Running of the Bulls

​July 14

Today was the day! Alastair woke up around 6am to get dressed and walk to the starting line for the running of the bulls. He actually had a hard time getting into the lineup of runners and had to climb over a port-a potty? 

Us girls got to sleep a bit more but we were walking by 7am to find a place to watch. Along the route, restaurants and shops barricade their doors and windows, leaving just enough room to watch over the top. Crowds are gathered on the balconies above (which you either are lucky enough to own, or can afford to rent).

The fencing barriers on the side streets include two layers of fences, such that the police and EMTs can stand behind the first, and spectators behind the second. We found a spot along that second fence, and defended it fiercely. When the time came, we climbed up and had a great view of the running.

The whole event went so quickly! We saw the runners spread out along the street, nervously jumping up and down as they awaited the bulls. There were ~8 bulls that ran by and it was over in a flash. Almost immediately, the fences were opened and we all filtered into the street. There were many people laying throughout the street on stretchers as their heads or limbs were assessed by EMTs. We were grateful not to see Alastair on any of the stretchers. The TVs in the bars along the route were already playing highlight reels of injuries from the run that had just occurred. It was kind of surreal the rush of adrenaline followed by the search for our brother.

We made our way back to the AirBnB, our designated meeting point since Alastair didn’t have his phone with him. We all arrived at the same time, and were relieved to see him on two feet. He had a blast, claiming that it was neither difficult nor scary, and that if he were to do it again, he would take even more risks. Brave kid.

We walked around town for a bit before deciding to FOB until checkout at our AirBnB. We packed our bags and then walked with them away from the festival to find a place to eat lunch. We were SO hungry having had no breakfast, and we came upon a burger place that looked delicious and air conditioned. Unfortunately, they weren’t open yet so we had coffee at the cafe next door and played cards while we waited until 1pm.

The restaurant was themed around an ambiguous “Kevin” which we thought was funny. My burger had guacamole, pico de gallo, and a jalapeño aioli. It was perhaps one of the best burgers of my life, which may have had to do with my hunger level. We played more cards, shared a big cookie/brownie, and then split up for some down time before our train. 

Alastair and I walked to a park to sit on a bench and scroll on our phones. The girls made their way to the train station and found AC. Alastair and I joined them there and then we all hopped on our train back to Zaragoza. Unfortunately, it was a slower regional train and the AC was broken. We were all completely melting for 90 minutes before they stopped at a random station and had us load onto a different, slightly cooler train that was also bound for Zaragoza. I would say that our biggest challenge so far traveling together has been staying out of the heat, and the second is finding creative ways to ditch our bulky bags so we are not limited by them.

Once in Zaragoza, we checked into our nicest accommodation of the whole trip so far. Our hotel was conveniently located in the train station and we had two rooms, two bathrooms, four beds, AC, and plenty of room to spread out.

I spent the evening booking the rest of the accommodations and train reservations for our trip. Alastair watched the World Cup game on our TV and eventually, he and Mags walked to McDonalds to grab dinner for us all while I talked to Palmer for a bit. The four of us have been eating lots of fried chicken sandwiches on this trip as they’re cheap and delicious.

Another busy day of travel tomorrow!

Adelaide