Previously: 40 Years in Beer (Book II) Part 54: New Albanians on beer holiday in Old Albania (1994).
Albania was exhilarating and exhausting. For the next leg of Euro ’94, the flight plan led from Tirana to Zurich for a quick transfer, then on to Madrid, where we arrived late in the evening, pausing only for a night’s sleep before hopping a train to Pamplona. There’d be time for Madrid (and Toledo) before the flight home.
It was the first of four visits to the Fiesta de San Fermin during even-numbered years from 1994 through 2000. As enjoyable as the festival was, and as much as I cherish the friends and I made there, my interests ultimately were to be found elsewhere, and I haven’t returned since 2000.
Much of the following was written at the time, and appeared in the F.O.S.S.I.L.S. Travel Dog. I’ve altered and augmented a few passages to include information gleaned from the subsequent trips.
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During my travels in Europe, I’ve been fortunate to witness a May Day parade in Vienna, frenetic all-night Greek political rallies, Munich’s fabled Oktoberfest, U2 performing live...Read more
