Imagination" I still don't get. We decided later that he should have been "The Pied Piper".
So after an uneventful 5 hour bus ride, we arrive in Pamplona. Now, the first thing you need to realize about this event is that it's a week-long, 24 hour a day party throughout the entire city. It doesn't matter what time it is; in certain parts of town the streets are absolutely jam-pack-crowded beyond what you're probably picturing. The bull-related events only take up maybe two hours of that each day.
We arrived at 5pm, and the bulls were set to be released at 8am the next morning. That meant we had 15 hours to kill. After joining up with the four British fellows and another girl named Emily who had come alone, we were off. We started at a random bar on the street and got some appetizers. These are some peppers, doused in some spices. I don't know what the spices are, but I normally hate peppers and yet I enjoyed these.
After we were done eating appetizers and drinking, we set out in the city, wandering around and seeing what there was to see. Along the way, we picked up another girl who had been on our bus, and who had just been abandoned by the two guys she had been hanging out with; her name was Danielle.
"The Doc" came across a street vendor somewhere along the way who was selling these strange little robotic pink dogs for 5 Euro. He bought one and named it Jack.
Here's a video of Jack attempting to walk uphill: http://youtu.be/EEc4ovXwm74
And here's a picture of Jack attempting to hump Mollie's arm:
Jack had an interesting character arc during his brief stint in our group. His eyes lit up when he was turned on, so at first the girls acted scared of him, and we were calling him the Robotic Demon Dog; however, The Doc decided he was going to abuse the thing as much as possible, throwing it around and slamming it into things, and before long the girls started to see him as an innocent victim and began trying to defend him. This made The Doc want to abuse him even more, culminating in Jack's unceremonious decapitation.
We had been hanging out on a grassy knoll for about half an hour as we messed with Jack, and at one point The Vivid Imagination decided to break out his miniature bag pipes. Note the facial expression on the woman in the blue shirt.
So, after a bit, we decided to explore some more. There was a huge amount of people in the main city, so we decided to stray a bit, and wandered into the outskirts. Imagine our surprise when, looking over a ledge, down below we heard a band on a stage playing some music.
With nothing better to do, we decided to try and find a way down. We ended up finding a somewhat fancy elevator, and when it reached our level at the top, there was a drunk-ass man pissing in the corner of the elevator, hereafter known as the "Pissevator". I am attempting to avoid the puddle of piss in the corner, which isn't visible in this photo.
Despite our revulsion, we braved the Pissevator and rode it down to the level below. We followed a short path, and stumbled upon this gigantic country club, where the band was playing. It turns out that it was completely empty, save for the people who worked there,
but for some reason they let us in, and we had complete access to the entire place, all to ourselves.
There were various amenities, such as a swimming pool (we didn't use it), a bar, a restaurant, a library with free wi-fi...
...And a stage which just happened to have a band, rehearsing the set that they would have to play later that night.
Here are some videos of us dancing to the songs this band was playing, like it was our own private concert:
http://youtu.be/uHddXf_kebk
http://youtu.be/vTz4awMRcCw
After a bit of this, we wandered down to the actual stage area that you can see below us in the videos, and "The Vivid Imagination" decided to bust out his bagpipes again.
And, wouldn't you know it, they actually invited him on stage to play! (if you watch this video, skip to the 2-minute mark; before then it's kind of boring, as it's just him and the band synchronizing the key they were playing in)
http://youtu.be/-Zs5BohVR0E
So that was fantastic, but we weren't done at the country club yet. We wandered around some more, and after passing over a bridge that took us over a river (with no handrails or anything - it felt a lot more natural that way), we came across a sort-of rope swing... except it was hanging about five feet off shore.
However, the Doc is undeterred, and in his half-drunken state, decides he wants to use that rope swing to jump into the water, so first he climbs the tree to try and throw it to The Hair
In doing this, he nearly falls THREE TIMES, and directly under him the water was extremely shallow and the ground was clearly concrete, so we were all rather scared during this whole debacle, but he does manage to successfully get the rope where he wants it.
So, the Doc starts stripping down and prepares to jump in the water. At this point we realize that, past the concrete, we have no idea how deep or shallow the water is, and we implore him not to do it on those grounds alone, but he is undeterred, and even does a front somersault mid-jump, landing neck-first in the water.
Luckily, the water is sufficiently deep, and he does not die a horrible death. However, after leaving his soaked boxers behind and re-dressing, he does realize that he lost a necklace that had some sentimental value to him, and he's rather broken up about it.
The night continues. After a brief stop to watch some curious lightning in the distant clouds and getting into an argument of America versus the UK (which included a stint with competing National Anthems being sung at the horizon), we decide we're getting hungry so we stop to eat in a makeshift restaurant, where we are served bull (or at least that's what they told us).
At the table behind us was a small band of Bosque musicians (Bosque is a culture found in northern Spain), and at various points during dinner they break into song. There was an accordion player, a flautist, and two singers; they were actually quite good, and got rounds of applause after each song they sung.
After dinner, there was a span of a few hours where not very much happened. We attempted to go to a concert, but it was way too crowded and we got separated, so we spent some time regrouping and finding each other, and then some of us went back to the bus to sleep, while others went exploring. Danielle, the Doc, and myself went exploring, and we accidentally stumbled upon a carnival that none of us even knew existed. At this point, it was about 3:30am.
We went on the ferris wheel (which was kind of a rip-off, to be honest), and then after making fun of The Doc for a while because he calls bumper cars "dodge-ems", we decided to go on those bumper cars. On the way, we - completely by chance - run into The Hair and CM3K, who had earlier gotten separated from the rest of the group, so we all got on the "dodge-ems" together.
The night wears on, and after doing some other random stuff at the carnival, we decide to wander off. By this point, about 5am, the streets of Pamplona are absolutely FILTHY, covered in piss, vomit, beer, and trash, and it's really not fun at all to walk on them. We finally decide to split off into those who are running with the bulls, and those who will just watch. Me, The Doc, and The Hair are the only ones who plan on running right now, so we go off and do our own thing while Danielle and CM3K find a good seat from which to watch. On the way, I take this photo of one of the bulls who will try to run us down in a few hours: (it's not very clear, but you can make out the shape of the bull)
With about two hours to kill, we first decide to return to the scene of the rope swing, as The Doc would like to try and find his necklace. By some miracle, the rope swing area was completely untouched since we had last left it, and we immediately found the sunglasses that Doc had left behind... but after 15 minutes of searching for the necklace, we were ready to call it quits.
Then, AS WE'RE LEAVING, The Hair spots something on the ground... and it's the necklace! The Doc rejoices.
We go back to the original grassy knoll where we'd started the day to wait things out until 6:30, when we're supposed to head toward the bull track. Along the way, we take this precious photo with a random guy sleeping on the grass:
At about 6am, I get a text from Mollie, saying that everyone is awake and they're heading toward us. I tell her where we are, and 15 minutes later, her, Emily, and The Pied Piper join back up with us. Mollie and Emily have decided that they're not running, but the Piper is, and so after a brief goodbye, the four of us brave souls head toward Ground Zero.
The buildup toward the actual run is INTENSE. Everyone is antsy and nervous, and the energy in the air is palpable. The four of us stick together until about 7:55, when, unbidden, everyone starts moving... and then it was on. I got separated from the crew almost immediately.
The streets are maybe 20 feet wide at the most, so if you want to avoid getting smashed by a bull, you have to be along the very edge. Everyone is aware of this fact, and so the edges of the streets are all packed with people.
A rocket signals everyone to start running in earnest. Ten seconds later; another rocket. That means the bulls are loose. People start screaming, there is much shoving and gnashing of teeth. I get thrown around like a rag doll by the crowd, but I keep moving.
The bulls run past! Is that the last of them? I have no idea. I just keep moving, and looking out for more bulls.
THERE'S ANOTHER BULL! OHGOD! I keep moving, not paying any attention to the exits that I'm sure are littering the track.
ANOTHER BULL! WHOA! Up ahead is the arena. I make it into the arena!
Immediately after I took that picture, another good 5 bulls or so suddenly right straight through the exit I had just come in, and cross directly to the other side of the arena. I remember being grateful that I was not in their path, taking pictures like a moron.
So there are about a thousand people down in the pit of the arena, celebrating. I'm having a good time, and then I start wondering how to get out. Most of the walls are being guarded by... well, guards, who push you away if you get too close to the walls. So how do I get out of here?
Then a bull is released into the crowd. People start trying to mess with it, while others run away as fast as they possibly can. I have to brace myself and cross my arms in front of me to provide a barrier so that I don't get squished.
So the bull messes about for a while, and then they put it away, and I think maybe they'll start letting us out.
Wrong. Another bull comes out, and suddenly this is starting to get old. My bus is supposed to leave at 9am, and by now it's 8:20. I start asking various people how to get out, but most of them are as clueless as I am, and none of them have to leave as urgently as I do.
I finally find out that there's a specific section of wall you have to jump over, and then you have to search for a door that blends in with the wall so well that you wouldn't even notice it if you weren't looking for it. It's not marked in English or Spanish. Oh well.... whatever, I survived the running of the bulls!
So we all get on the bus to leave. Everyone is dead-tired, as no one had slept, having partied all night, and we're grateful to be on our way home.
Then the bus driver tries to pull out too hastily, and the window right next to me and Mollie gets smashed by the side-view mirror of the bus parked next to us.
We ended up stranded in Pamplona for another three hours, waiting for a replacement bus. What a way to end the weekend!
Finally the replacement bus comes, and five hours later I'm back at my home in Madrid. Just as I'm ready to go to sleep, J.M. Romeo tells me I need to come downtown to have a drink with him and Evilore. After much persuasion on his part, finally I agree, against my better judgment, and this is the resulting photo.
And thus ended my trip to Pamplona!
