Last weekend was San
Fermin! It was a much needed weekend of partying and being with other travelers.
San Fermin is a festival held in Pamplona, Spain, about a three hour trip away
from where I’m staying in Gorliz. It is most famous for the running of the
bulls! For me, this weekend was not about the traditional “events” like the
bull fighting and running with the bulls, but about meeting up with other
travelers and having the opportunity to see a new city with others my own age.
It was such a relief to talk with people that spoke English perfectly. I even
met two other au pair girls from the States.
I had been planning
to meet up with other travelers on Couch Surfers. If you’re not already familiar
with this site, it connects people from all around the world. It allows
travelers to search for people that are willing to host them for a night or a
weekend. The traveler can get a free place to stay as well as meat a local and
learn about their city. It is a community based on trust and the common goal of
seeing the world, and showing your world to others. I absolutely love it! It
also offers a place to create activities and meet ups. This Pamplona “meet up”
group of couch surfers had planned where and when to meet on different days.
As I got off my bus,
I was twenty minutes early for the meet up so I walked around for a few minutes
before just settling in the meet up spot. It took me about ten minutes to
realize there were two guys sitting right next to me holding up a little sign
facing the other way. “What does your sign say?” I asked. They faced it towards
me,“CS”. Couch surfers! And that was the beginning to a great weekend!
The first guys I met
were from Argentina and London, then a few minutes later a guy from Michigan,
and another from Sweden showed up. We made our way to a four start hotel room.
Oh, does that not sound right? That was not a typo.. a group of couch surfers
known for staying with people for free stayed at a beautiful four star hotel
room. How? On the couch surfers meet up discussion, a fellow couch surfer from
Germany was going to stay the night and had booked a hotel room. His flight got
canceled and he wasn’t going to make it. It was too late to cancel his
reservation so he gave it to couch surfers, for FREE!
The four boys went to take a nap at the hotel, still
exhausted from the night before. I wandered around the crowded streets taking
pictures and taking in the sights and entertainment. There were street
performers on every corner: dancers, singers, musicians, and other weird little
attempts at making some money off the huge amounts of people that come to their
city to celebrate (check out the videos below!). Everyone wore white and red (including me). I mean everyone.
I saw one or two people that were wearing normal clothes and everyone stared at
them. Good thing I googled “what to wear to San Fermin”.
The next meet up, I was the one with the sign. Being
the only female couch surfer at the time, my skills at writing “CS” were the
highest. Next came two guys from India, an Armenian guy who grew up in Syria
but was living in France (that took the whole weekend to get straight), and
from there it’s a long list. But at one point there was a group of over twenty
also including people from Mexico, Brazil, Ireland, Germany, and the States.
Then it was time to get the partying started. With a
large bottle of Sangria in hand, we began to have a good time!
When in Pamplona…
As the night went on, we followed bands through the
small and busy streets dancing and drinking! There were water guns filled with
wine and beer being squirted into everyone’s mouths. Good luck trying to stay
sober at a festival like San Fermin!
I was dancing through the
streets and clinging bottles for a cheers with people from all over the world.
We were all so different, but had so many common goals. To see the world, meet
new people, try new things, and have a great time!
So the next morning I may have missed watching the 7am bull
run due to seven people sleeping through three alarms… but like I said, that wasn’t
really why I was there!
This was my first day trip outside
of Gorliz flying solo. My host father luckily had to go into Bilbao to buy some
things so he dropped me off at the bus station. “Un ticket para Vitoria por
favor!” (I had rehearsed that once or twice). I took a short 45 minute ride to the green capital of Europe 2012: Vitoria. What the bus ride lacked in culture (comparing it to my bus and combi riding
days in Africa full of African music, chickens at my feet, and people trying to
sell me things at every stop) it made up for in ease and comfort.
My only
goals were to see the contemporary art museum, walk around, and take pictures;
nothing too difficult. I had printed a map with a highlighted path of how to
get to the tourist office for some real maps. I stepped off the bus and of
course I was already lost. I ended up just walking until I found signs for “oficina
de turismo”. Over an hour after getting maps and just wondering around trying
to find the popular cathedrals, etc. I realized I had the map facing the wrong
way and I wasn’t even looking at what I thought I was. But hey, I just wanted
to see the city so it didn’t matter much to me.
After
wondering around for a few hours, going to the Atrium: a contemporary art museum,
going into a few little shops and a beautiful church, I wanted to try my
Spanish and order some pinxtos at a bar! I walk in and see my fav: tortilla de
patata but this one had cheese and ham inside! The guys that were talking at
the bar all stare at me. I point saying, “Cuantos… cues….?” The bartender laughs,
“Yeah, cuanto cuesta.” From then on he explained everything in English and I
responded in English. “How much does this cost?” I had practiced that a million
times! Oh well, I got an amazing tortilla de patata at Mallory’s and the guy
even gave me a huge slice, I think he may have felt bad for me or something. With
bread and a drink it only costs 3.50 Euros!
Right next
door I was eyeing this ice cream place called HUMMM. It was empty… less people
to embarrass myself in front of maybe? I went in and ordered this yummy gelato,
one scoop of Oreo and one of dolce de leche. I used my little bit of Spanish
and a lot of pointing. Me and the young girl working there ended up laughing as
I said, “No hablo espanol muy bien” and she explained in Spanish that she doesn’t
know any English. I liked that better than the bartender just automatically
talking to me in English. I’d rather struggle with the Spanish. That night when
I returned home I even tried looking to see if HUMMM has other locations near
Gorliz… it doesn’t look like it, but I’ll be on the lookout. It was worth the
calories for sure!