Tasis has been great so far! Especially as I am not working this summer I have been able to pick and choose the activities I participate in and thus only spend time with the kids when it suits me:) My first few days were spent with maximum lido (beach) time at the local spot know as Paradiso -- no translation necessary. Nicky and I were able to spend her day off down here together and enjoy a peaceful 'European day' taking in the sun with the locals. The next day we were able to return but had to tow a few friends along with us.
The ladies enjoying the sun with Monte Bre in the background
We also celebrated Todd Fletcher's b-day once again with him (he is our musical theater director) which is always done in fashion and is always a fun affair.
On Tuesday
Nicky headed out camping with the kids so I decided that instead of feeling left out, I would head to Pamplona, Spain to try my hand at the Encierro (Running of the Bulls). I had two friends in town, one from ND and one from my first summer at TASIS, who were willing to join in on the fun so we flew to Zaragoza and took a short train ride up to Pamplona from there. By pure coincidence we were seated on the train next to the son of Nicky's next door neighbors in NZ and so welcomed him as the fourth in our adventure once we discovered who he was.
Given the last minute nature of our planning we hadn't booked accommodation for the night and figured it would sort itself out while we were there. We arrived in Pamplona around 9pm that night to what was unquestionably the wildest party I have ever seen. Literally hundreds of thousands of people PACKED into every corridor of the old town such that there was no distinguishing the bars and clubs from the street. Whats more, EVERY single person was wearing the typical garb of the San Fermin festival, the all white with the red scarf and sash.
We dove into the fray and stumbled through the crowd towards the center square to purchase our own outfits. Needless to say nothing stayed white for long in the land of red wine where people were literally on one another's shoulders spraying wine into the mouths (and faces, chests, shoulders, hair etc) of the crowd below.
We enjoyed a few Kitembas (red wine, coke and lemon -- don't knock it until you've tried it) and wandered through the old quarter in order to walk the route of the run and familiarize ourselves with the leg we were going to run (the bulls run around a 5 minute mile through a heavy crowd on cobblestone streets so it's not advisable to run the entire route). We were able to find the path and enjoyed studying the different turns and dips along the way. Once we had decided on our leg we headed to the starting pen where the bulls for the next morning's run had been corralled. This was not a good idea as these bulls are MASSIVE when seen up close. Not to mention they were already jumping around and attacking each other in the pen as if they were warming up for the tourist runners the next day.
We had a relatively light night (as we needed to be alert the next morning -- the run begins at 8am) and just walked around taking in the debauchery that was all around us. We watched a concert in the main square, practiced our technique on the firebull -- a huge bull float made of fireworks that spits flames at the throngs of people brave enough to run with it -- and then settled into a long, cold, restless night of sleeping in the park. I have since decided that I am probably too old to be sleeping in parks anymore!
The next morning only Chase and I were still feeling up to the run so we made our way down to the section of the race we had decided to run the night before. The feeling that morning was nothing shy of electric. The streets are packed with people all professing calm and enthusiasm yet clearly feeling fear and panic. The bell that signifies 2 minutes to start time rang and the crowd took over pushing through the streets to take their places. The first rocket sounded with a huge bang signaling that the pens had been opened and the adrenalin began to pump. Everyone in my section began repeatedly jumping up and down in an effort to see down the long straightaway for an indication that the bulls had rounded the first corner and were making their way to us. By the time the second rocked exploded (signaling that the last bull had left the pen) the first bulls had just rounded the corner and I saw the throngs of people closing in on me quickly. This is the true test of bravery/stupidity...how long do I stand and wait while hundreds of people and a dozen bulls come bearing down on me at top speed. I waited for what felt like an eternity and then turned and started to run my heart out. I sprinted up the rest of the street to where it opens into a square and thus the run is lined by wooden fences instead of cement walls allowing for a possible escape if necessary. However, the fences that were so enticing and free the night before had now been blocked off by people already staking out their escape route who were not eager to have me pushing in to secure my own place. Instead they would brace themselves against the fence and push me and other runners back into the middle of the course.
I could now hear the bulls hooves banging the cobblestone behind me and knew it was time to get as far out of the way as possible and just hope the bulls would take the corner wide and not come in my direction. Just as I sardined myself into the hoards along the side I turned around to see ten 1800lb bulls with massive horns right about my chest level come stampeding by. Faster than I could have imagined it was over and they had rounded the corner. Tempted to turn the corner and chase after them (although I stuck to the plan to only run the one section) I ran back to the middle of the road with the other runners to see what had happened after the turn. With all the adrenalin and excitement of the pass I admittedly forgot what is the most dangerous part of the run and often happens because of people chasing after the bulls from behind. One of the stragglers was distracted by runners behind him and turned himself around on the course. In an instant he was barrelling back down on our section and it was another mad scramble to the fences. I had been talking to a small older Spanish man next to me who I thought had assured me that it was over (clearly my Spanish could use a little work). Well, not only was it not over but when the lone bull returned this guy decided it was time to really test his bravery and took to taunting the bull and trying to get its attention on us. Thankfully at this point I was already one rung up the fence, but I swear for a moment this massive bull was looking right at us and began to bear down on us with his head dipped until someone on the other side of the route caught his attention.
Once the straggler had passed it was time for the glory jog through the rest of the course with the thousands of onlookers from the balcony's above cheering us all on. In a matter of minutes the whole thing was over and we made our way to the bullring at the end of the course for celebrations. That day we wandered through the crowds in old town Pamplona singing and dancing to the dozens of local bands, being chased by these bobble head costumed paraders and celebrating shortening our bucket list with Kitemba's and Sangria.
I found a video on Spanish national television that has a brief clip of Chase and I although admittedly, we're difficult to spot. If you're interested, click on the following link
San Fermin Video. Scroll down below the main video to where you see the course on the left and videos from each day on the right. Click on Jueves 7 de julio. This will open up a video of the complete run -- see the C in the bottom left corner. In the top right corner is an icon of stacked boxes click on that to get the 8 different cameras they operate. If you click on camera one, Chase and I will appear near the bottom right corner a little over a minute in giving each other a celebratory hug and then panicking when the bull was turned around and made its second pass:) Enjoy the entertainment.
Chase is on his way back to the states now but hopefully when he arrives he will send me his pictures of the run and I will have more to share.
