This morning I awoke to folk songs drifting up to my 5th floor apartment from the little plaza below.   I looked out to see a crowd of people sitting in front of the local bar – all dressed in white with red sashes (fajas) and red handkerchiefs (pañuelos) on their wrists.  Their loud singing over breakfast at 9am was a surprise.  So, after putting on my white pants and faja (which I bought yesterday from a street vendor), we joined the crowds below.  I ordered wine, eggs and chistorra to reinforce us for the coming mayhem.  Expectation was in the air.  After meeting a Spanish friend for some more food and calimocho, we went straight to the Plaza Consistorial – joining the crowd of white and red streaming into the city center for the opening ceremony at the city hall: the Chupinazo.

Just minutes until noon I was squeezed into a sea of chanting people.  Swept into the packed crowd, pushed back and forth, sometimes not even touching the ground, sprayed with champagne (vendors sell bottles in the streets) and calimocho (people carry large Coke bottles) – we finally looked up to hear the mayor of Pamplona greet the crowd: “Pamplonesas, Pamploneses!!”

And the rocket went off.  And then another.  And another.  The sea of people moved us back and forth as we battled our way back to the edge of the plaza.

Here’s a video from a few hours ago (I’m down on stage left near the Ayuntamiento (City Hall) building:

The traditional fountain diving was suspended this year because the fountain was removed for work.  So, instead, I witnessed the improvised new tradition of jumping from the dumpsters into the crowd below – definitely safer than the 15 ft. fountain.

Now, back at my apartment I can’t stop hearing in my head the song that I’ve heard all day,

Uno de enero, dos de febrero,

tres de marzo, cuatro de abril,

cinco de mayo, seis de junio,

siete de julio, ¡SAN FERMÍN!

A Pamplona hemos de ir,

por la fiesta, por la fiesta

a pamplona hemos de ir

por la fiesta y un buen botín.

I’ll be taking a break to post a few things, but meanwhile, check out our Twitter.com/BullRunning and our excellent photography blog and, of course, the Foreign Perspectives of John and Riley. Until tomorrow…

VIVA SAN FERMIN!