the crazies of pamplona! call 911.

We spent the night in a lovely hotel. We had dinner with three Spanish ladies. They were hysterical! Dinner was mystery meat with french fries. I did not understand the dessert choices. I accidently ordered a bowl of solidified sheep´s milk. Hmm. It tasted like it was very low fat. The three women told me to try it with honey. Didn´t help. The women said ¨at least they didn´t kill anything to make it!¨

Breakfast was included with the room. Peach juice, three pieces of toast, a Danish AND chocolate pound cake.

We walked a long way through lots of flower meadows. I had Anselmo photograph most of the flowers so that I can look them up if I ever find a flower guide.

Finally we reached Pamplona. I read last night that Pamplona got that name from the Roman general Pompey, who must have conquered it. Pamplona is the capital of the Basque country. The Basque name for it is Iruna. The signs all have both names. It is a center of Basque nationalism.

The festival of San Fermin is the one where they have the Running of the Bulls. The festival started today (July 6) and lasts till July 14. The Running of the Bulls is tomorrow morning. The festival has a traditional outfit: white pants, white shirt, a red sash, and a red bandana. Everyone wears the outfit, from old people down to babies. The little kids in the outfit look so cute!!!

The center of Pamplona is surrounded by an huge ancient city wall. It looks like a Lego Castle that we used to play with when Liz was little. It has those round towers at the corners like a regular castle.

When we walked up to the stairs through the wall, we noticed EMS folks and police and an ambulance. Halfway down the wall is a ledge. The police were venturing out onto the ledge. Someone had fallen off the wall and landed on the ledge!!!! The police were trying to rescue the person! What an idiot!!!

Soon we got into town. It was packed with people like Times Square, all dressed in the traditional outfit. I saw a t-shirt I liked, with a bull snorting fire and smoke out of its nostrils. Some people were wearing hats with bull horns. Everyone was drinking wine like crazy. People were using those leather wine bags, called a ¨bota¨, to squirt wine in each other´s mouth. They were missing! People were also pouring wine in each other´s plastic glass from giant size bottles. I noticed some broken eggs. It turns out that early in the day they throw eggs at Camino de Santiago pilgrims. Fortunately we missed that particular tradition!

We did get wine poured on our feet. Anselmo had to change his socks. Serves him right for wearing sandals with socks.

Finally we left Pamplona.