Nathan and Anna: July 2007

SPAIN 2007

RUNNING OF THE BULLS

PAMPLONA

We arrived in Bilbao on the 7th July - after picking up the car we hired we headed straight to Sans Sebastian - the weather was a balmy 27 degrees and we were thinking this is going to be a great few days. After pitching our tents in what we would say a first class campsite we ventured in to town to enjoy some Sangria and various Spanish specialities.

On walking home the rain started and the worse thunder and lightening we have ever heard - not the best when you are camping and the cold weather hang around for the entire trip.

Next day we packed up our tents and headed to Pamplona where the fun began. Nathan wasn't feeling very well and ended up with food poisoning so was spewing for a few days. Pamplona was unreal. We felt somewhat out of it when you are dressed in our normal clothes so quickly headed to a shops to purchase our red and white numbers!!!!

The first bull run was the Monday morning - it is the most stupidity we have ever seen - to watch these people throwing themselves in front of a bull was mind blowing. We saw several injuries and near death attacks - fortunately there were no fatalities that day.

Monday night we managed to get last tickets to the Bull Fight for 60 euro. We were eager to go so didn't care we paid quite a lot extra for them. It turned out Nathan and myself had corporate like seats as we enjoyed the Spanish as they shared there food and booze with us.

The bull fight was incredible and possibly not for the animal lover as the bulls death were often painful and prolonged!

We found the Spanish lovely and helpful even though most could not understand much English we still managed to somehow survive.