Well, I've finally got some time to sit down and write about my biggest adventure so far: San Fermines or the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain!
Some background: When I first learned I would be moving to Spain, I contacted a friend from my college, R, who was living in Pamplona. He was happy that I was moving there and invited me to San Fermines. So we planned for me to go and stay with him. In the end, two other teachers came with me. This was great for us, because Pamplona is very expensive during San Fermines. Many people did "Urban Camping" which just seemed like passing out in the middle of a field. A hot shower and breakfast were 50 Euros.
The Running of the Bulls is held from July 6-July 14th. I only went for the first three days, and as R said "The first three days are the best. You go, watch the bulls run and wake up in a bush a week later". I didn't wake up in a bush a week later, don't worry.
Getting to Pamplona and back ended up being somewhat stressful. K, another teacher who I have become friends with, and I were leaving together, while C, the other teacher, was arriving the next day. K and I agreed to meet at Sants Estacion about 30 minutes before our bus was to leave.
The time it takes to get to Pamplona can vary between 4-8 hours. It really depends on the bus driver on how many stops they make, the traffic, and how fast they drive. In our case, the bus didn't even make it to Sants until an hour and a half after we were supposed to leave. The trip itself was actually nice, the scenery was pretty, the guy next to me was quiet, the ride was smooth. We were on a double decker bus, which was cool. The only thing that made it bad was the absolutely smashed group of British men in the back of the bus. K was sitting closer to them than I was, but I could hear them from all the way up at the front of the bus. She reported at one of the rest stops(we made 3) that one of them had peed in a water bottle in the aisle, and many people had asked them to be quiet. On the last leg of the trip, one of them sang "Hero" REALLY loudly. I won't be listening to Enrique Iglesias anytime soon.
Getting back to Pamplona was a whole different story.Our bus was to leave at 7:45 am on a Monday morning because both of us had to teach that afternoon. We arrived at the station at 7:00, and looked at the directory for where our bus was leaving from. Nothing. We went to the information desk. They said 1-5. Check there, nothing. We asked at other bus companies, they said to go to our bus company. It was closed. By 7:45 it was open and K asked. they said 1-5. It wasn't there. We went back and were told that we were late and the bus left. From 20-24. The lady was really rude and unhelpful. She feigned not being able to speak English and so when we spoke Spanish, she was just mean.
We ended up being able to take another bus later that night and got to barcelona at 3:30 am the next day. It was a mess. Needless to say, I won't be taking the bus, or the VIBASA bus company for a while. Vibasa probably never again.
Some background: When I first learned I would be moving to Spain, I contacted a friend from my college, R, who was living in Pamplona. He was happy that I was moving there and invited me to San Fermines. So we planned for me to go and stay with him. In the end, two other teachers came with me. This was great for us, because Pamplona is very expensive during San Fermines. Many people did "Urban Camping" which just seemed like passing out in the middle of a field. A hot shower and breakfast were 50 Euros.
The Running of the Bulls is held from July 6-July 14th. I only went for the first three days, and as R said "The first three days are the best. You go, watch the bulls run and wake up in a bush a week later". I didn't wake up in a bush a week later, don't worry.
Getting to Pamplona and back ended up being somewhat stressful. K, another teacher who I have become friends with, and I were leaving together, while C, the other teacher, was arriving the next day. K and I agreed to meet at Sants Estacion about 30 minutes before our bus was to leave.
The time it takes to get to Pamplona can vary between 4-8 hours. It really depends on the bus driver on how many stops they make, the traffic, and how fast they drive. In our case, the bus didn't even make it to Sants until an hour and a half after we were supposed to leave. The trip itself was actually nice, the scenery was pretty, the guy next to me was quiet, the ride was smooth. We were on a double decker bus, which was cool. The only thing that made it bad was the absolutely smashed group of British men in the back of the bus. K was sitting closer to them than I was, but I could hear them from all the way up at the front of the bus. She reported at one of the rest stops(we made 3) that one of them had peed in a water bottle in the aisle, and many people had asked them to be quiet. On the last leg of the trip, one of them sang "Hero" REALLY loudly. I won't be listening to Enrique Iglesias anytime soon.
Getting back to Pamplona was a whole different story.Our bus was to leave at 7:45 am on a Monday morning because both of us had to teach that afternoon. We arrived at the station at 7:00, and looked at the directory for where our bus was leaving from. Nothing. We went to the information desk. They said 1-5. Check there, nothing. We asked at other bus companies, they said to go to our bus company. It was closed. By 7:45 it was open and K asked. they said 1-5. It wasn't there. We went back and were told that we were late and the bus left. From 20-24. The lady was really rude and unhelpful. She feigned not being able to speak English and so when we spoke Spanish, she was just mean.
We ended up being able to take another bus later that night and got to barcelona at 3:30 am the next day. It was a mess. Needless to say, I won't be taking the bus, or the VIBASA bus company for a while. Vibasa probably never again.
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