Bulls and Thieves

7-6-08

We are in Pamplona, Spain for the legendary San Fermin week long festival. Many people know this as the Running of the Bulls.

Today was the kick-off and the craziness will not subside for 8 more days. There are thousands of people here, and I would say the word most often fitting to describe everything is pandemonium. At the opening thousands of peoples crowded into a small square in front of city hall. Crowded is an extreme understatement, there were many more thousands who could not fit into the square, but were pushing to get in like a football team with the strength of an army of people. When it hits noon people spray Sangria and Champagne everywhere. Because of this glass covers the road, not a few bottles, but everywhere and all broken up. I was right in the center, and being that I was not drunk like 90% of everyone else, I was trying my hardest to stay off the ground and keep my feet from getting sliced up too terribly. It was like a ferocious mosh pit with no room for even your chest to move out and back. After the pack started to move out to the other streets, I threw away my shoes (white shoes I had bought for the festival...everyone wears all white and red) which where now covered in blood from my feet and ankles.

The first bull Run is tomorrow. I will watch this one and do the next.

Jonathan


7/7/08

Well unlike Jonathan, I've been trying to stay out of as much trouble as possible, and have done no bleeding yet. It is absolute insanity, but loads of fun.

Being that we're on a pretty low budget trip, we haven't been staying in a hotel or hostel here in Pamplona, but have been camping in the park with hundreds of other travelers from the world across. With this comes lots of fun and other advantages, but also some drawbacks. The word from the curb is to watch your stuff SUPER closely because there are plenty of vultures lurking and we'd heard stories of people getting passports stolen, etc. We even heard of a pair who put all their valuables in their sleeping bags with them during the night, but awoke to find their bags slit and their possessions missing.

Today while we were chillin in the park, a Spanishman approaches and says he just saw three guys take a bag out of a circle of friends we'd met as they snoozed, take some stuff out, and throw the bag in the trash. The bag was sure enough found in the trash, valuables gone. Two of the perps had split, but one is pretending to sleep not far away. The police are supposedly looking into the situation, but we aren't seeing any evidence of this, so Jonathan forms up a posse and goes over to confront the posing sleeper.

Jonathan throws the empty bag onto our new friend and demands if he speaks English and if he recognizes the bag. The guy denies everything, but Jonathan and crew aren't giving up so easily, and ask the guy if he'd like it if random people went through his bag. This is exactly what proceeds to happen, and upon opening the bag, the booty was revealed: a cache of apparently stolen goods. Also a big kitchen knife, assumingly for slitting bags open. With weak excuses to explain all this away, the guy became more and more trapped, right as his two compradres were approaching.

Jonathan ends up confiscating the knife and sticking it in his sash (part of the typical festival garb) like a pirate while dealing with the trio until the police arrive. In the end, and all three men were arrested, and evidence taken. For sometime afterwards, murmurs were heard throughout the camp of the tall, knife wearing American who took down the thieves.

Never a dull moment!

Eric