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To gain some insight on how a foreigner experiences Pamplona and the Basque and Navarre region, here I meet Scott...
...an American who is spending some time in the city as an exchange student.
The first obvious question is about the well known festival, San Fermin.
- My friend told me basically, it's probably the biggest festival in Spain and it's mainly just...
...it's mainly just drunken people for 1,5 weeks. So, they're staying up all night, drinking, you know, people...
...sleep in the parks, and the plazas, and they don't, you know, you need to wear shoes because there's glass everywhere,...
...you can imagine the smells.
Despite all the annoyances for the locals the Sanfermines are hugely popular,...
...because of the iconic race of bulls that happens every morning from the old city outskirts to the bullring.
- I have a bunch of people telling me “no, no no”. Everybody I talk to said “don't do it”, because they say “no vale la pena”.
- It's not worth the risk.
- Because most people who are doing are familiar with either the run, the bull's run or how dangerous the bulls can be.
- I think I can think of a lot better ways to get an adrenaline rush than being chased by a bull, so.
- Even the people I've talked to they said it was dumb enough to run but they still did it.
- I guess it's something that you can tell your grand-kids one day, I don't know.
- I'll definitely go to the festival and celebrate but...
The origins of the run is in the entrance of bulls from the outer limits of the city to the main square dating back to a tradition...
...of the beginning of the 18h century where cowboys brought bulls in the street at sunrise, like it's still done.
- The funny bull race is starting over there and then in 800 metres is finishing near the bullring.
When the bulls are not in town it is indeed very interesting since it takes you through...
...some of the most important and scenic streets of the old quarter.
Many foreigners have been impressed and attracted to this of show risk and death, among them the most famous...
...being Ernest Hemingway who came back 8 times to enjoy it.
- And that's the bullring, where all fun is finishing.
Although this is the main event in town, during most of the year Pamplona is a quiet city full of students...
...from the University of Navarra related to the Catholic Church and the Public University, a proper place to study according to Scott.
- I like to go to Casco Antiguo, we go out, have pintxos in a few bars, maybe go to few sidrerias.
- It's funny the first time I came here in Pamplona back in August, I was interested to go out, I started talking to people, locals,...
...and they said, there's not much of a nightlife in Pamplona but,...
...it is a college town, so there are several discotecas that you can go to and are fun.
And not dangerous to visit as some people following the news may think.
As a foreigner, you know, we think about Basque, you know, you think of ETA, the terrorist group, and...
...to be honest, I don't really talk about it a lot because I know it's a politically sensitive issue, and it's not my fight.
- So I basically stay out of it but I mostly see that people are pretty friendly and the majority are...
...they are just people, who are very proud of their heritage, so...