Comments on: San Fermin 2008

By: Stacia

Stacia — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Erik, I found your blog while surfing for something unrelated on the net. I am find your blog entertaining and makes me wish I was in Spain again.
I lived in Madrid for a year – 20 years ago – I am still in touch with the family with whom I lived. The mother was from Extramadura as you is your wife. I fondly remember visiting the village — I miss Spain and yearn to visit again.
Thanks for lifting my day!

By: Erik R.

Erik R. — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:01:33 +0000

@WorriedMom, don’t worry about anti-american sentiment. A huge swarm of Americans (and Australians, strangely) travel to Pamplona every year. The hostels are safe.

During the day during San Fermin the parks in Pamplona are littered with 21-year-olds sleeping in the grass. It turns out that even that practice is perfectly safe. As for getting there by 7am, a lot of people go the night before and then just party all night. If they’re going to run, though, they should get at least a couple hours of sleep somewhere. My recommendation is to not be so worried about campsites. The campsites are a huge and valuable part of the experience.

Good luck!

By: Mary Ann

Mary Ann — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:29:11 +0000

Are you still living in Spain Erik? My daughter is going to study abroad in Scotland for six weeks this coming Summer and she has decided to go to Europe a week early to experience the San Fermin Festival. I am frantic trying to come up with an inexpensive itinerary for her and a few of her friends from here in San Antonio, Tx. They are all 21ish and I am a bit apprehensive over the anti-American sentiment I hear so much about and of course the fear that something awful could happen so far away. They are all sensible, college & grad school students, but I still worry. Are the hostels safe? I can find a few still available. They are tossing around staying in San Sebastian, but it seems impractical to have to get there by 7 from that far away. Your thoughts? Any suggestions would be great. I don’t want her sleeping at a campsite either.
Worried Mom in SA

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:12:00 +0000

After reading this, I decided to change my gravatar so that I, too, could contribute more beauty to your site. Behold: my favorite made-in-Spain frog.

By: Erik R.

Erik R. — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:01:24 +0000

The monkey image is just a joke that I borrowed from a friend’s blog. Once you actually submit the comment, the monkey goes away and gravatar.com supplies a pleasant “no avatar” icon.

Still, I’m glad you supplied such a beautiful a gravatar, since it makes the site prettier in general.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:04:26 +0000

The gravater thing I learned about on your blog and the little picture of the windmill Theresa made for me once. At first I did not know how to get it to work but I figured it out because on your blog I absolutely didn’t want to have a picture of a monkey.

By: Erik R.

Erik R. — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:21:46 +0000

Thanks, Heidi! They were all very lovely.

I’m impressed that any grandmother has a gravatar.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:07:21 +0000

Hi Erik, I enjoyed reading about your visit to Pamplona and the pictures you made are very colorful and bright.It was nice to see a picture of my daughter and my granddaughters on your blog.

By: Erik R.

Erik R. — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:25:38 +0000

Yes, that was two years ago that we went before.

By: Betsy

Betsy — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:23:12 +0000

Excellent account of your day. As an old married man now I guess the idea of actually running didn’t occur to you. Was it just last year you were toying with it? As far as I know that fellow from Charlotte who was seriously injured in the ring in 2006 has still not recovered.

I was happy to “meet” Theresa too. I have been following the blog she’s been doing for the Spanish blog site. Very nice!