One of the best vacation destinations in the world is definitely Spain. It is so great that a few years back it was the second most visited country in the world after France. This fact alone gives you an indication of how popular it is to visit. Spain has plenty to offer, including a generally warm climate, great sandy beaches, entertainment hot spots, cool nightlife and exciting festivals.
Of the many festivals in Spain, it is the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona that pricks my interest the most. Apparently anyone over 18 can jump right in and take part. You just have to understand the few simple rules and abide by them.
I wasn't really sure before going to the Pamplona Running of the Bulls whether I would have the guts to actually run, but I thought I would look first and make my decision later. Nevertheless, it is something that I've always watched on TV and thought "This looks crazy!". Well once I made my mind up to go, I guess there was no going back, so when we booked the trip for the whole San Fermin festival between July 6 and July 14 I knew I would have to give it ago.
Almost every town and city across Spain holds a Bull Run festival each year. But there is only one world renowned Running of the Bulls and that occurs in Pamplona. I had a look at accommodation options during the San Fermin Festival and found that accommodation during this time can be really expensive. If you want to do things on a bit of a budget then I suggest you look at camping as there is quite a few tour operators that do Pamplona camping tours. The Pamplona tour companies plan everything for you, including transport, a place to sleep and quite often breakfast. A number of tour companies also have hotel tours and as I wasn't on a budget we booked into a hotel known as Gran Hotel La Perla. This hotel had a great location with a balcony that looked over the road where the running of the bulls occurred each morning.
I have to say, just watching the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona is a totally amazing experience. However, I got to thinking that I must be insane for thinking of doing this. Did I really want to be insane just this once? Then I thought about what my family and friends back home will think when I tell them what I have been doing. So Did I? Or Didn't I?? More on this later...
Anyway, there is heaps to do in Pamplona during San Fermin other than the Bull Run and parties start during the day go on throughout the night. There are lots of trendy little bars and restaurants for you to catch a bite during the Pamplona San Fermin Festival but tapas is perfect for snacks to keep you going any time during the day. Nobody can predict how events will turn out and this is the spice of the entire event. The running of the bulls takes place every day with each race lasting about three minutes and starts at 8am in the morning. There is different sorts of parades going on all throughout the day and fireworks happen every night around 11pm.
When it finally came time for me to run with the bulls, well lets just say that I sort of chickened out! However, I must say I was appalled to see people simply pounding over others who had tripped or fallen in front of them and opted to just be a spectator. I mean people have died in these runs you know. My friends and I stayed for the full seven days, which ended with everyone gathering at the City Hall and singing a song called "Pobre de Mi" or "Poor Me", indicating that the San Fermin Festival was over for another year.
The San Fermin festival is brilliant to just walk around and soak up the atmosphere and hang out with the people, because everyone is there enjoying themselves and having a great time. The San Fermin Festival in Pamplona should be on every ones to do list. It is just so much fun.
Of the many festivals in Spain, it is the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona that pricks my interest the most. Apparently anyone over 18 can jump right in and take part. You just have to understand the few simple rules and abide by them.
I wasn't really sure before going to the Pamplona Running of the Bulls whether I would have the guts to actually run, but I thought I would look first and make my decision later. Nevertheless, it is something that I've always watched on TV and thought "This looks crazy!". Well once I made my mind up to go, I guess there was no going back, so when we booked the trip for the whole San Fermin festival between July 6 and July 14 I knew I would have to give it ago.
Almost every town and city across Spain holds a Bull Run festival each year. But there is only one world renowned Running of the Bulls and that occurs in Pamplona. I had a look at accommodation options during the San Fermin Festival and found that accommodation during this time can be really expensive. If you want to do things on a bit of a budget then I suggest you look at camping as there is quite a few tour operators that do Pamplona camping tours. The Pamplona tour companies plan everything for you, including transport, a place to sleep and quite often breakfast. A number of tour companies also have hotel tours and as I wasn't on a budget we booked into a hotel known as Gran Hotel La Perla. This hotel had a great location with a balcony that looked over the road where the running of the bulls occurred each morning.
I have to say, just watching the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona is a totally amazing experience. However, I got to thinking that I must be insane for thinking of doing this. Did I really want to be insane just this once? Then I thought about what my family and friends back home will think when I tell them what I have been doing. So Did I? Or Didn't I?? More on this later...
Anyway, there is heaps to do in Pamplona during San Fermin other than the Bull Run and parties start during the day go on throughout the night. There are lots of trendy little bars and restaurants for you to catch a bite during the Pamplona San Fermin Festival but tapas is perfect for snacks to keep you going any time during the day. Nobody can predict how events will turn out and this is the spice of the entire event. The running of the bulls takes place every day with each race lasting about three minutes and starts at 8am in the morning. There is different sorts of parades going on all throughout the day and fireworks happen every night around 11pm.
When it finally came time for me to run with the bulls, well lets just say that I sort of chickened out! However, I must say I was appalled to see people simply pounding over others who had tripped or fallen in front of them and opted to just be a spectator. I mean people have died in these runs you know. My friends and I stayed for the full seven days, which ended with everyone gathering at the City Hall and singing a song called "Pobre de Mi" or "Poor Me", indicating that the San Fermin Festival was over for another year.
The San Fermin festival is brilliant to just walk around and soak up the atmosphere and hang out with the people, because everyone is there enjoying themselves and having a great time. The San Fermin Festival in Pamplona should be on every ones to do list. It is just so much fun.
About the Author:
FOMO Travel, the events and festival travel specialists, has developed a new site that provides an extensive array of information and advice for the Pamplona Running of the Bulls, including travel options, travel tips, party spots and other activities.
No comments:
Post a Comment