San Mateo Festival in Logroño

It has come to my understanding that one of the best ways to experience a foreign country in an authentic way is to find friends, people you can relate to, or simply travel buddies, who are open to foreigners, and are knowledgeable of the traditions, festivals, and culture. The friends I have made here from Spain are exceptional in all of their qualities; outgoing, friendly, open, speak english, and above all, good guys. I really have been blessed with the personalities around me. This past weekend I left Pamplona to visit the home town of my friend Sam. The city is called Logroño, it is the capital of the Communidad La Rioja. It is well known for its wines, and on September 21st, the 9 day celebration for its Patron Saint San Mateo had begun, and I was there for to experience the first weekend. For a quick reference check out this page...
http://www.travelinginspain.com/spain_festivals/san_mateo.htm

The strategy was something like this...around 9 go out for dinner. Dinner = pincho tour. So Pablo, Sam and I pooled 10 euro each and went to 3 or 4 different bars. Since the crowds were so thick Sam had the cash and would infiltrate the defenses of people surrounding the bar to order the small, flavorful, rations. They ranged from skewered pieces of chicken with a glaze of honey, deep fried green and red peppers, grilled mushroom caps served upside down with melted butter sitting inside the caps bowl w shrimp on top, small sandwiches with ham, peppers and an olive oil cream sauce, and the latest edition to my list of weird foods, grilled pig's face. Now, this would not have been a problem but the previous day I saw the pigs face in the meat section of grocery store, intact, ready to be cooked and cut, and I had some trouble enjoying it, but I endured and the taste and texture was great, even though you could clearly make out the snout shapes in each bite. mmm. Each pincho was accompanied by a caña. A caña is a small glass of beer of about 5-10 ounces depending on the bar. The whole point is to enjoy the flavor and the simplicity of the food and drink. 3 guys, 3 pinchos, 3 cañas...6 euros, what a deal.

After the pinchos we ventured back to the flat at about 12 to start, yes start drinking. Remember, that's totally normal here. After enjoying some rum and cokes, 007's, and San Miguel cerveza, it was time to go out to the pubs. Outside in the small streets the people packed in like cattle. There was a concert starting in the town's central plaza that started at midnight, the music could be heard clearly all throughout the city. I brought a jacket but didn't even need it since so much body heat was radiating in the catacomb of cobble stone spanish streets. We went to 2 or 3 different pubs but they were awfully hot and crowded. The tactic was hit and move on, never staying at a pub for more than a drink, there was just too much to see. Next, is the disco. Yes the next chapter is where the dancing begins. We ended up at one of the 2 local discos and we never even made it onto the main dance floor for more than 10 minutes. We posted up in a not too crowded area and avoided the sweat and chaos of the dance floor area. We were free to move around, dance, drink, maintain some dialogues with those around us allowing us to make some more Spanish friend. At this point in the morning, you see first hand how how the endurance of the Spanish bladder begins to outshine the rest of the world, they just keep going! Unlike the others, I had to eat consistently through the night, probably 3 times up to this point aside from pinchos. We left the disco and made a pit stop at doner kebab, a popular turkish chain that serves gyro type sandwiches. The gyro offered some fuel that would prepare us for the for the bull ring. Reminder, this is not just me and my friends having a wild night...it is tradition and everyone old and young is still up and adam.
 At 9am, the plaza de toros or bull ring opens up to the public. We got there around 830am and somehow managed to walk in through the door that bullfighters walk in through. Not intentionally or sneaking in, we just moseyed in! We found a spot on the ground level where the only thing separating you from the bull is a wooden fence! This is where police, ambulance and VIP stand and we were there! As the seats of the stadium filled up almost to capacity the main doors opened up to introduce soccer players dressed up in drag. They start playing, whats the big deal right? Well, probably the bull that comes charging out of the doors into the ring where they are playing! These guys continued to play as a angry bull ran feverishly after the players with horns bearing down on their heels. Just as the bull would get a snag of cloth the players would leap up onto the fence and out of the bulls way! This event is the epitome of entertainment. Once the game concluded, the floor was open to any takers, including; yours truly. That's right! I stepped out on the yellow sand to get a taste of what this is all about and I felt like a kid on Christmas, completely unaware of the fact that I had been up for 24 hours. My adrenaline was flowing, my heart was pumping, and I was grinning ear to ear. That adrenaline was certainly needed too, when that bull lined me up in his sights, he dragged his hoof back digging a small trench in the sand, lowered his head, and took off with the intention of turning me into a rag doll! When he was within 10 yards I managed to pull myself up on top of the 8 foot fence effortlessly as his horns grazed along the barrier right below my feet. For the Spaniard, this is San Mateo. For me, it was an experience I will never forget. Not everyone was so lucky, there were two or 3 guys that really messed with the bull...and you know what they got!

After they let out about 6 bulls out, one at a time, this particular event was about to come to a close. The three of us walked towards the nearest door which we thought was a general exit. Sam asked the man if we could be let out. We didn't realize the door is the entrance and exit for the bull fighters and their teams. It is almost identical in style where football teams enter and exit a stadium. He opened the door specifically for us, why we still don't know, and we realized it was definitely not a door used for general admission. We walked through the area where the Spanish horses are corralled and the bull fighters prepare all of their equipment and their teams. On the walls to our left and right, 20 feet or more off the ground were mounted heads of bulls from the past, most likely because they put up such a great fight/show. Finally, we left through a huge, tall, alluminum rear door that leads from the stadium to the outside, only us 3. The same door that only permits the trucks carrying prized bulls and horses to load and unload, where famous bullfighters enter and exit; we were left amazed, ecstatic and in complete "udder shock".

There is a Spanish expression Pablo told me right after we left. It goes: "Salir por la puerta grande". Its exact translation is, "To leave through the big door". This is a common Spanish idiom that refers to a bull fighter leaving the bull ring once he has done his job, and everyone understands it as; to leave with great success.