Every year Pamplona spends a week honoring their patron saint by participating in some interesting activities including running from bulls, drinking heavily, and dressing in all white. The running of the bulls or El Encierro has been held on the same course for over a hundred years. The Festival is said to celebrate the joy of living so how fitting is it that thousands put their lives on the line in the path of bulls. As for the drinking in the classier parts of town the drink of choice is a nice spanish wine or maybe a beer served in a nice glass. In the parks and city center however everyone is carrying around liter bottles of cheap beer and coke bottles containing a mixture of cola and sangria. It's an interesting mix but not something I would order at home. Somehow people manage to get this mixture literally all over them turning the completely white outfit a almost tie died purple. I have yet to see someone turn their clothing this color but they must pour it over themselves or something. Anyways the official outfit of the festival is white pants with a red belt, a white shirt, and a red neck scarf. It's pictured below.
So it turns out that everything we though we knew about the running of the bulls turned out to be very little and so as we struggled out of bed this morning late because of an alarm malfunction we knew our participation would be a stretch. We arrived to the area where the encierro takes place around 645 and couldn't get in anywhere to run. Kind of disappointing but in my mind for the best. We were unprepared and stretched for time. If only acomodation around here had been cheaper we'd have stayed another day or two and better figured things out. Nonetheless the day we spent at the festival was great. Only at a European festival to a catholic saint would you be served Sangria with breakfast at 9 am. Not a terrible way to start the day. Wash that down with a liter or two of cheap beer and some churros and alas you have a great day.
Anyways we jusy spent the day in Barcelona and now on to Milan....
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