After a sad goodbye and another flight the boys and I arrived at our large apartment in Barcelona. We booked this at the last minute for the price of a hostel. After getting settled we went our for dinner and explored the city a little bit. The next morning we really just took it easy because we all knew that that night was going to be a big one. We caught a train at 2:30pm to pamplona which took 4 hours and met an interesting guy called Marley who happened to live around the corner from us in Perth. He was doing the bull run with his contiki group so we decided it would be a great idea to tag along. So after about a 40 min taxi ride into the middle of no where we were rejected by the staff of contiki but not before Timm grabbed some free tacos and we had some sangria. So after a few failed hitchhiking attempts we got a taxi back to Pamplona and got dropped off in the middle of the festival. The first thing we did was buy the traditional clothing and store our bag at the bus station. Then the night began! The streets were crowded with white and red, there was music and there was cheering. It was so much fun to meet so many tourists there for the festival and also all the locals. We stayed out all night going from bar to bar and stayed up all night. At about 6am we went and had a look at what would be chasing us soon and that definitely scared and sobred us up, I don't think we realised how big the bulls would actually be. Soon after that Timm and I said our goodbyes to Lucas incase we didn't make it out alive, and then we waited. Waiting was the worst part and the last 45minutes of the wait felt like hours as we watched the hands of a clock tower go round. There was an extreme silence that was exaggerated by the noise of the previous nights fiesta. We met a few Australians and Americans before we ran, getting tips and exchanging our fear. It had finally reached 8am and the first gun was shot and everyone started to walk and then 30 seconds later the next gun was fired and everyone moved into a jog. After what seemed like minutes but was really only seconds we saw people sprinting their hearts out and throwing themselves against the walls trying to avoid the pack of bulls. They were soon approaching so Timm and I squished up against people who were squished up against more people who were squished up to the wall. When the bulls pass you feel such a relief but on your feet again so not to get caught by the steers who run a little while after the bulls.
We ran until we entered the arena which was packed with people screaming. Then we all stood around for a bit waiting for something to happen and next thing we see a bull charging! We cautiously stuck to the walls for the first bull and watched anyone brave enough try to slap the bull. After a while the bull was escorted out using a steer and then a minute later a bigger and more aggressive bull was realised and this was the pattern for the next 3 to come. By the third bull we were feeling more confident and when the bull trotted by while we were up against the wall Timm and I both slapped him. The bull stopped, turned to face us but we were lucky because this gave everyone a chance to slap him some more and cause more confusion. It was insane inside the arena, every time someone got hit by the bull or snagged on its horns the crowd would cheer and there were some big hits. A rule I learnt is never touch the horns or tail. We watched a tourist grab the bull by the tail and the arena started to boo, he was abused and then he received some punches from the locals and then they got him to leave the arena.
We got a 9:15am train back to Barcelona and spent the rest of that day sleeping and resting. For the rest of our days in spain we spent at the beach, exploring the city and doing some sight seeing. Spain was our last country together so we all said goodbye as we split up, Timm going to the UK, Lucas going back to Italy and myself going to Berlin to meet up with an old mate.
Spain has been a major highlight of this trip, it was filled with spontaneous fun I really enjoyed the Spanish culture. Another reason why I love Spain is because not as many people here speak English compared to Italy or France so it was so much fun learning a few Spanish words or using a mix of English and Italian and hoping for the best.
Next stop Berlin!
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