The Bull Run Trail

Darlings!

First of all, you´re not lost. This is still my blog, hahaha! ;) It´s just that once in a while I post things for some of my readers who are interested in the Spanish culture. After all, Spain is about sun, sea, fiesta and a little bit more.Talking about  fiesta, the capital cities of the Spanish Basque Country( Pamplona, Vitoria-Gasteiz ( my city), Bilbao and San Sebastian) celebrate their fiestas in the month of July and August.

Let´s start with the world famous bull runs (running of *with*  the bulls) of Pamplona, the capital city of Navarre. This is a spectacular but VERY DANGEROUS activity is held from July 7( day after the chupinazo) up to July 14 every year.


Here´s a dry run of what´s happening these days in Pamplona. First, the bulls are placed here overnight until the following day for the ¨encierro¨. Of course, the cars are not part of the scene. ;)

Pamplona 068

At 8 o´clock am, the bulls are set free. They first pass on this street from where they were corralled overnight.

Pamplona 066

Before the bulls are set free, those who wanted to be part of the bull pay their respects first to the image of San Fermin ( the patron saint of Pamplona) while chanting this prayer:

Pamplona 065


The statue of San Fermin:

Pamplona 064

Then they run for their lives while running with the bulls! It´s a very precarious activity really, it has even produced a number of deaths and lots of accidents but still a lot of people from inside and outside of Spain flock to Pamplona to be part of the ¨encierro/bull run¨.


Pamplona 070

The bull runners together with the bulls pass by the city hall where the ¨chupinazo¨ is held the day before the official bull run starts.

Pamplona 060

The route:
Pamplona 071

This is the curved part of one of the trail/streets where the bulls pass.

Pamplona 073

For the last leg of the run, the bulls pass through Estafeta street:

Pamplona 075

Here´s the 300 meter street:

Pamplona 074

Finally, the bulls end up inside the Plaza de Toros, the final destination. Bull runs usually last from 2+ mins. to 3+ minutes. Quite a short time for having the run of your life but the experience is unforgettable.

Pamplona 078

Here I am near the door:

Pamplona 082

These are 2-year old photos taken late winter, hence, no bulls nor people in white and red scarves
 (Pamplona´s fiesta uniform), lol! See my mid-length hair? ;)

The Bull Run of Pamplona was made famous by Ernest Hemingway. He loved it here and the ¨Pamploneses¨ loved him too. For more information about the Pamplona bull runs, click here.


I hope you liked the short dry run. Felices, Sanfermines, Pamplona! :)


xoxo,


Che

Comments

www.janetteria.com said…
Great photos as usual!

♥
July 8, 2012 at 10:53 PM
Cherie said…
what an interesting cultural practice. i guess running with the bulls can be called a "macho" thing haha
July 9, 2012 at 11:02 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cheesecake, anyone?

Image
shirt dress converted to top - Zara ( from the sales last year) Lately, I´ve discovered that the extra pounds that I´ve unconsciously piled over the past years have finally settled comfortably on my face. I´m going to hide my face for now. ;) Do you have a wgi (weight gain indicator and I made this up)  in your body? I do and it´s my face (aside from the muffin top). hehe!;) earrings - bazaar (Phils.) I love shirt dresses. They´re loose and they basically hide anything that you wanted to hide. Know what I mean? ;) One bad thing about this particular dress shirt though is the fit. It´s too loose, a bit short and it doesn´t look good with my mini ... and so a lot of rolling and folding was done to achieve the  laid back look that I wanted to create . That´s me rolling and folding below. ;) I´m just kidding about hiding my face. Here it is... and yes, my face is so healthy, no? :) Say hello to the weight gain culprit ! My guilt...
Read more

Flyday Fridays: Paris (part 1)

Image
The first time I went to Paris was in early spring. It was raining and gloomy but that didn´t stop me from falling in love with this romantic city. Here are some things to do and places to visit when you´re in Pa-gheee . ;) 1, 2, 3: Get lost inside le Louvre,  pass by   Mona Lisa´s room and get mesmerized by her coy smile and if you like ancient jewelry, be enthralled by the museum´s jewelry collection. Even the bishop´s crozier is bejeweled! 4: Admire the Sainte Chapelle´s amazing ceiling, structure and colorful stained glass windows. 5,6: Fall in line (entrance is free!) and admire the sculpture and stained windows of the Notre Dame. By this time you´re very tired and so take a rest at the park/garden at the back of the church. Later you can cross the small bridge and have your lunch at one of the numerous creperies and restaurants in the small island. 7,8: After a light lunch, take the metro and go to Montmartre and visit the Sacré Coeur....
Read more

Skirting the Issue

Image
Halooo! So how´s your weekend? ;) Mine was spent visiting the new flat ( we just had the new sofa delivered, yey!) and last Saturday we went to this mini-food fair where they sell lots of goodies. I tasted some chorizos, jamon serrano, and a glass of white wine too. Too bad I forgot to take the camera so no photos to show you but we brought home some sweets which unfortunately we also gobbled up during the weekend. hihihi! At least I´ve spared you from breaking your diets this summer. ;) Truth be told, I don´t look good wearing high waisted skirts because I have wide hips ( I´m good at hiding them here ;) . Maybe I could pull off wearing them 10 yrs. ago when I still have a slimmer silhouette, er, smaller waistine and hips and a flatter middle but now everything especially my hips are expanding faster like the speed of light. So a mini-hipster skirt is just perfect for me. floral top - Vero Moda skirt - Mango ( summer sales 2008) ring and silver bracelets - local ...
Read more