Why do Pamplonenses Celebrate San Fermin?

Pamplonenses celebrate San Fermines in honor of San Fermín, a Christian missionary, co-founder of Navarra. He was decapitated at the age fo 31 when he refused to stop spreading the word of God.

Originally, the celebration was a simple religious act, but with time, the party became bigger and bigger. In fact, the people who visit Pamplona between July 6 and July 14, make more emphasis on the party than the veneration of the Saint. I even doubt if most of these visitors know what the celebration represents. The celebration starts July 6 at midday with el Txupinazo (Chupinazo), a toss accompanied with the launching of a flare followed with a scream: “¡Viva San Fermín!” Although 2006 was a little different because the city’s mayor, Javier Esbuki, broke the tradition by screaming “¡Viva las fiestas de San Fermín!” because he is agnostic, lighting up a great controversy.

But the controversy did not affect the party, which continued in every corner of the city. It is sad the media don’t cover this impressive side of the celebration, and they only cover the encierro itself.

During San Fermines, Pamplona’s populations is multiplied by four, and people taint the streets with white and red, as they parade down the street with their San Fermin costumes: white clothes adorned with red belts and red handkerchiefs.

While the celebration lasts people befriend strangers, cultural and ideological differences disappear y and it is impossible to distinguish a person from the next because they all look alike. People don’t stop dancing and singing on the streets, and Pamplona transforms itself in the scenery of an open and never-ending party.

The city doesn’t sleep, but the visitors do, and they spread their sleeping bags in any patch of free grass they can find in plazas, street dividers of the main streets… They lay down to rest so they can continue the party later.

Encierros for San Fermines in Pamplona Spain, and a Crow that Parties and Forget about the City’s Patron

Since I can remember, every July 7th I would sit in front of the TV set with my family to watch the encierros for San Fermines.

This year, on July 7th I watched the bulls run once again, but this time I was there in person; only a wooden fence separated me from the beasts at Estafeta Street, Pamplona, Spain.

Previous years, I would ask myself what went through people’s minds that motivated them to run in front of those enormous animals.... And although I was not brave enough to run with the bulls this time around, I watched them from a close distance, which enabled me to understand the fan’s fervor and fanatism for this event.

On TV, the run seems insanely dangerous. Yet, after experienced runners explain to you the event’s rules, you realize it is not as dangerous as it appears to be. The runners enter the encierro at 7:45 a.m., 15 minutes before the run actually starts. This gives you plenty of time to go trhough the 800 meters from the start to the Plaza de Toros before the bulls are even released.

Those who run every year assure that the encierro is not dangerous since the bulls don’t attack people on purpose; they emphasize that most incidents occur when the runners break one of the rules, despite the fact the loudspeakers repeat them over and over again throughout the event. The most common accident occurs when one of runners try to caress the bull as they run; this act distracts the beast, which usually turns around and starts running in the opposite direction. Accidents also occur when people try to film or take pictures as they run,; run while intoxicated, or run with inappropriate footwear.

Even though Pamplonenses try to convince millions that the event is safe, many people choose to remain as mere spectators, and they get on top of anything imaginable in other to get a glance of this delirious and accelerating event.

Jaen: Sea of Olive Trees and Waterfalls of Delicacies

Walking Through Jaen, Olive Oil’s World Capital

The first night we went to TorredelCampo, a small villa just minutes away from Jaen, where we were staying. That same weekend, the villa was celebrating its “202 Anniversary” from the time it free itself from the city of Jaen.

The next day, we went down to Jaen where we walked through Santa Catalina’s Castle and Arab Baths.

Santa Catalina’s Castle was constructed by Fernando III The Saint, on top of Cerro Santa Catalina so he could observe the entire region. He believed this strategic location helped him to protect Jaen during medieval times (1246).

The Castle has an incredible view of the sea of olive trees that cover the mountains of Andalucía.

Afterwards we visited the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. It was one of the most opulent and impressive churches I’ve seen. Inside, you can find an original replica of the Santo Rostro de Cristo: the handkerchief where Christ's face was imprinted after La Verónica dried the sweat from his face.

At the end of the day, after fighting against the heat we walked up Jaen’s steep streets and reached the Arab Baths, built in the XI Century during the Arab occupation in Spain. Even though we would have liked to refresh ourselves in the baths, centuries have passed since these Baths have been used. However, they are so well conserved that it is not hard to imagine the relaxing ambiance that locals used to breathe in this place as they soaked their feet and relaxed under the dim solar light that sneaked through the star shape holes on curved roofs.


How to get there:

• Metro Station Atocha Renfe



• El Ave- Train

Budapest A City Adorned with Tranquility

People say Budapest, Hungary, resulted for the coming together in 1873 of two cities that were separated by Danube River: Buda and Obuda on the right shore, and Pest on the left one.

Matching the city’s concept, during my trip I met up with old friends, separated from me for years by mountain ridges and scarce communication.

When I arrived, the warm welcome, my sweater and my jacket were not able to isolate me from the cold weather that surprised the city in the middle of June.

Budapest, resembles other European cities I have visited in the past, with low houses, Baroque-Romanesque architecture, narrow streets, traditional bars and smalls shops. However, here you can perceive the socialist regime that governed the city until 1989 left a strong influece.

Központi Vásárcsarnok, The Central Market at Fovan ter, exemplifies how socialist ideals are still part of Hungarian’s daily life. The market was constructed in 1897 by the architect Samy Petz. It was re-constructed in 1994. In this country, people prefer to buy fresh products (flowers, fruits, vegetables, cheese, meat and other Hungarian products) in these small stores, where they receive a personalized treatment, rather than buying processed products at chain supermarkets.

This city also differentiates itself from other European cities with its peace and tranquility. Despite, Budapest is the seventh largest city in Europe, with 1,7 million inhabitants according to 2005 census, these people do no not disrupt the city’s tranquility.

People speak with soft voices, even restaurant’s waiters and waitresses whisper the menu’s specials to you because the don’t want to bother the people who are eating next to you. At the same times, Danube’s constant flow seems to absorb the noise of the cars and the public transportation.

The view from The Fisherman’s Bastion in the Castle’s District also transmits that peaceful sentiment despite the large amount of tourists who visit that spot at one time. I am not sure if it was the reunion with old friends, the city’s architecture, the river’s flow, or the extreme differentce between noisy Madrid and Budapest, but I can ensure that it had been very long since I left so serene.

Art Bazaars versus Pirate-art at Bali, Indonesia

After the performance, we stopped by different art bazaars. First, we stopped by a workshop where we could see people weaving drink coasters, handbags, diverse basquets, nad other cfats with admirable neatness, clearly superior to the similar articles we had seen in the city center the previous day.

Afterwards, we stopped by a wood-carving workshop where we were also able to observe the artists at work. It was fascinating to watch how the artists used their feet to hold the wood in place as they carved them. Here, you could see the difference between the pieces that were carved by experienced teachers, and the ones made by apprentices. The store owner’s also noted the difference in the pieces placing a higher tag on those carved by the masters.



At last, we visited a painting studio where they sold original pirated pieces: Photocopies of original work covered with thick colored oleos, mechanically painted by small children with heavy eyes and taciturn looks. The place was luminous, and the salesmen were polite, but the misty looks of the young artists darkened the place.

Dancers Destroy Linguitic Barriers in Bali

Even though moving vehicles usually have a soporific effect on me, there was so much to see through the van’s windows that I stayed alert throughout the entire ride.

Before we began our tour around Bali’s rural side, we stopped to see a theatrical performance enacted by a group of local actors and actresses that interpreted the struggle between Good and Evil forces. When we walked into the theater, they gave us a little description in english of each scene so we could follow the performance in Indonesian.

The actors' and dancers' expressive eyes and facial expressions, together with the precise movements of their fingers, feet, shoulders and necks were able to effectively transfer the essence of the story to an audience that did not understand the local language.

The detailed decorations and the costumes' designed, added to my fascination with foreign cultures, captivated my attention throughout the show, despite the simple plot.

Behind Bali Resort’s Palm Trees

Even though 97 percent of Bali’s inhabitants are Buddhist-Hindu, since most tourists are westerners, locals choose to decorate hotels using Christmas ornaments. At the same time, every time they see you they smile saying “Merry Christmas”, despite the fact we celebrated the birth of Christ the previous week.

However, locals’ don’t always choose the best decorations to please tourists: a giant snowman dressed in traditional Indonesian clothes is not most the most appropriate decoration next to the warm seaside. Nevertheless, I must admit it contributed to generate the Christmas mood away form home.


Smoked Flavors from Coconut Shells

Paul, our local tour guide, introduced us to a side of Bali we had not seen by taking us to a traditional Balinese restaurant for dinner.

Before we sat down to eat, we fished a crab from a bowl and chose a fish and large shrimps that the restaurant’s fisherman brought while we were deciding what to eat. After that, we accommodated ourselves in a table next to the sea, and awaited until the coconut shells’ coals cooked our food.

Half an hour later, a group of waiters dressed in traditional Indonesian clothes brought some delicious dishes served with rice and vegetables. Each bite held together a crunchy smoked taste where you could still taste the coconut’s flavor, and the sweet and spicy taste of a sauce that reminded me of a light barbecue sauce.

Having dinner next to the sea was a sweet welcoming to the Bali we were going to see the next day.

Singapore: Any woman’s Paradise

Last December I lived every woman’s dream: I traveled to Singapore, a place with unlimited shopping malls where you can spend hours strolling down aisles window shopping, and buying clothes.

While many women would have felt in paradise in that situation, I was the protagonist of my worst nightmare: everywhere I looked I could only see shopping malls, and more shopping malls.

As usual, I wanted to escape the touristy area and find a place where I could interact with locals, ask them about their culture and their country’s traditions. However, in this city-country-island in the South of Asia,and the South of the Malay Peninsula, it was practically impossible to escape this labyrinth of shops and bag carrying people.

I think Singapore probably has an area that is shopping mall free. Yet, considering in 1997 the city already had 19.800 clothing stores, I am not surprised I was unable to find it.

After fighting crowded streets for hours, my brother, my mother and I decided to take a Boat Quay down Singapore River to escape touristy conglomerations: we sailed down the Riverside, observed the English style houses built along the river and noticed a great number of skyscrapers. From the boat we could se that this island-city-country was very modern and cosmopolitan.

Surfing through Singapore’s official website after my trip I discovered there are various cultural tourist attractions that I was unaware of when I visited the country.

Visit the site, so you don’t miss them when it’s your turn to go there: http://www.visitsingapore.com/

Chulapos Parade Along Calle Mayor in Madrid to honor the City's Patron

I have few words to describe San Isidro’s celebration in Madrid, Spain.

After attending Seville’s Fair, where colors and diversity took hold of the streets, it is hard to describe the celebration of the capital’s patron, where very few people are wearing the traditional dresses.

While we walked through Madrid trying to find a place where we could see how locals celebrated this special day, we run into a parade of the Agrupación de Madrileños y Amigos en la Calle Mayor.

This group of locals were wearing traditional clothes, only sadly, most of them were older citizens. This makes me wonder what will happen to the celebration after these traditionalists are gone. Enough said. Enjoy the parade!

From the Land of Natives, to Segovia, the Land of Castles

“Do you have castles in Latin America?” asked one of my Spanish roommates while we had dinner Sunday night.

I was speechless. I stopped eating, and just looked up without knowing what to say.

Throughout my childhood, my mom had frequently put me to sleep reading Fairytales with princesses, dragons and castles. However, I could not remember ever seeing a castle in my continent.

When I first wrote the Spanish version of the blog, I actually thought there were no castles in America (read continent). But then, some of my readers verified there are several castles in different parts of Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.

Nevertheless, I still insist that those castles hardly resemble real castles, like the ones that we see in storybooks, with thin towers, thick bridges, protecting walls, etc…

Taking advantage of the fact I was living in Spain, I took a bus to Segovia to visit a real castle.

Even though my blue prince was not waiting for me inside the castle, I had the opportunity to walk over cobblestones eroded by the royalty, and then by millions of tourists who came before me.

I decided to visit the castle during lunchtime so I could enjoy every corner of it without needing to fight against tourist masses.

I took a long and careful look at the collectio of armors with curious curved feet that make you wonder if noblemen really walked and fought with such heavy and uncomfortable looking suits, or if these armors were simply decorative statues that some imaginative person then decided to include in myths and legends.

I also looked at the detailed decorations that covered the metal suits: some where full-body metal armors, other only covered half the body; some were plain while others had intricate motives carved into the chest and hands’ area.

I also climbed up the thin and claustrophobic stairs to the terrace where the wind messed up my hair, and obliged me to feel free. I stayed there for a while enjoying the view, extending the fantasy of beign inside a castle until my stomach’s growling became unbearable. It was already 4:30 p.m. andif I did not hurry my way down, I wasn´t going to find a place open where I could have lunch.