we happened to be in spain during "running of the bulls" and realized we'd be fools to not check it out. the trip would be a minor days detour, or so we thought. we took a train from madrid to pamplona. the first thing we did when we got off the train was run to get into line to purchase a ticket back to our hostel (in madrid) that same night. unfortunately the lady in front of us bought THEE last tickets out of pamplona- we were told that the first train available out of the tiny town would not be until 645 the next morning. we bought the tickets and figured we'd stay up all night partying and catch that ride. we headed for the festival and got into proper attire (white shirt, red bandanna, beer in hand) before strolling the streets. we had just missed the actual "running" by about an hour, but there were many more festivities to participate in. rick and i jumped into conga lines that toured the town, danced in the bars, and ate til we could hardly move.
we decided that although we wanted to partake in the culture, we could not be a part of the bull fight (for reasons pertaining to humanity). so, as that particular tradition began, the town left the bars and streets and flooded the stadium; rick and i found a nearby park and figured we should try to take a nap [knowing that we would not be sleeping that night].
we decided that although we wanted to partake in the culture, we could not be a part of the bull fight (for reasons pertaining to humanity). so, as that particular tradition began, the town left the bars and streets and flooded the stadium; rick and i found a nearby park and figured we should try to take a nap [knowing that we would not be sleeping that night].
when we awoke we headed back into town but could not get into the festivities; we were starting to get cold [note my tiny tank and shorts], we were nervous about our night of homelessness, and we were just lacking the passion, i suppose. the night turned around when we found some hash- though we had little idea what to do with it. i befriended a french man [with that good ol' universal smile] and he gave rick and i a lesson on joint rolling. as we smoked, a beatles cover band took stage and the night exploded!! the thousands there sang every song (you could pinpoint the countless different accents) and the crowd was united. i had never witnessed anything like this- we all put our arms around our neighbors' shoulders and swayed, danced, sang and hugged. rick and i started a conga line that grew to be probably 200 people long!!
it was a beautiful night, truly awesome- until the music ended and the streets cleared out, and rick and i were alone, cold, and searching for a bench to sleep on. we eventually settled outside of the train station, we huddled for warmth and counted down until 645am. rick was kind enough to let me rest my eyes while he kept guard (there were many transients in the area and we did not feel safe). it was a loooong night. 
