Once again I've found myself so busy I've forgotten to write. What have I been doing you ask? Well why don't we just talk about this last weekend for starters! Last week my lovely fiance Stephanie and our friend 'Lil came to visit me. It was strange for a second having familiar people from home with me in a place that I've become so comfortable in, but I got used to it. As they had decided to come visit during the San Fermin festival in Pamplona we had made plans months ago to hop a train up there and check it out.
If you've never experienced the running of the bulls or any of the other craziness that accompanies it in this city wide festival... you need to. It's not a question or a suggestion, it is simply something you need to do. There are attractions for everyone and tons of street shopping, which I'm sure could entertain anyone. If all else fails, a park bench and some people watching of the million people dressed in the same white shirt and pants with a red sash around their waist and a red bandanna tied around their neck is a never ending source of entertainment!
The Friday that we were there we managed to get up at 5:30 to go watch the running of the bulls. We made our way to the bull ring, a good decision on our part because they have giant screens that show the whole run and you see people pour into the ring in front of the bulls. After, they let young bulls into the ring and let them go to town on those crazy enough to challenge the bulls mite. I must have taken 150 pictures of people getting tossed around and yet nobody was seriously injured. After meeting up with our friends (my roommates), and a healthy nap, we decided the best course of action would be to make some mixed drinks in two liter bottles and head to the park. We ended up sitting at the park conversing with people from all over the world for around 5 hours. 11 o'clock came and it was time for fireworks! Despite the location we chose to sit in and the tree that partially blocked our view, that was one of the most spectacular fireworks shows I've ever seen.
Sadly after leaving, getting home, and getting the girls packed, we got up at 5'clock and I got them off to the airport for their plane headed back to the States. Besides missing them, the saddest part was what they were about to miss.
Sunday night Spain went head to head with the Netherlands in the World Cup and emerged victorious. If I thought the debauchery of Pamplona was entertaining I was proven wrong by the city wide celebration after the win. I literally saw a city of 4 million people become best friends with each other simply because they had one thing in common, they lived in Spain. I watched the game with a group of friends at our favorite watering hole and after the game we headed to Plaza Espanya. The city had set up giant screens in the plaza to show the game on. By the time we got there, it appeared that there were around 4000 people. Everyone was chanting "Yo soy Español, Español, Español!" This continued on for around an our until the party was broken up by riot police in full riot gear. I've also never been in a situation where thousands of people started running in every direction. It was a little intense to say the least but at least I once again got some great pictures! Since the metro was closed I decided to start walking towards my house in hopes of finding an available cab on the way. Little did I know, I would end up walking all the way home, all 5 miles. I did see an available cab in front of my house while I was digging for my keys though, so that's nice. Even though I didn't get home until around 3:30, the sounds of firecrackers, car horns and people shouting for joy could still be heard as I headed up my stairs. I am still asking myself, "What are the odds of being here for this?"
As usual I will end this with the link to my Photobucket account. This time you might want to put some time aside as I've added around 300 pictures between the World Cup album and the Pamplona album. http://s917.photobucket.com/home/c_mcke0987/allalbums
10 days until the big bird home and I must say... I will miss my second home.
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