It had been decided yesterday evening that we would have a relaxing day at the campsite and then head off to Pamplona as fast around four and stay as long as we possibly could. The day consisted of buying white shirts and trousers and red neckerchiefs and sashes so that we would look the part. Enjoying several very cold dips in the campsite swimming pool and a walk in the blistering heat to the train station only to discover that no trains seemed to be on the way.
Luckily for us I decided to go and buy a drink and Phil started chatting to a young american lady who could actually read a bus time table. The bus arrived and after much trouble paying the driver we were finally heading towards the fiesta.
Arriving in Pamplona it seemed to quite relaxed not and not the crowded rawkus that I had been expecting. Everyone was in the traditional white and red including us, so we must have come to the right place.
Walking to the town square it all seemed quite reserved we sat down on some grass and enjoyed what little sun there was left and opened up a few beers. After reaching that point of not quite tipsy but mellow and happy we decided to go and explore.
First of all we came across a group playing dodgy covers of Blue Brothers songs, Paul wanted to move closer to the stage where all the twelve year olds were, but we were not moving. Second we walked up and down increasingly busy windy streets where the noise was getting louder and louder until we came across the first of the peñas, a brass band playing the same song over and over again while people danced manically behind them. Then wandering aimlessly we bumped into an Australian kid who thought that me an Paul were Kiwis and he gave us two very large glasses of a aniseed spirit that almost blew my head off.
It was decided at this point to go and find somewhere to eat, like any festival or event in Britain, Sanfermin has food stalls the only difference is that the food is nice and reasonably priced, we all bought (with the possible exception of Joe) and Queso y Bacon Bocadillo which was very tasty.
The next thing I remember after this is sitting in a square arguing about bullfighting and society and well to be perfectly honest I didn't really care but if you went to a bullfight you would be horrified but if I came from the countryside then I wou.......... and so on and so on.
The back to the party we found a great little bar that played a diverse mix of music from the Manu Chao to Manu Chao to Manu Chao to Manu Chao, with a little bit of Bon Jovi and REM thrown in. Everyone dancing and spilling beer everywhere. Rob purchased a musical flashing flower which he said was an aid to pulling, his technique is a such.
1. Hit Spanish girl very hard over head with plastic flower.
2. Press it against her ear.
3. Turn on music.
4. Watch as she runs away in terror.
After a while all of this partying became too much for Paul's Immodium and Diocalm blocked bowels and he said that he needed to sleep, we wandered up to the castle ramparts in order to find somewhere a little more relaxed.
JOE PULLED, unfortunately they were only fourteen and said things like 'Red Wine, my Dad drinks that'.
The rest of the night for me is quite a blur, went to a Jamaican bar playing dub reggae on my own while everyone else tried to sleep, talked to the spanish version of Jay and Silent Bob one of whom kept shouting things like 'Yee Thro Tul', 'Briss Dikunsen' and 'Rit Chee Black A Mor', I had my wallet stolen and spoke to EGG and HSBC's lost and stolen card section incredibly drunk, more bars, more dancing, I became very concerned about a French person who was sitting on the castle walls even thought they were about four foot wide, going to a bar that had pictures of Basque terrorists on the wall and jumping up and down like a mad thing in it much to the disgust of the locals, then it was light and we were stood next to the bull run next to the girls who had helped us read the timetable.
Bull Running
I had no intention of running the bulls, I had sobered up as we had been standing around for quite a while and we all had a decent view of the run. Then all of a sudden everyone climbed up onto the barriers and that blocked my view so I could not see a thing. This thought came into my head 'I am the person that made everyone come to this town and I am the only one who cant see anything, FUCK IT, I am going to run'.
I gave Joe my bag, climbed through the barriers in to the street and started walking up towards the final run towards the bullring which is considered the least dangerous part to run. Most peoples faces looked as if they were having second thoughts (mine included).
The spanish police formed a line infront of everybody and marched us all back to the road called estafeta which is the most dangerous, I was thinking by this time ooh fuck, but there was no way out now. I was getting very very tense, I waved to Joe and Phil but they didnt see me, the crowd was too big.
The police then moved the barrier then I and most other people started a jog up estafeta to get toward the final run, about half way up the street the first rocket went off and everyone started to run fast, then people realised that there was nothing coming. I stood looking and and saw people running and was thinking there is nothing coming, and still nothing was coming and people were running past me. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere there where people running very very fast then I knew that they were coming I ran as fast as I could and before I knew it there was a big brown bull right behind me and I dived through the fence as did a spanish bloke in front of me who. The bloke behind me wasn't so lucky he decided to try and go over the fence and the bull stuck his horn straight in the back it didn't seem to cause much damage because he started to run again only for the bull to turn around and catch him again.
The second and third rockets went off, and I felt like this, that was fucking brilliant/terrifying, shit that was stupid, wayhey I am alive.
I went back to find the others, I told them that I had run and Phil said 'your talking bollocks'.
After that I was completely drained and all I wanted to was sleep we had a bit of trouble finding the bus home, then it was so hot that it was difficult to sleep, the car battery was dead, it seemed to be one disaster after the other, till finally Paul got the car working and we went for the most refreshing drive ever.
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