Further North, running with a bull and the National Park

To get to Viana do Castelo we traveled by train. Whilst on the train we met a friendly Spanish girl  who had just visited a friend in Porto and was making her way to the Portugal-Spain border to start the El Camino. We were rather jealous as this was something we really wanted to do, but unfortunately we didn't have the time to do it. We promised ourselves however that we would come back to do it at some point in the future.

We said goodbye to her as we got off the train and made our way down the small high street to our accommodation to drop off our bags. We then went for a wander up the high street and made the 700 step climb all the way up the hill to the church atop the hill (Monte de Santa Luzia) that overlooks the bay of Viana do Castelo, said to be one of the best views in the world!

Monte de Santa Luzia from the Pousada, on a nice day (not our picture)

Unluckily for us, it was a cloudy day and there was a little bit of fog so the view was not as good as it could have been. But was still lovely to see, looking out over the bay and the city below with hills in the background and some beaches just below! The building itself was beautifully designed and inside was just as nice, it even included a crypt as well. We went down into the crypt and were surprised to find a huge very modern looking room below, although it did have some very nicely decorated blue walls.

The following day we looked around the town centre, saw the Placa de Republica and the Town Hall and other old buildings in the square, the fountain included. We also visited the new section of the town, which is right on the waterfront overlooking the delta. It has lots of restaurants in very modern looking buildings. We went over to the docks and saw the famous boat, Gil Eannes (we did not realise it was famous at the time) and saw the fort in the distance. We then headed down some side streets to get to the old centre and Carmen got her photo taken in historically traditional Portuguese dress, which looked quite cool. We then had to make our way to the bus station to get to Ponte de Lima in time to see the festival, Vaca das Cordas.

View from the Marina

The old centre of Viana do Castelo

Carmencita from Portugal!

When we arrived in Ponte de Lima the whole town was packed due to the festival and we could not find a place to sleep as everything was taken. So we headed to the tourist information and they were really helpful and were able to find us a place to stay after making a few phone calls to some nearby places. The owner of the hotel was even nice enough to come and pick us up from the tourist information centre!

After settling in we went into town to find the bull. Luckily we had done our research beforehand so we knew where to go, although on arriving there we found that we probably need not have worried as there was the beginnings of a crowd gathered around the building where the bull was tied up in his pen. The bull looked so calm, not a care in the world, little did he know what was to come. 

The bull with horn covers for safety reasons

 After waiting outside for an hour (we were told start time was 6, but ended up being 7 - typical in Iberia) there was a huge commotion and people started running from his pen outside to where we were waiting about 20metres away. There followed a line of guys holding tightly to a thick rope and at the end of the rope was a not so calm, big raging bull, who came storming down trying to hit whoever was close by. We were very close to him when this happened, not more than 5 metres away, so we got a very good view of this! Luckily he is quite well handled so he roughly goes where they want him to go.

The tradition is to lead the bull through the streets of the town with people running in front of the bull and taunting it and then running for their lives when it runs towards them. This continues until the church where they go three times around it (traditional) then they head to the main square where he goes around the fountain while people try and get as close to the bull the bull as possible. One guy even got hit by the bull, which we caught on film, others jumped into the fountain to get out of the way. People were getting knocked over by other people as they run away, we saw several incidences of this. The bull even slipped over whilst running around the fountain because of the water on the floor. 

After that he is led onto a cleared area in front of the river where again people try and taunt him and touch him while he chases them, he even managed to chase one guy into the river. We felt very sorry for the bull by the end of it, as he must have been exhausted and very frustrated by all the many annoying people, but it was definitely very interesting to see. It is extremely similar to the event held in Pamplona, in Spain, with the running of the bulls, except that they have several bulls there and the bulls are not on a rope there either.(very crazy I might add!)

After the bull is led back to his pen and that is when tables are put up in the main square and the BBQ's begin! Cow steaks with bread is the main thing on the menu as this is again traditional, with of course the Portuguese Super Bock beer! There is music and some dancing, but mostly lots of eating and drinking. We explored the part roman, part medieval bridge after we had some food and looked over the nice gardens. We eventually left after a while and headed back for the night. 

Everyone enjoying some food and a beer

A spit roast!

The following day we went into town after breakfast all packed to go, and saw some sights. We saw some really nice looking buildings including the church and some old manor houses as well as a tower, before then catching the bus out of town to a place called Ponte da Barca, where we would make our way to Peneda-Geres National Park.

On arriving in Ponte de Barca we waited for the rain to stop before heading off to the campsite we intended to stay in within the National Park. A nice 11km walk away. We tried to hitchhike along the way. Eventually a nice Portuguese older couple picked us up and gave us a lift the last 6-7km right to the front doorstep of the campsite. They were lovely people, especially considering we could not communicate very well as they only spoke Portuguese or French. We were really grateful though. 

Unfortunately for us, whilst in Peneda-Geres it rained whilst we were setting up the tent, which set the mood for most of our stay in the National Park. We managed to do one very short walk when it wasn't raining, and it allowed us to see just how beautiful the surrounding area was. The highlight for us though was when we were sitting at the park bench table in the BBQ area and a nice Portuguese guy who was making a BBQ next to us gave us a rib each from his cooking. Presumably as we must have looked like starving puppies eating our bread and canned fish.

The beautiful landscape in Peneda-Geres National Park