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This website has allowed us to meet hundreds of generous people who have welcomed us into their homes, fed us delicious cultural food, and told us personal stories. We have also brought people into our home. These people are not strangers, they are friends.
Uno de Enero,
dos de Febrero,
tres de Marzo,
cuatro de Abril,
cinco de Mayo,
seis de Junio,
siete de Julio San Fermin.
A Pamplona hemos de ir,
con una media,
con una media,
a Pamplona hemos de ir
con una media y un calcetín
We rushed from Andalucia north to Pamplona
to participate in the San Fermin festivities. San Fermin, known by most
people as "The Running of the Bulls", occurs every year from the 7th of
July to the 14th of July. Visitors to the city during these
festivities either reserve their lodging far in advance, or sleep on the
streets. The fact is, there just aren't enough hotels and hostels for
the enormous influx of people that come for this week long party. Even
if you do get a room chances are you won't be sleeping much anyway.
This
festival is best known for the daily running of the bulls. This
happens each morning at 8 am and lasts only minutes. People arrive and
find their favored place along the route eager for the bulls to arrive.
One of the most dangerous places along the route is a 90 degree turn in
the road which often causes the bulls to slide and fall. It is in this
location where bulls often get separated from the rest of the group. A
lone bull is much more dangerous than a bull with its herd. These
bulls feel more exposed and are more likely to single out a person and
attack. Bulls in the herd will continue running together to the end.
There
are of course general guidelines people are encouraged to follow for
their own safety, but there really is no way for these to be enforced.
Once the bulls are let loose, it is pure chaos. People also have their superstitions. For one: old newspapers. The real hardcore runners always have an old stinky rolled-up newspaper to help protect them from the bulls. Does it help? I have no idea, but Javier was pretty convinced he needed a newspaper.
Yes, yes. Javier ran with the bulls. Actually, he ran twice! Below is a video of one of the mornings he ran. Can you find him?
San Fermin isn't just about the running of the bulls. Originally, the running of the bulls was just a method to move the bulls from a corral to the bullfighting ring. These days the running itself is very popular, but the end is still the bullfights. The bullfights during San Fermin are rather unique. Unlike most bullfights around the country, these are treated as a party. At a bullfight, there are always two main ticket types. One is for the shade, and one is for the sun. If you choose the sun, you will pay less, but at these fights you will also get covered in wine. The shaded seats are filled with people who are very quiet and act as people would at any bullfight. The people in the sunny seats are drunk, singing, and throwing wine into the air. Considering most people are wearing white, you can imagine how they might look after leaving the sunny seats at one of these bullfights.
Of course I could discuss the moral issues of all these activities, but I would rather not.
Now, the running of the bulls and the bullfights are fun and all, but my favorite part is actually quite juvenile: Gigantes y Cabezones! This is a typical parade for children with "giants" and "big-heads". The big heads tend to go around hitting the children with small maces (made of foam), and the giants usually put on some sort of dance. I was first introduced to this type of parade while in Nicaragua, and have been in love with them ever since.
Las Alpujarras are a series of high mountains south of Granada including the two highest peaks in Spain. Even in July, patches of snow can be found in the shaded areas of these southern mountains.
Visiting Las Alpujarras is like taking a step back in time. Although these quaint villages are not as primitive as you would see in "Al Sur de Granada", they are not far from it. Arriving at the villages is a difficult task. Since there is no bus transport to the higher villages, hitchhiking was our only option. Once we had arrived, travel between villages was all by foot.
Our time in Las Alpujarras was spent trekking from one village to the next. We used grown over mountain trails that wound around small farming plots and tattered stone houses. We often got lost, since there were no signs on any of the trails. Once we came across an old woman - most likely in her 80's - and we asked her if we were on the right trail. She proceeded to tell us we were very confused and explained just how lost we were. After explaining the route we needed, she quizzed us about the location of her goats. We pointed to some that were down the hill, but those were apparently not hers. She left us disgruntled, supposedly to search for the goats that were hers.
My favorite memory of our hikes was the day we came across a mulberry tree. Javier climbed high into the tree and passed down the sweet ripe fruits. The rest of the day we were covered in the evidence of our gluttony.
The most unfortunate thing about our time in Andalucia, is that almost all of our photos of this area were lost. Tragic.
Andalucia is probably the most interesting part of Spain to visit (I'm sure it will irk some to hear this). There is the beautiful mosque in Cordoba with its beautiful red and white arches; Sevilla has the impressive Giralda and Alcazar; and Granada has the exquisite Moorish palace - La Alhambra.
Whenever we are told by a friend or acquaintance that they are going to visit Spain, this is the region we immediately suggest. It is far too often that people go to Spain and they visit Madrid and Barcelona only. While there are interesting sites and activities in these two cities, they do not compare to the beauty and history of the southern part of Spain.
