"¡Sí, sí, sí, la copa está aquí!"

The weekend of the world cup final was definitely one of the craziest of my life so far. On Friday I went to Pamplona for San Fermín, the annual running of the bulls. It was out of control. Everyone dresses in all white with a red scarf, and stays up all night celebrating. Then, at 8 in the morning, the bull run takes place, ending in an arena where thousands of people run around with the bulls. I have no idea how this is possibly legal. It is the most dangerous event I have ever witnessed. Each year a few people get trampled, resulting in serious injury and sometimes even death. I did not run, not by choice, but rather because girls are not allowed to. Sometimes they can get away with jumping in mid-run, but because I had a bag with me, the police made me stand behind a fence, away from all of the action. I was okay with it though, because a couple of my friends ran so I chose to just live vicariously through their vivid recount of the experience.

Nic, Angela, me, and Kindall in the streets of Pamplona, decked out in our San Fermín attire.

Fireworks to celebrate the beginning of the night's festivities.

Nic, taunting the bulls mid-run

Crowds filling the streets of Pamplona after the run

Miguel, celebrating in the arena

Napping in the park, exhausted from a long night.

The day after we returned from Pamplona was the World Cup final. I still cannot believe I got to be in Spain to see them win! We went to Plaça España to watch teh match on a big screen...¡qué emocionante! Everyone was decked out, wearing Spanish flags and jerseys, with faces painted. I have never seen so many people crowded into one area in my entire life, especially with so much spirit and enthusiasm. When Spain finally scored at the very end of the second half of overtime, the reaction was wild. People were jumping in fountains, popping bottles of champagne all over the place, lighting sparklers, setting off fireworks, and screaming and singing. As my roomate pointed out, people in Spain for whatever reason have an inclination to climb things to celebrate a victory. Every single bus station on the way home had people standing on top of them, dancing and cheering.

"Juntos hacemos Historia" -- "Together we make history"

Prior to the beginning of the match - this is where the big screen was set up.

Intrax interns celebrating the victory

Watching the match

¡Número uno!  

The boys on top of a bus stop

While the World Cup weekend was full of once-in-a-lifetime festivities, an average night here is by no means dull. Any night of the week people are out in Barcelona. The clubs stay open all night, until 7 in the morning. There are also tons of amazing restaurants and bars. Tapas are a huge part of the Spanish culture, so tapas restaurants are really popular. I am really going to miss the nightlife here, as this city is full of fun and exciting things to do.

The beach on Fiesta de San Juan, a night dedicated to celebrating the summer solstice. Everyone goes down to the beach to celebrate with fireworks all night. Since this was one of our first nights in Barcelona, our intern friend invited us to a barbecue at her apartment, which has a balcony overlooking the beach.

A bunch of us waiting for the metro before a night out.

Tapas

Intrax group out to dinner

We went to Monjuïc de Nit, a night full of free music and art exhibits at the famous Museu Nacional d'Arte de Catalunya. This picture shows the Palau Nacional, enhanced by the incredible light shows.