It had been a peaceful night of sleep for everybody in the group. Sheer terror ran own everybody's back when Matt woke up and shrieked "IT'S TIME FOR THE RUNNING OF THE BULLS! EVERYBODY WAKE UP!!!" By the time Evan Langebeck could pin this maniac down and knock him unconscious, though, everybody was already wide awake and ready to continue the day. As the group began getting ready, David suddenly realized that knocking Matt out was not a good idea, because now they may be late. After spending ten minutes yelling in Matt's ear, Evan Cope was finally able to get him conscious again. As everyone finished getting ready and eating breakfast, David announced for everybody to start packing what they were bringing. Everybody seemed to pack the same three things, food, water, and a high-quality camera to catch the gore of the Running of the Bulls and the Bull Fight. David, who was slightly more sophisticated than the rest, remembered to bring a map of Pamplona, considering that this would be their first full day in Pamplona. At 7:30am, everybody left the hotel to head to the Running of the Bulls, which started at 8:00 on the dot.
Running of the Bulls // Holiday
Arriving at 7:50, and following David's lead, the group finally arrived at the bull's path and waited for the two rocket fires that would announce the beginning of the run. Matt and Evan Cope agreed that it would be an amazing experience to be in the bull running until David told them that fifteen people have been killed in the Running of the Bulls since people started recording in 1924. Aside from those people, dozens more are injured each year from this festival. This was enough to scare Matt and Evan Cope out of being idiots, but it made Evan Langebeck want to join the race. Just as the two rockets were fired, and the screams of people both in the race and out were audible, a mob of people dressed in all red came sprinting by being chased by an angry herd of bulls. Meanwhile, everybody except for David laughed maniacally at the sight of a man being mowed down and trampled by the whole herd of bulls.
Evan Cope, starting to think logically, asked David what the point of this was, if there was a point at all. Though it would be amazing to have a national festival where people got gored, he thought, it would make absolutely no sense. David informed the group that the Running of the Bulls was actually a festivity that was originally made due to the need for getting the bulls into the center of the city. Not only that, but the holiday is also celebrated in honor of San Fermin, the patron saint of Navarra. Just as he said this, Matt tried to push Evan Cope into the path of the bulls but failed because Evan moved and Matt fell on his face. While laughing, Evan threatened to toss Matt into the path, making the tiny child squeal in fright. Soon after this, the Running of the Bulls was over, and it was time for the bullfights.
Bullfights // Sports
We headed to the stadium, where we had a wonderful view of the bullfights. The bullfights are yet another tradition that has been carried out for centuries, as David explained to everybody, but that made everyone question the purpose. After researching, Evan Langebeck actually found the answer before David, telling the others that the bullfights had originally been used to tire out the bulls by means of killing or subduing the beast, following either a set of rules or cultural expectations. The first bullfight was celebrated in honor of the crowning of King Alfonso VIII and are continued on today. Just as Evan Cope finished his speech about Alfonso and the bulls, the Matador stepped into the stadium and prepared for the fight. As the bull was let out and the gate was shut, the Matador walked up to the beast and waved a red handkerchief in its face, which the man quickly regretted. The bull reared back and knocked the man a clear eight feet into the sky, as well as thirteen feet backward. The rest of the bullfights were quite similar, and only in two did the Matadors barely win. As the last bullfight wrapped up with the Matador being stabbed in the arm, we all headed back to the hotel and settled down for a relaxing sleep after the long day.
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