I didn´t stop there, I swear.
Arrived in Geneva and did some walking around. Not really a whole lot to see there. Here´s the world´s largest fountain...and it is pretty big, look at the people at the bottom.
And right near that is a flower clock they´re especially proud of.
Unfortunately, the enormous 4th celebration they have there was cancelled because they couldn´t get enough sponsorship. Not many people heard this ahead of time, apparently, as there were no rooms in the city. I ended up staying at the university in the dorms there. While I was hanging out in the lobby I saw some people wearing Duke stuff, so I struck up a conversation and found out there was about 30 people from Duke at the university doing a study abroad thing and they were planning on a little BBQ. We didn´t have any fireworks, but since it was raining on and off during the BBQ, we had some of nature´s fireworks:
I´m some kind of poet.
Anyway, at around 10:30 they all went to the bars. I would have gladly joined up, but I guess people like me using the dorms as a hotel have to be in before 11 or you get locked out for the night. So dejected I went back to my dorm. I had seen a bunch of bags from Carmel College in all the dorms earlier, so I figured I´d have some Californian company when I got back to the dorms. But, as I soon found out, it was not people from Carmel, California, and it wasn´t college in the American sense. It was college in the British meaning, i.e. high school. It was some group of sophomores on a class trip. But as soon as I walked in they offered me shots and drinks of all the hard liquor they had, which was quite a bit. Not wanting to do any more damage to international relations after the Romanian incident, I had to drink.
Eventually their chaperones came in and I figured the party was over. Apparently I don´t understand British custom, because the chaperones didn´t seem to mind. It ended up being an OK night.
Eventually their chaperones came in and I figured the party was over. Apparently I don´t understand British custom, because the chaperones didn´t seem to mind. It ended up being an OK night.
After Geneva it was onward to Pamplona and the Running of the Bulls.
Here's some things I picked up from books, random people or first hand experience. San Fermin starts on the 6th of July and goes through the 14th. There is a bull run every morning at 8 an starting on the 7th. Between bull runs all everyone does is drink and sleep on the street. And while there aren't rules against changing your clothes, no one does. This is especially bad since everyone is wearing the same white shirt. After a few hours of joining in the fun, your shirt will be more sangria red than white because people like to fill up waterguns and balloons with sangria and use them on eachother.
Since no one really visits there except during San Fermin, there isn't nearly enough room in hotels for everyone, so people sleep in doorways, on benches, in parks... where ever there is a spot.
Here's some things I picked up from books, random people or first hand experience. San Fermin starts on the 6th of July and goes through the 14th. There is a bull run every morning at 8 an starting on the 7th. Between bull runs all everyone does is drink and sleep on the street. And while there aren't rules against changing your clothes, no one does. This is especially bad since everyone is wearing the same white shirt. After a few hours of joining in the fun, your shirt will be more sangria red than white because people like to fill up waterguns and balloons with sangria and use them on eachother.
Since no one really visits there except during San Fermin, there isn't nearly enough room in hotels for everyone, so people sleep in doorways, on benches, in parks... where ever there is a spot.
Hands down it was the wildest city I've ever seen. One day there is almost too much, and I tell you from experience that two and a half days is way too much. It is literally a non-stop party all day and night, every day and night. Maybe it's a bit more tame as the festival wears down, as my first night there was the second night of the festival and a Saturday night.
Enough with the lead-in though, to the pictures!
Here's a map of the place. As with all of the pictures you can click on it to get a bigger view. The red dotted line that runs through the center of the map to the Plaza del Toros is the bull run. For some perspective, the run is 850 meters (half a mile).
The Plaza de San Francisco is where I hung out a bunch of the time sipping (that may be putting it lightly) the $2 liters of Sangria. It was where the luggage place was so it was a good place to meet people.
After a few sangrias, it sounded like a good idea to join some Australians in a game of rugby on the plaza... which is made of cement... and covered in glass from all the broken sangria and beer bottles from the previous night's party.
No one got excessively injured when you factor in the playing surface. Here's a video of one of the many bands that marches around all day when they cut through our playing field.
After a few sangrias, it sounded like a good idea to join some Australians in a game of rugby on the plaza... which is made of cement... and covered in glass from all the broken sangria and beer bottles from the previous night's party.
No one got excessively injured when you factor in the playing surface. Here's a video of one of the many bands that marches around all day when they cut through our playing field.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8o6CnIO3XEQ
The bands act as a Pied Piper for the really drunk people who jump up to follow them around doing drunken dances. It's cool.
Here is the Plaza del Castillo, the main plaza in Pamplona (9 on the map). This place is always happening as most of the bars and good restaurants are around here including Ernest Hemingway's old hang out where he wrote the books that made the Running famous.
Every night they light off some fireworks for like 15 minutes. It was my own personal 4th of July a few days late. But, they didn't have any music to go with the fireworks so it was pretty boring.
The bands act as a Pied Piper for the really drunk people who jump up to follow them around doing drunken dances. It's cool.
Here is the Plaza del Castillo, the main plaza in Pamplona (9 on the map). This place is always happening as most of the bars and good restaurants are around here including Ernest Hemingway's old hang out where he wrote the books that made the Running famous.
Every night they light off some fireworks for like 15 minutes. It was my own personal 4th of July a few days late. But, they didn't have any music to go with the fireworks so it was pretty boring.
Eventually I ended up crashing that night with 5 other people I'd met up with in the park in the northeast corner of that map. It was warm that night and we had nice pieces of cardboard to sleep on, not like the next night...
This is me along with a couple of the guys from our party who were planning on running. I loved that hat.
That was taken about 30 minutes before the police camein and kicked us out because they needed to get the number of runners down. Obviously I wasn't happy about this. A bunch of other people started running down a side street to try to cut in at an earlier point, which seemed like a good idea. Unfortunately some other cops didn't think so and they started beating the hell out of the people in front of the line to get them to push the crowd backwards. So the whole crowd kind of shifted back until the police could close a gate. Here is said gate.
Then to make people back away from the gate they started cracking people's heels with batons under the gate. I caught a couple of those before I pushed everyone back a bit. I was still under the impression that they'd open the gate and at least let us watch since the side streets aren't very numerous and good vantage points are hard to find. So I was happy to see the gate start to open about 10 minutes later, but then not so happy when the cops poured out of it swinging the batons. Everyone else had the same reqctionand everyone turned to stampede. I caught a baton on my thigh where I had a nice welt, but fortunately for me I'm quick and don't mind pushing people out of the way and I got out before the cops could rain more blows upon me.
At this point, I'm slightly madder than before. All around me though are people who are quite a bit more distraught. Angry people plus an endless supply of sangria and beer bottles + cops within throwing range = bad news.
No I didn't throw anything, I was filming... sideways, for some reason.
No I didn't throw anything, I was filming... sideways, for some reason.
That carried on for about 10 minutes before the riot police came out and everyone dispersed for the most part.
Got split up from my party in the melee, so I decided to go catch up on my sleep in one of the parks. Found a bench with other people passed out and got comfortable. About 15 minutes later I was half asleep when something woke me up. Some guy was trying to pickpocket me. I knocked his hand away and punched him in the chest. He stood there for a second before he jogged off... I think he was surprised I wasn't passed out and I was somewhat sober.
Not feeling sleepy anymore I headed back to Plaza de San Francisco to repeat the previous day's activities.
That night, I talked to some people who were going to sleep in the train station. That was a good idea since it was down around the 50°s that night and sleeping outside would be rough with only a jacket to keep me warm. Got there and it was great for 30 minutes, before they kicked us all out. So I spent the coldest night of my life ever on the little green in front of the train station. Didn't feel so hot, but I was determined to run.
Got into town and lined up by Dead Man's Curve (that's the couple little turns about midway through the course). Met up with some more Americans there. Here's me looking great again in my hat and the same clothes I'd had on for 2 days at that point.
Got split up from my party in the melee, so I decided to go catch up on my sleep in one of the parks. Found a bench with other people passed out and got comfortable. About 15 minutes later I was half asleep when something woke me up. Some guy was trying to pickpocket me. I knocked his hand away and punched him in the chest. He stood there for a second before he jogged off... I think he was surprised I wasn't passed out and I was somewhat sober.
Not feeling sleepy anymore I headed back to Plaza de San Francisco to repeat the previous day's activities.
That night, I talked to some people who were going to sleep in the train station. That was a good idea since it was down around the 50°s that night and sleeping outside would be rough with only a jacket to keep me warm. Got there and it was great for 30 minutes, before they kicked us all out. So I spent the coldest night of my life ever on the little green in front of the train station. Didn't feel so hot, but I was determined to run.
Got into town and lined up by Dead Man's Curve (that's the couple little turns about midway through the course). Met up with some more Americans there. Here's me looking great again in my hat and the same clothes I'd had on for 2 days at that point.
That piece of plywood over my left shoulder is the place where all the bulls slide and fall as they take the corner and crash into the wall. This confuses them and pisses them off, which is when they look to hurt people, i.e. Dead Man's Curve.
Now for the anticlimatic end. I ran and pushed and jumped over fallen people with the bull's right next to me, but you aren't allowed to take pics for your own safety. If you do the cops take your camera.
I managed to accomplish the ultimate goal, aside from staying alive, which is to make it into the arena at the end of the run. They close the door immediately after the last of the 8 bulls gets in the gate. Once in those bulls go straight across the arena into their pen. Here's me in the bullring, happy I survived, but oblivious to what came next.
I managed to accomplish the ultimate goal, aside from staying alive, which is to make it into the arena at the end of the run. They close the door immediately after the last of the 8 bulls gets in the gate. Once in those bulls go straight across the arena into their pen. Here's me in the bullring, happy I survived, but oblivious to what came next.
About 5 minutes after they close off the ring, they let loose the first of 5 more younger bulls with horns they dulled a bit. He comes charging out of the gate and jumps the people who kneel down in front of it (you'll see what I mean in the movies), then runs around for about 5-10 minutes while people try to touch him or jump him, generally just piss him off, before they herd him in and unleash the next. It's kinda crazy because there are so many people in there you lose sight of the bull. Then all of a sudden everyone starts running towards you then parts until only the bull is left coming straight at you. A little intense.
Fortunately, I have a ton of movies from this with people getting run down, funny stuff. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble trying to upload them. Having spent like 20 dollars at internet cafes trying to get them to work, I think I'll have to just hold off and get them up when I get home in a few weeks.
I needed a vacation after Pamplona, so I went to Beziers, on the French Riviera and laid on the beach for a day. Wanted to go to Nice and Monte Carlo instead, but all the cheap rooms there are booked. Oh well, still had a good time laying around, and I caught a festival that happened to be in town.
Right now I'm in Lyon, getting ready for tomorrow when I head to a small town called Bourg-en-Bresse where I'm going to catch a leg of the Tour de France. Should be fun.
That's all for now.
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