Pamplona: San Fermin - crazy, messy, but fun

We got off the bus in Pamplona and realised we´d missed the party. The bus from Logroño arrived at 9am (we´d woken up at 5am), but the first encierro (run) was at 8am, so our plans for a day trip went out the window - we had no choice but to stay the night and make it to the encierro the next day...

We weren´t quite dressed appropriately (in white tops/pants with red sashes around our necks/waists), so some French guys donated scarves to us - along with a scary-looking (and tasting), yoghurt-like hot chocolate (see above). Once suitable attired, we joined the rest of the crowd, although we were very far behind on the alcohol side of things.

All the families were out (kids and grandparents dressed up too), there were parades of giant wooden dolls (see right), people sleeping or resting on benches and on the grass, packed, noisy bars and lots of sun.

We met some veteran runners - I´m talking 12-22 years of coming to Pamplona - who reunite every year and included a couple who met at San Fermin. We managed to score a shower in a very very nice apartment (see below), then continued on into the night...

The party never stopped - it just got louder and messier. There were amazing fireworks and lots of happy people. We eventually made our way to the Mussel Bar, outside the status which some really stupid people jump off (none that we saw) - there is nothing at all about that statue that screams jump off me, or even climb me! Well, this was supposed to be where all the Aussies, or at least English-speakers, hung out, but we didn´t find many. It was up to Mel´s French-speaking to get us a couple of hours sleep on a couch for the night - and I really needed it!


We made it to watch the run the next day though, although it was hard to see through the barricade. (There was no way I was running - the local girls aren´t stupid enough to, and I wasn´t either). Basically, there was a flash of white legs, a flash of bull´s legs and it was all over in a second. By then, the smell and rubbish was getting unbearable, so we made our way back to our beds in Logroño.