Holiday Part #2 - Full of bull... and even more sangria

Pamplona - Running with the bulls!

The part of my trip I was most looking forward to.... I arrived at the El Molino campsite, and was a little disappointed with how far from town it was - 20 minutes and 30 euro. The Backpacker Co bus you in early each morning, but this meant once back at camp you were basically stuck there!


So after settling into my tent, I embraced vodka and red bulls in one litre plastic cups with the rest of the campsite.... it was pretty feral out there, but I went with the 'if you can't beat them' philosophy on my first night. Was convinced the world was getting smaller when my campsite neighbours were guys from Keilor, who knew people who I knew etc, and then I ran into a ex-St Joey's Echuca classmate.
Pic. El Molino campsite

They extra large
vodka & red bulls
went down a treat
for a weary
traveller!

The festival begins every year on July 6th with the 'Chupinazo' (Opening Ceremony) commencing the Fiesta of San Fermin - the patron Saint of the Navarra region. Shortly before midday, the Mayor and Town Councillors appear on the Town Hall balcony, while thousands of people, all squashed together, push and shove and dance and sing while they wait for the Mayors words. The plaza was filled beyond capacity, and all you can see is a sea of white and red. It got pretty hectic in there, and I could hardly breathe - but it was so much fun!

I had been told that Chupinazo was the best day of the festival, so was pumped as we piled into town dressed in our whites and scarves, and bought sangria and champagne from vendors with shopping trolleys on the way to Town Hall. It was total chaos, people spraying drinks and throwing flower and eggs - the whites didn't stay that way for long! Anyone who was stupid enough to enter the crowd still clean was completely annihilated.

BEFORE AFTER

Once the Mayor declared the festival open the crowd went crazy, and everyone was waving their handerchiefs and chanting 'San Fermin, San Fermin'

The crowd actually became out of control at that point, and I got separated from my group and ended up about 100m away! I thought I was about to get crushed to death, so that momentarily ruined my buzz - but I recovered my senses with a liberal dose of sangria!

We noticed straight away that that locals weren't overly fond of backpackers, and who could blame them given how people were going completely over the top! So we wandered around the backstreets and found some local bars were they were partying hard and singing and dancing in the street.... and again found myself sleeping in a park in the middle of the day!

The first bull run took place the following day, and we were bussed into town at 5.30am! Many people at the campsite had not been to bed, but I was suffering from a sangria-overload and had managed a few hours. Reluctantly I went with the rest of the girls to wait for the runners and bulls in the stadium Plaza de Toro. I had always planned to run, but when I learned how females were not traditionallly allowed to run, and how opposed to it the locals were - plus after the chaotic scenes the day before - I pulled the pin at the last minute. (Having seen it done now, I am definitely going to run next time!)

Not to take anything away from Plaza de Toro.... the place was electric! The stadium was packed, mostly with people who had come straight from the bar - and some clever person was selling cartons of sangria! (I decided to relax my personal policy of no drinking before 11am for the occasion - if you can't drink sangria for breakfast in Spain, surrounded by Spaniards, at the bull running festival - when can you??)

When the first of the runners came through they were booed for being scared, and gradually over the next minute the stadium filled with runners all looking suitably terrified! It was hilarious to watch the look of fear on peoples faces - until the bulls were about to run in.... at this point the runners were literally sprinting into the ring and you could tell they could hear the heavy hooves coming on the cobblestones behind them!

All of a sudden there was a huge influx of bodies and the bulls came thundering through the middle! It was CRAZY!! The crowd was going crazy and singing ole-ole-ole! It was one of most awesome, exciting things I have ever witnessed.

Here are some pictures of the heiffers in the ring which happens for about half an hour after the main bull run each day. You can see that they are not exactly small! Even though their horns have been cut off. We saw a few nasty injuries, including a guy who got flipped over and was like a rag doll on the ground - the bull came back for him but he was quickly picked up and hurled over the side! I read later that he had been left a quadraplegic.

I will be back with Part #3 in a day or two.... reunions, tears and copious amounts of fun wrapped up in garbage bags at a music festival in Dublin.

The Dublin crew!