The apartment that was our destination was located on one of the prime spots of the route, right on a corner known for being a dangerous (and therefore interesting) spot. As we got closer, it became necessary to push through drunken crowds single file and keep checking in to make sure we didn't lose any of the group. The overall atmosphere was extremely similar to walking through a crowded frat party, if that is a helpful basis for comparison for anyone.
We finally got to the apartment, which was enormous and had 8 different balconies with views around the whole corner. Both breakfast and a typical red panuelito (handkerchief) were included, so we made ourselves at home and started scoping out the most advantageous spot to watch the event. Here are Dave, Sien and Frank in one of the balconies:
Here is one of the views from the apartment out to the left. The crowd on the left are spectators and they are kept back by a wooden fence. In front of them is another fence layer that is only for emergency personnel and press. The group of people being held back by a line of police in the middle background of the picture are the runners who are only allowed to take their places after the bulls are let out of the corral which is a few minutes away.
Every balcony of every building on the route was filled with people watching. It was an extremely festive atmosphere and much more pleasant up at balcony level out of the sticky, crowded street.
While we were waiting for things to begin, a naked streaker came running down the cleared street and was quickly grabbed by policemen. Instead of arresting him, they merely tried to shove him back through the fence into the spectator area, which was eventually accomplished after much resistance from the naked runner...
This is the view up the other street of the corner. The path of the route starts up at the other corner and wraps around this way before continuing the rest of the way to the Plaza de Toros (bullring).
This is the view from the balcony where we ended up watching the running. There is a wooden barrier across the corner so the bulls and people running turn the corner and don't smash into any spectators. The big wooden gate then is swung shut by police after all the bulls go through.
When the actual event starts, there is a loud bang that signals that the gate has been opened for the bulls at the beginning of the route. The whole original point of this event was to get the bulls from a corral on the outskirts of the city to the bullring in the center of the city. The bulls are then used in the bullfights later that night. Each day of the 9 day San Fermin festival six bulls are sent running to the Plaza and are then all killed that night in the bullfights. The bulls run with steers (neutered bulls) who know the way to the bullring and help lead the way. There is a second bang when all of the bulls have left the corral.
The whole route that the bulls run is 800 meters and the time it takes for them to run by you lasts about 30 seconds. Before I include the photos of the bulls running I feel obligated to note that our group was always anti-bullfight and is now staunchly anti-running of the bulls. There is an atmopshere of adrenaline and excitement that is definitely contagious, but seeing those poor animals running because they have no other choice and are completely scared and confused was horrible. They are in a complete panic and are just scrambling blindly while surrounded by throngs of people screaming and hitting at them. And after all the chaos is over, they just end up experiencing a slow, painful torture session in the bullring.
So, after that uplifting introduction, here was our brief glimpse of the running of the bulls:
I think we were all relieved when it was over and we could say that we had seen it and concluded for ourselves that it was barbaric and so much worse to see in person than in any video or photo. The tour coordinator then explained some of the history of the event and showed the footage on TV that they always replay multiple times after it's over. The report particularly focuses on people who have gotten trampled or hurt in someway and has slow motion replays of all such interesting events. Luckily, no one was hurt seriously this morning. As many people probably already know, a guy was killed yesterday while running when he fell against a barrier and got his neck slashed by the horn of a bull that was running by. An extremely sad story, but it's hard not to add that placing yourself in the way of a scared wild animal is probably not a good idea.
The last part of our tour was a guided walk along the entire route with explanations of the procedures of the event and the areas that are known for being particularly hazardous.
Here is the main plaza after the running was over - distinctly cleaner than before because they come along with massive hoses and spray water (and people if in the way) to clean everything up each morning.
We went back to our hotel exhausted and packed ourselves up for our journey to France. My parents rented a house in the Dordogne region for a week and we had a relatively easy 4 hour drive up from Pamplona to meet them (with a stop at the Bordeaux airport to pick up my sisters Nadja and Joana, plus Joana's boyfriend Tom and Nadja's friend Cheryl).
The house they rented is beautiful and it was such a change to go from such a dirty, chaotic morning to a peaceful manoir in the French countryside! This is one view of the back of the house:
Here is my mom in the back area of the house, standing in front of the covered area for outdoor eating.
Here's my dad by the small river that runs along the back of the property:
The property includes some farm area, which containes some fields of "shredded wheat" hay bales:
Here is a view of the house from the front:
It's so good to be reunited with the whole family after traveling for more than three months! And it's also so exciting to have a whole week in one place to just relax!
We might even convince a family member or two to be a "guest blogger"...
ILM
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