Madrid and Pamplona

"Your not a moron. Your only a case of arrested development"... to quote Papa Hemingway from "The Sun Also Rises".



At times I felt like a moron as I waited to run with the bulls during San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain. Standing in a vomit, urine and stale sangria amongst thousands of would be runners that stench keep me from breathing through my nose. The sight of drunks puking just feet away made me wondered WTF is going on here. Yet I could not leave nor did I want to... the idea of running with the bulls has been with me since I read that novel oh so many years ago. What I never imagined was the craziness of the party that this town turned into for a week plus. the party NEVER stops... as we headed into the streets to run with the bulls there was a constant flow of people still going from the night before, drunken "children" trying to find there way to a place to sleep... under a tree, park bench... anywhere.


The first day in Pamplona we located our apartment and headed out to get the lay of the land... the next day was the "kick-off" to the San Fermin Celebration... there is no way to discribe this madness, one would have to be there and even then it was surreal.


July 7th: The first day of the run we got there early found a place to meet the bulls or so we thought, about 45 minutes before the run the police began to push over two thousand people about the length of a football field in less than 20 minutes... I MEAN PUSH... about a dozen cops just moved us and after a minute or so I knew we were not going to run today as we strayed to far from the cut off point. It was a learning experience.


July 8th: This time aware of the cut off line Bill and I got there early and stayed put.... as the time ticked down to the finally minutes we got seperated (more on this later) and then the sound of the first rocket... get ready.... then the sound of the second rocket.... the bulls are loose. I wait and make sure my shoes are dry and at the first sight of the bulls cresting the road I take off ... people are falling everywhere and I am trying my best not to be taken down by a runner... as the bulls are 20 feet away I am looking to get to high ground... spotting an opening on the fence I jump up as the bulls pass... a police man beckons me to climb out and i shake my head and jump down to chase the bulls into the ring... but as the second wave of bulls passes I know I will not get there in time... moments later I hear the final rocket and I am yards from the gate and will not get in.... masi muskil I have run with the bulls.... or more like I have ran from the bulls and then ran after the bulls. It was a great feeling and I was smiling ear-to-ear afterwards and wanted more.

This photo is of me and my friend Bill... Bill got kicked out minutes before the bulls were set loose for taking a photo (no camera allowed) so he is bummed and I am beaming. It was a high that lasted for hours.


July 9th: Bill, Justin and myself leave early to run with the bulls, Bill is down to his last day and has to run today or we may not leave HAHAHA, Justin can't leave Pamplona without doing it now and me... I am swiya sick but need to be there for my friends and what the heck I can do it again...

So finally tally... Ran with the Bulls twice and came out with many stories. Pamplona during San Fermin is a world class party and it you are young and ready to go at it 24 hours a day for a week this is your town... me I can't nor do I want to any longer, But I had a great time!!!


Back in Morocco now... fighting a sinus infection and fever and missing Europe!