Summer so far!

San Fermín 2012

Sorry I fell off the face of the planet for the past week guys! I took an unexpected wee vacation from my blog. I have been really stressed out for my plans for next year, and then I got hired last minute at a summer camp in Navarra; so basically last week I had to work around 13 hours a day, just brutal. Combined with previous plans made for peeps visiting and some of Spain’s biggest fiestas, I was pretty much dead every night by the time I crawled into bed. Not exactly the summer in Spain I imagined.

But guess what……I’m back with tons of fun new posts coming soon! So here is a sneak peak of some of the crazy antics I have been up to over the past few weeks. If you follow me on twitter or instagram, you might already have some idea!

My kiddies at camp before their play, how cute are they?!

I finally knocked San Sebastián off my Spain travel list! I have been dying to go to this famous city for years but I waited until there was perfect weather to make it happen. It was one of the highlights of my summer in Spain. Read about my embarrassing beach moment here!

I’ve been visiting as many new villages and bodegas around La Rioja as possible! I am waiting to hear if I have received a job in Spain next year or not, I am taking advantage of this summer in La Rioja to see as much as possible! Two of my favorite bodegas that I’ve visited so far are Dinastía Vivanco in Briones and Bodegas Franco-Españolas right here in Logroño.

Bodegas Franco-Españolas

Dinastía Vivanco

I finally made it to the Riojano joven y fresco wine tasting event here in Logroño. An evening of eating and unlimited wine tastings from lesser-known vineyards around La Rioja with friends. It is a great way to pass the evening in the summer in Spain.

Last Friday was the infamous Batalla del Vino (wine battle) held every year in Haro, about an hour away from me. We woke up at the crack of dawn to drive out into the countryside dressed in white and armed with water guns filled with red wine. Attending this fiesta has been on my Spain bucket list for years, and I am thrilled that it finally happened, even though my hair is still a bit purple.

The after shot!

The celebration afterwards is imprinted on my memory forever. I have never experienced such euphoria before in Spain. People were in the fountains, cars honking with the flag hanging from the windows, with a crowd of thousands upon thousands dancing in the streets til dawn. It was amazing and I’ll never forget that night!

Spain advancing to the finals over Portugal, source

Fans in Poland, some of whom are waving the La Rioja flag! Wahoo! Source

Stadium in Logroño

La selección española arriving in Madrid after their win, source

Celebrations in Logroño

And now the best for last….San Fermín! This Friday kicked off the famous running of the bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain! Since Logroño is only one hour away from Pamplona, and as a northern Spain blogger, it was really my duty to go! After finishing camp in Tudela, we changed into our white clothes and headed off to the capital of Navara for 24 hours of nonstop fiesta! I have never seen so many people in one place before! It was sheer insanity! I crawled back to Logroño covered in wine after not sleeping for 3 days straight, but as happy as a clam!

Have you ever been to one of these celebrations? Have you experienced first hand a country winning a major sporting event like the EuroCup?

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