Some people will never believe me, but I ran with the bulls this weekend! We arrived in Pamplona, Spain on Friday mid-day. We heard the review of the first day of the running that took place that morning. We then went and checked our bags at the left luggage office because we were going to camp in the park at night. The tourism office had a video about the do's and don'ts of running with the bulls that we watched. That came in handy later. The 24-hour party took me by surprise. But it was a blast. We visited the bullpen and had a photo shoot there. Then we just took in the atmosphere on Friday and prepared for our campout that evening.

At 23:00 every night they have fireworks in the park we were sleeping in. After the fireworks cleared we found a nice place and settled down to rest up for the running in the morning. After a while other GTL students happened upon our campsite and they joined the group. We woke up at 5:00 to prepare the 8:00 running. We packed up our stuff and checked everything we owned. (You don't want a backpack on while you are running for your life.) Headed down to the beginning of the course. When we got in the course it was already packed. Tons and tons of people were waiting to run with the bulls. I bought a newspaper to roll up and distract the bull with if it got to close. We walked further down the half-mile course so that we didn't have to run the entire way during the 2 minute run. I can't run a 4-minute mile! As it got closer to 8:00 everyone was getting ready. Everyone was stretching out and preparing for the run of their lives.

Shortly before 8:00 there was a recording played (in Spanish) about want to do and not to do. I had one of my friends interpret it for us. Then there was a false start. Basically a bunch of people started running and we thought the bulls were coming so we ran too. It wasn't the bulls so we got stuck behind a police blockade that holds you back at different points so you don't leave early. This is shown in the background of one of my pictures (pictures taken while I watched the second day). I didn't have my camera with me while I ran so that I wouldn't break it.

Then the first rocket went off. This signals the gate was opened. We were still held where we were about a quarter of a mile from the bullring. We awaited the second rocket signaling that all the bulls were out of the pen. It shot off and we were aloud to run. All I could hear was the yelling and pattering of all of the feet. It was eerie! I was running along making sure not to trip on those that fell in front of me. Just running along and running for my life. Then at the final turn I saw the pack of bulls approaching. I moved to the side and saw the first few pass about 3 meters away. I kept moving towards the ring because you have to get into the ring to enjoy those festivities. So as the next group came by I got out to the side and hurried down to the end where I ran behind the final bull into the ring. I was about 10 meters behind it.

Once in the ring they heard them into the pen on the other side. Then they begin letting the baby bulls out for you to play with. After a while they let their mother out to find her young and return them to the pen. Before they let the baby bulls out each of the 5 times they do this a bunch of idiots sit directly in front of the door. They just sit there and wait for the baby to come out so they can take a picture. Then some of them dropped their cameras when it does come out. I saw many people get trampled by the baby bulls doing that. After the bullring excitement we all meet back up and decided who was going where from there. All but 4 of us left for San Sebastian or Barcelona Saturday afternoon. Four of us decided to stay and try to get tickets to that night's bullfight and to run/take pictures at the next days' running. We bought our bus tickets for the next day and headed towards the bullring to attempt to buy tickets.

We asked around and found some locals at a T-shirt stand that sold tickets. We got the tickets and were all ready for the fight at 18:30 that evening. We were pumped because we not only ran with the bulls, but we were also going to a bullfight. At 18:00 we went to the bullring and headed inside. Of course we had the cheap seats so we went up all the stairs to the top. Once we found our section we figured out that the seating was like student seating at Georgia Tech football games. As long as you're in your section, it's first come first serve. Well, we didn't like the fact that we had to sit on the 5th to last row, but soon we were glad that we were sitting there. Right before the fight some people headed up the stairs across the section from us. They apparently obstructed someone's view so some of the other spectators threw their alcohol at them. They got soaked with this red alcohol. It was strange. Come to find out that this is very normal for Pamplona bullfights. If you rub someone the wrong way by sitting or standing in the wrong place, you get drenched with alcohol or hit with lemon rinds. What ever they can find they throw. This is why we were glad about sitting so high up. After they are drunk they don't have good aim, and everyone below them gets hit.

Then the bullfight begins. Some may not like the idea of bullfights, so I will not right about specifics. Nor did I post any pictures that might be offensive in nature. I will just say that it is more like an art form than a sport. Halfway through the fight everyone pulls out their dinner and starts to eat. Whatever they had they tried to offer to those sitting around their area. It was wonderful. We found out that our section was where the fish market guys sat. They had ink from squid that they made sandwiches out of. I didn't have one, but they did rub the ink all over the people around them. It was a mess. Check out the picture of those guys' backs! In the end we leave and prepare for a night out. The streets are just nasty the whole time we have been in Pamplona. Jeremy and I decide to get some sleep in the park Saturday night, while the other two stayed up all night. The next morning Jeremy and I get ready for the run. He was going to run again and I wanted to take pictures. I head to the end of the course to setup for a place to stand. It is 6:00 when I get there and all of the good places are taken, but I do find a place by a tree that is slightly raised. I get ready to wait 2 hours.

During the 2 hours they clear everyone off the course that was in front of us. They just hit them with batons until they jump over the fence. Then they clean the street and then they setup a group of police that keep the runners back from the bullring. They don't allow the entire course to be filled in or there wouldn't be a place to run. As 8:00 approaches there are more and more people trying to get close to the action. It is crazy to see all of the people crowding in. As the rocket sounds we begin to see people running by. Soon the bulls run by and I tried to be pictures of them. Most of them are blurring because of the commotion, but I will have them for viewing when I return. Jeremy and I met up and I found out that he ripped his shirt on one of the baby bull's horns while he was in the bullring. How awesome is that! We got our stuff and headed to the bus station. When we got to San Sebastian we went to the beach and stayed there for about 3 hours. It had a great view of the hills that surround the beach. After that we got on our train and headed back to Metz arriving an hour before my first class on Monday morning.

I would have to say that this trip has been my most memorable yet. Who knew that when I came to Europe this summer that I would run with the bulls.