Some days in Pamplona for the Feria de San Fermin feast.. Spain Travel review

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After crossing the Pyrenees France and finally we reach the goal, the festival of San Fermin in Pamplona, one of the most irrational and exciting events that Spain can offer is 100% pure "locura".

The celebration of San Fermin is accompanied by a crazy party in which, local residents joined with a feeling without equal, the premises to a mass incredible mix of foreign tourists who want to try at least once, the thrill (and the risk) of the famous running with the bulls and finding the places described in "Fiesta" by Hemingway. These two groups merge together and become extraordinarily almost unrecognizable due to the "divided" by Sanfermines .. or T-shirt and white pants, red sash tied at the waist and red kerchief around his neck.

During the party is unable to find an accommodation in the city, most organizations had rented an apartment with months (or years) ahead in which they lived crammed into every corner equipped with a sleeping bag. The bravest are sleeping in the gardens of the city by mounting bizarre tents or makeshift shelters. We, undecided whether to move or not for the night in another town nearby, in the end, we decided to sleep in the car to make the most of the night life of the city during the festival comes alive in a frightful manner .. Wherever there is music, attractions, concerts, fireworks, a pleasant chaos everywhere .. that's the side I prefer the festival of Pamplona .. this atmosphere of collective delirium where everyone suddenly become everybody's friend. What we share a little 'less are the most bloody of the event, the incredible ride of the morning that wounded plant, human pyramids of guys that slip over one another to squeeze .. and of course I can not tolerate the brutal matanza poor bulls.
Of course, this practice is deeply rooted in culture and in popular sentiment, trace of ostentation inheritance black gypsy spirit, who takes pleasure in defying death .. Tradition dictates that no Gypsy is happy to die in his bed but have a deep attraction to danger. And whence bullfights and festivals like this .. that are guided by specific rituals, perhaps, only true fans know really know.

The famous race called the El Running of the Bulls, takes place in the morning, announcing the start of the shots and the opening of the gates of the bulls and vaquillas beginning to flee to the ancient streets of the city, San Fermín, run like crazy on the sides trying to avoid dangerous gorings or glides. This frenzy only lasts a few minutes and ends with the entrance to the arena where the bulls are driven off and the riders celebrate their courage with applause directed toward liberating the people waiting for them sitting in the bleachers.
Shortly after the gates open and out of Toril young bulls, but this time with horns protected by the rubber stoppers, running uninterrupted between Sanfermines, which sometimes show themselves courageous and remain unmoved .. many times before crossing the steps to avoid any kind of contact.

Daily newspaper of the city appears in a special supplement dedicated to the party with photos of the most significant moments .. and unfortunately also a list of bulls killed in bullfights in the afternoon (noooo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and Sanfermines wounded in El Encierro.
And the party goes again .. Movida and liters of beer until the night .. preparing for the next day .. the rising sun a new challenge awaits Sanfermines.

After leaving the party, we dedicate ourselves to some short visits to the area, escegliamo Zaragoza, Aragon, and San Sebastian, Basque seaside resort.

Zaragoza is a quiet little town that looks like a mirage in the midst of the aridity of the earth Aragonese, his original name was Cesaraugusta, city of the Roman empire, whose ruins can still be seen in the historical center. The heart, however, is the great Cathedral of Our Lady of Pilar, its 4 towers can be glimpsed from afar, stands in the plain. Witnesses Arab occupation: the beautiful building of 'Aljaferia and some clear Moorish buildings just outside the pedestrian avenues.

San Sebastian is a world apart .. a city elegant and perfect in every corner .. you can choose to spend time going for tapas in the premises of the old town or relax on the crescent of sand called the "concha" because it evokes the image of a shell. The city, seen from above, it is a maze of prestigious buildings, where ancient and modern side by side in the suggestive setting of the Atlantic coast.