Day 9 - Running With the Bulls

Today is a long travel day, covering about 600 kilometres from San Sebastian south to Barcelona.
Along the way though, we visit the city of Pamplona. Of course Pamplona is known world wide for it's annual Running of the Bulls, during the fiesta de San Fermin in July.

Truth be known, it was probably Ernest Hemingway who brought fame to the city. This is where he penned "The Sun also Rises" which illuminated an otherwise little known festival and local bull fighting event.

The human runners begin here, the square in front of the old town hall

The bulls are driven up this lane to meet those brave souls (aka fools), who will run with them

One of the lanes to be run by both human and bovine participants

"Ernie" loved this festival and is now commemorated at the bull ring

The bull ring is the final destination (literally for the bulls), for the run

Hemingway's favourite bar in Pamplona is adjacent to what is now called The Hemingway Cafe 

After a quick "cortado" (espresso with a little warm milk), it's off to Barcelona where we tour Park Guell. This 38 acre hillside property originally owned by Eusepi Guell, was to become a late 19th century housing development. Guell enlisted local architect Antoni Guadi, to create a development that would coexist nicely with the natural aspects of the property.

Unfortunately this exclusive neighbourhood which overlooked the city of Barcelona, never caught on. Nobody seemed to be interested and that may have been in part, because of Gaudi's over the top design.

A covered walkway in the neighbourhood

This elevated plaza was to become a children's play area

The ceramic laden "park bench" which surrounded the play area.

A view of the plaza from below. Note the lions heads. During rainy weather, water from the park benches above would drain away through the mouths of the lions.

Gaudi was very innovative and possibly ahead of his time. The columns supporting the upper plaza were also water pipes.

This lower area was to be a marketplace and water from the floor of the plaza above, drained through the columns into holding tanks under the floor, for use by the marketeers.

The "house" on the left was to be a caretakers residence with the one on the right, a sales office.

The view from the sales office toward the upper plaza and marketplace

We are nearing the end of our time here in Spain. On Monday we tour another Gaudi project, the Sagrada Familia Cathedral, then finish off with our farewell celebration dinner.

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