Day 7/8 - Travel Day and Running of the Bulls

Yesterday we travelled from Porto to Bilbao! It was about a 7–8 hour bus ride, so there were lots of naps along the way. When we weren’t sleeping, we kept ourselves busy playing games like Heads Up and Imposter, or doing homework. Once we arrived in Bilbao, we checked into our residence and headed out for dinner. After that, we had a quiet night in, watching the Spain vs. Portugal game in the residence theatre before playing a few more games and getting to bed early for our 3:00 a.m. wake-up call.

The early morning was definitely worth it because we drove to Pamplona to watch the Running of the Bulls. We all wore the traditional white outfits with red scarves and got to experience one of Spain’s most famous traditions. The event is part of the San Fermín Festival, which has been celebrated for hundreds of years in honour of Saint Fermín. The bull run itself originally started as a way of moving the bulls through the streets to the bullring.

Before the run started, there were bands playing and music throughout the streets, which made the atmosphere so exciting. Then the bulls came racing through the course and into the bullring, where people ran alongside them and even stayed in the ring to challenge them. It was wild to watch and definitely something we’ll never forget.

After we got back to Bilbao, we had lunch and spent some free time shopping, relaxing, or catching up on sleep before heading to afternoon class. Once class was over, we all went out for dinner, and everyone got to pick where they wanted to eat.

Tomorrow we’re visiting the Guggenheim Museum before making our way to Madrid. Looking forward to another great day!

Chat soon!