We then drove through the north of Spain, past what seemed like an eternity of wind turbines, to Pamplona. This town was electric with the running of the bulls festival. Every person walking the street was dressed in red and white and most of them were carrying an alcoholic beverage. We got up early to watch the run and I have never seen so many drunk people at 8am! I think a large majority of the participants only decided to run because as a result of Dutch courage, and because they were still partying from the previous evening. It was hard to believe that a spectacle like this happens in a modern western society. When we were in the stadium it felt like we were watching gladiators with the audience baying for blood. Just watching the run I got an adrenaline rush, I think the people running are crazy. Anyway, after seeing it live, James decided, to my relief, that running was not for him. It really is a crazy festival, and there were nightly fireworks displays which were incredible, they even put New York 4th of July celebrations to shame!
Our final stop in Spain was San Sebastian, a city on the northern coast famous for food. Here we experienced the Spanish bar food culture enjoying sangria and wine while sampling pinchos (tapas) from the bar top.
In anticipation of the Tour de France we spent about 100€ on camping gear on the way out of Pamplona. This allowed us to stay in a gorgeous campsite just outside of San Sebastian overlooking the sea from a cliff top.
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