Everyone say ole, andele, ale hop… and you get Sangria, Tappas bars, topless beaches and the running of the bulls. Yip this is Spain. A crazy culture with a perfect balance between fiesta and siesta. I could easily live here!
But getting here was a bit of a trek. We left Geneva and took a train to Paris. Then from Paris to Vittoria on an overnight train which arrived at 3:44am. Then another train from Vittoria to San Sebastian from 4:44am to 6:34am. We arrived okay and feeling a bit tired but not too bad.
We were greeted by a beautiful city and a very quiet morning. Except for a few youngsters dressed in red and white on their way to Pamplona for the festivities, the streets were empty. Not a good thing when you need to catch a bus and you are tired. So we got to the bus stop mentioned by the hotel and we waited…and we waited…and we waited some more. Eventually 9:15am came and we realized that the bus wasn’t coming so we took a taxi, which was only 5 euros more than the bus would have cost. Stoked, but in a foul mood I jumped into the taxi and off we went. My mood lightened the closer we got to the hotel. With glimpses of one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. This town really has character!
We got to our accommodation – which is a university residence used as a hotel during the summer months as the students are not there. We were tired and wired and needed to shower and to sleep hard. BUT, nooooooo, the receptionist said we must only check in at 1pm. This took me over the edge as there was no negotiation with regards to this. It was 1pm, take it or leave it! No discussion with the cleaning staff as to how far they were with the room or perhaps the room was ready for us now or in an hour. Just a stock standard 1pm check-in.
Our accommodation.
With the mutters we chucked our luggage into the luggage room and headed up the road for some much needed coffee(pronounced personality) and some food.
We were served BIG mugs of coffee for great prices and the sandwiches were great. We decided to then go back to the hotel to use their wifi(pronounced non-existent). There is probably not much which irritates me more than getting to a place that says they have wifi but it doesn’t work or it is a major hack to try and get online. Well, I can tell you that even Bill Gates top notch tech guru would have pulled his hair out trying to get this right. So before I lost the plot I started playing Texas Hold em poker on my cell phone – which I am getting pretty good at.
After what seemed like a century, 1pm came and we were given permission to approach the reception desk to check in. We gathered our bags and walked upstairs to our room only to be greeted with a dirty room. They hadn’t even started to clean it. With big sulky faces we went back downstairs and butted in the queue of impatient 1pm-checking-in-people, and calmly, but sternly, relayed the state of our room. Then something miraculous happened. The receptionist picked up the phone and spoke to one of the cleaning staff to highlight the problem. Once the phone call was over she apologized and asked us to please wait and she will let me know when our room will be ready. So we waited and after 15mins, YES, FIFTEEN BLOODY MINUTES, she said that our room was ready. NOW, why couldn’t she have done that 3 hours ago???!!! One phone call is all it would have taken.
A beaut park on the San Sebastian promenade.
Anyway, after a great sleep and some supper we were chilled and back in the zone. Up around 10am the next morning, went for an awesome run along the brilliant promenade overlooking La Concha beach – the 7km jog and salty sea air set us up for the day, helped along by strong and tasty Spanish coffee.
We had a long walk on the beach and ended up in town where all the busy Tappas bars buzz as patrons ravenously help themselves to pinxtos from the bar counter and honestly pay accordingly. An honour system that has been operating for years in this Basque section of Spain. We thought of opening something like this in SA, but we would be bankrupt in a week as students would probably plunder our bar and pay for nothing when we weren’t looking. The Spanish people seem to be very honorable people. Another example of this was on the topless beach of La Concha. I saw a man having a conversation with a beautiful, young, topless woman and he looked her in the eye the whole time – amazing!
A spread of tappas in our favourite bar near the town hall.
Walking around we bumped into friends of Donna’s from Texas and joined them for drinks on a square near the town hall. We chatted about the running of the bulls in Pamplona, which they were going to do the next day and us the day after. We swapped strategies and hoped that we would all get out alive.
We decided to take the bull by the horns and buy bus tickets for Pamplona. With that under the belt we planned the following day carefully. We would sleep in late and have a very chilled morning. We would be back in our room at 2pm at the latest and sleep until 8pm to prepare ourselves for the all nighter we were just about to pull. You see, the running of the bulls is at 8am every morning while the festival is celebrated. But the first train out of San Sebastian only gets to Pamplona after the bulls have finished running in the morning. AND the last bus runs at 9:30pm the night before. The next bus is at 8:15am the next morning. So, if you don't stay in Pamplona and you don't have a rental car, you have to pull an all nighter - when I was 18 this was easy.
So that afternoon we slept as much as we could and eventually caught the 8pm bus to the San Sebastian(SS) main bus station. Booked return tickets from Pamplona to SS for the following morning and then boarded our bus, mentally preparing us for what lay ahead.
When we arrived in Pamplona we were floored by the amount of people, clad in red and white, that filled the streets and bars and cafes. It was unbelievable!! We had both never ever seen anything like this.
We grabbed some coffee and some dinner and then went upstairs for one of the best fireworks displays we had seen.
With map in hand we decided to stroll to the start of the course - known as Corallilos. This is where they keep the bulls until such time as they scare the crap out of them and they stampede up Santo Domingo, horns down and furiously focused.
We saw these massive bulls looming behind the wooden gates and decided to move on. We walked the route and came up with some plans to have fun but still stay alive. After all we still had 3 months of travel left. After our strategy session we walked to the bus station in search of a warm place to sit and bide the time. BUT, as we thought they had closed it to prevent drunken mayhem taking over the station.
We then went to a bar for more coffee and sat there until 1:30am and then went for a walk. This was short lived as it was now getting cold and Donna was taking strain. We found some warmth in a bus shelter where we waited until 2:30am. We then walked across the road to another coffee shop for another cuppa. We waited here and consumed massive amounts of caffeine and hot chocolate until 5am. We bought croissants which we dipped into our hot chocolate - something we learnt from the locals. They have a product called cola coa(hot choco) which is hecticly rich but phenomenal and a real win with a croissant.
As the clock struck 5am we decided to make our way to the streets where the running would take place. We were told that people started queueing up from this time and we didn't want to lose out. But it wasn't a queue as such, it was just getting into Santo Domingo(the first street of the route) and chilling there until all hell breaks lose.
While waiting in the section where we had decided to start, we met 2 aussies and 2 americans. They were awesome. It was great chatting to them and hearing their strategies for the race - which was most likely to change as the raging bulls can have that effect on a person. The time flew as we laughed and joked to appease the nerves - swapped stories of our travels and learnt some spanish from the americans. By 7:40am we were barricaded inside the streets and were now solidly committed to this maniacal feat.
7:50am - some important(pronounced in your BEST Spanish accent) people entered the scene carrying the San Fermin. From wikki: (Fermin is said to have been the son of a Roman of senatorial rank in Pamplona in the 3rd century, who was converted to Christianity by Saint Honestus, a disciple of Saint Saturninus. According to tradition, he was baptised by Saturninus (in Navarre also known as Saint Cernin) at the spot now known as the "Small Well of Saint Cernin" [2][3] Fermin was ordained a priest in Toulouse and returned to Pamplona as its first bishop. On a later preaching voyage, Fermin was beheaded in Amiens, France; and is now considered a martyr in the Catholic Church.[3] It is believed he died on September 25, AD 303. There is no written record of veneration in Pamplona of the Saint until the 12th century. Saint Fermin, as well as Saint Francis Xavier, are now the two patrons of Navarre.[3] At Pamplona, Saint Fermin is now sometimes said to have met his end by being dragged through the streets of Pamplona by bulls, a fate more commonly attributed to his mentor, Saturnin.)
They hold the San Fermin and the whole crowd sings a song to the San Fermin 3 times asking for a blessing. The very immmporrrtunt people then leave with San the man and a silence then ensues as the crowd crap themselves in the quiet. Then the Spaniards try and get the blood to their legs by jumping up and down in anticipation. BOOOOOOOM...the gun fires and the bulls are let loose. In seconds the bulls are upon us and okes are running everywhere. Some are climbing up poles, hanging on balconies or bailing over fences. Donna and I hid in a doorway and watched these beasts, afraid and wide eyed and SHUNTING like their lives depended on it! As they past we bolted only to be reminded of the steers that follow the 6 big angry bulls. Many have made this mistake and have been rear-ended as they casually stroll behind the aftermath thinking that they are clear of any danger. We waited in our spot as these geriatric steers with bells on, came casually trotting past us - and then we chased them. But Donna kept getting lost in the crowd of red and white so we ceased our chase and strolled instead to soak up the atmosphere of this incredible tradition.
Dancing in the streets around midnight. This was a traditional spanish dance - majority of old people involved. Was very festive.
4am came and we conquered.
There were 2 aussies, 2 americans and 2 South Africans...
Tension mounting...
These things can do a lot of damage. Weighing on average 600kgs. 15 people have died since 1910 - and all of them spaniards.
Phew, we made it!
Donna found this guy - he must have had a great time. Looks like he is still having a great time.
The running of the bulls is a sad and cruel tradition though. At 4 pm each day the Matador kills a bull in the ring - we thought that this had been banned but much to our disapproval it hasn't.
We cruised around a bit as our bus was only leaving at 9:45am. We ducked into one of the cafes to watch the rerun on the TV and to be involved in a bit of the banter. The atmosphere was terrific. No one has died in this event since 2009. Hope it stays that way. Because we will be back with our friends and family!
We were glad to get onto the 9:45am bus back to SS, as we had foolishly booked the return ticket for 11:15am not thinking how broken we would be. Although we were now running strong on caffeine and adrenaline - but still keen to get home, shower and sleep like never before.
I dossed the whole way from Pamplona to SS - it really was beautiful. We then climbed into bed, scrubbed clean, at 11am and after being swallowed by our beds we woke up at 6pm feeling much better. But at 34 I struggled over the next couple of days as i dealt with the after effects of pulling an all nighter.
Lucky for us, the next 2 days were amazing. The sun was shining warm on SS and that meant only one thing. On with boardies and bikini and off to la Concha beach. We had been craving a beach day for a while and this was one perfect beach day! We didn't move. Except for the occasional swim or lunch in the tappas bar we loved so much. We lay in the beach for almost 4 hours and soaked up as much as we could. We were completely in our element.
Supper at Cafe di mario near our spot and off to bed. Only to be greeted by another PERFECT beach day. I am so glad that we decided to book another day. We were on the beach by 11am, tappas for lunch, back to the beach and aaaaaaahhhhhhh...realaaaax. I went for a long swim in the bay. It is so flat and i didn't see a fish let alone anything like a shark that would feed on the fish. So people swim far out and make the most of the massive, natural swimming pool on their door step.
This beach has many topless woman, from VERY old to younger ones. It seems to be a way of life. Nakedness in europe is very much accepted. Not sure why but it just is. But who am I to stop them.
Back to our hotel after a very relaxing day on the beach and it was now time to get ready for the next days trip to Lourdes in France. We fought with the tumble dryer, struggled to find 50 cents coins and went out for supper.
Town hall in SS.
The morning came and we jumped on the bus in the nic of time outside our hotel, went to Euskotren, jumped on the train for Hendaye(France) with 4 mins to spare. Not a problem if we didn't make this train as they run every 30mins. But who wants to wait when you can sprint a bit and prevent that?!
When we got to Hendaye we booked got info for the train to Lourdes. We would catch a train to Dax and then have a 1 hour wait and then catch the train to Lourdes. Luckily for us we had managed to get accommodation at a hotel called La Closeraie, which is 100m from the railway station. Such an unbelievable blessing. After a 7 hour trip, the last thing you want to do is struggle to find your hotel or get ripped off by a taxi driver who has sensed your desperation as you stepped off the train.
We arrived in Lourdes at 5pm, walked out of the station, surrounded by the majestic Pyrenees and strolled to our hotel where we were greeted by a friendly, young lady who efficiently checked us in with no hassle at all - a real breath of fresh air!
But the best part was when we walked into our room. It is massive and has a well organized kitchenette where we can now make our own supper and lunch and breakfast and each fresh food and veggies. This place is a real gem and for only R573 per night for the room. In places like this you save so much when you travel. We look for them all the time but aren't always so lucky.
With a great fridge and facilities we headed for the grocery store to fill our new pad with some much needed quality chow and tea and coffee that we don't have to pay restaurant prices for. We will definitely enjoy the next 6 days here. It is quiet, beautiful and 'good wine country'! Cheers.
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