Pamplona's Running of the Bulls

Encierro, which means confinement (as in of huge, snorting animals) is shorthand for what's happening in the Pyrenees July 6-14, the place to be in Spain now. The running of the bulls in Pamplona, immortalized by Ernest Hemingway's Fiesta and backpacker flick Americano, has been rocking for at least a couple of centuries around the saint day of San Fermin, who's said to have been killed by bulls. Booze flows by night (all night), bulls pound the streets by day, and a giant fiesta with accompanying food and music turn Pamplona into party central for one wild week. And if you want to do the main thing, running with the bulls happens each morning of the fiesta at 8:00 a.m.; the run is about 1/2 mile long.

More info on Pamplona's Running of the Bulls:

• Fiesta de San Fermin website and travel guide
• Spain trains
• PETA opposition to running of the bulls
• 2007 Pamplona Bull Run Video

Related: Pamplona Bull Run Photos | Backpacking Europe 101

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