"Is your refrigerator running?" Yes... "Well you better go catch it!"

About 13 months ago in the town of Galdako, Spain Alvaro Saiz took an online project to help prevent wasted food in Germany and brought it to his hometown. His idea though had nothing to do with online work and everything to do with in person exchanges. His idea was called "Solidarity Community Refrigerators". In Galdako anyone and everyone could put extra food that was eventually going to go to waste for the hungry. This included super markets and restaurants. No wasted produce from the markets and any extra tapas each evening from the restaurants went to the fridge. There was some speculation among the people in Galdako in regards to hygiene but the town hall eventually approved a 5,000 Euro budget to have the refrigerator put in place. A crew of volunteers were made to help clean it and a set of rules for the donators and takers were added to sway the naysayers.

Once the fridge was put in the city center and ready to go Saizs idea took off and became extremely popular. Over the first seven weeks Saiz estimated the fridge saved about 600 lbs of food (http://mentalfloss.com/article/67680/spains-solidarity-fridge-gives-new-life-leftovers).
Right around this time Murcia, a much larger town in Spain 400 miles away, took action and put one in their town as well.

I heard about this idea from a girl I had met in Bilbao which is a much larger city next to Galdako. She filled me in all about it and I thought it was such a good recycling format for completely edible food. One morning she invited me to join her on her day trip to Galdako from Bilbao to add something to the fridge. Unfortunately I had a few too many cervezas the night before and could barely move from one seat cushion to the other on the love seat in the hostel common area. I had to toss that idea out the window as the only thing that would end up in the fridge from me that day would be my vomit. Grossly enough I know that's not allowed so I stayed there. It did put my mind at ease knowing there was one in Murcia where I was eventually going so I could check that one out or so I thought. 

This brings me to my time in Murcia where I just left yesterday and went on a wild goose chase trying to find that refrigerator. For a good portion of two days I went from searching the internet to asking tour guides, my hostel host and the tourist information center to find it but I had no such luck. One of the very helpful ladies at the city center tourism office of Murcia sent me to what she thought was the solidarity community refrigerator but it ended up being a food bank to feed the hungry. Before I could even ask where the fridge was a representative of the food bank offered me a free meal through broken English that I could barely understand. That offer there made me feel so at home in that building because I definitely felt like a fish out of water being the ONLY backpacker/tourist. After I politely declined the meal I tried to tell her in my broken Spanish that I wanted to donate food not eat it. It took a gentleman close by to bridge the communication barrier between the volunteer of the food bank and myself. With his and her help I thought I was on to something. 

They hopped on the computer behind the desk and started a search. A few minutes passed and they came back with a printed map and a pin dropped on the cross streets of where the fridge was suppose to be. I couldn't thank them enough. I'm sure the volunteer had other things going on at the time but stopped to see if she could be of service and the gentleman who helped was just there for a meal not expecting to be a translator. 

After what seemed like forever searching for that pin on the map I was in a suburb where I found the location. This location turned out to be a Social Services Organization that was closed for the day. I had come to a dead end in my search.  While I loved hearing about this fantastic way to prevent wasted food from my friend in Bilbao and would have loved to see it "in action" the people and conversations I had along the way in Murcia were something very special to me. I still don't know if there is one in Murcia or not but I do hope cities in the country continue to replicate the idea because things like this in the United States would never pass in a town hall. 

Here are a few pictures of Murcia below

Cathedral Church of Saint Mary

Inside the clock tower as seen above to the left hand side 

The key to get inside the room at the top of the tower 

This meal was way too fancy for me but hey, you gotta treat yourself sometimes. I honestly can't remember the fried thing but on the spoon is Salmorejo and a raw quail egg. Salmorejo is a traditional cold soup made from garlic and tomatoes. 

Just being a goofball

Running For Your Lives

The first of four loud bangs fires off letting the runners know the corral was open then shortly after the second bang fires off letting the runners know the six bulls had exited and were making their way. The cobble stone streets literally started to shake and the dare-devils I was surrounded by look back at death-mans-corner to see if the bulls had made the turn. It's frowned upon to the beat the bulls to the arena where the 875 meter run ends as spectators waiting will hit you with vicious vocal heckles and boo's. So starting too far ahead does you no good and essentially guarantees anyone in the race no complete safety as you have to let them pass at some point. As the cobble stone shakes increased I finally saw the beasts come the around the corner. It was happening. 

I along with everyone else went from looks of uncertainty to a sprint in no time. The mad dash was under way. The combination of head turning could make one dizzy as you had to consciously keep looking forward so you don't trip over someone or their feet and behind so you don't get gorged in the backside or pushed into the side of an apartment building. It was all such a blur I don't remember the exact moment the bulls passed me but they did. Shortly after a group of six steers that follow the bulls passed me which brought me to the final stretch where I could see the entrance to the arena where my premature celebration started. I thought I was home free when I saw the sun gleaming into the open air arena but boy was I wrong. After the six bulls and six steers run on through they release three more steers just make sure all 12 keep course. As if the streets weren't narrow enough hundreds of us funneled into the ring through the main entrance(see last picture below). At this point I'm just getting shoved in my back finally realizing that the last three steers are close behind. As its every man for himself (and a few women) I brutally shoved the guy in front of me to get to some open ground in the arena to break off from the massive crowd squeezing in. I will never know exactly how close the last three steers were to me but it was close enough to push my adrenaline to an incredible point only to come down once I was guaranteed safety from all four legged creatures... for the time being...

I caught my breath and looked around a packed house of just under 20,000 people cheering the ones who made it inside the arena. These 20,000 were there for entertainment and entertainment is what they got. Once the run is finished everyone turns into amateur matadors as the bulls are released from their corral one by one into the inner circle. Again its a free for all but the Spaniards and tourists alike can decide how much they want to test the bulls so you can attempt to play it safe(r). I for one wasn't exactly playing "chicken" with the bulls as I stayed closer to the walls for a good portion. For a few bits I did however hop into the dead center to get the feel and to say I did it. At one point I did get close enough to slap a bulls ass as it was in the midst of hurdling itself at a Spaniard close by. 

What went on in the arena after the race was something I definitely didn't expect. With plenty of people losing their battle of "chicken" to the bulls it was gruesome to say the least. The man who got it the worst from my point of view was a daring lad who couldn't quite dodge the horn as it slipped under his shirt on his backside then up through the top by his neck. At this point the bull the could have his way. He was tossed around like a stuffed toy during a puppies first play session. It took at least a dozen people to get him free after a serious battering.  

Once all six bulls had a session with the runners inside the ring it put a cap on the actual running of the bulls for the day. The rest of the morning and afternoon was fiesta time with loads of sangria and cervezas. What's not to love about that? 

The whole experience from the opening ceremonies to the moment I left Pamplona was a mixture of emotions ranging from new heights of adrenaline to shire happiness through the streets not just from me but anyone there to celebrate Saint Fermin. Below are a few pictures from the run, hope you enjoy! 

All packed together before the start of the run

I'm safe Mom! 

Leaving the arena through the tunnel as described above

Well played on the proposal Mate. 20,000 people watching with all the attention on her

The tunnel that shouldn't be taken lightly (Picture stolen from Associated Press)

Queso Picón de Tresviso or Picon Bejes-Tresviso

If there were ever a cheese to stop a speeding bullet or Superman himself Queso Picón de Tresviso might just have the power to do it. Its shire flavor is something thats tough to put into words. This last week I had the opportunity to couchsurf in Santander with a local named Jorge. The first night in Santander Jorge and I went out for a proper sit-down meal outside of the city center where we indulged in jijas con patatas y huevo and queso picon de tresviso. The first being pig intestines topped with an egg and potatoes and second a strong-stinky cheese produced from a mixture of cow, sheep and goats milk. While I don't want to speak poorly of the pig intestine because in its own right was a flavor explosion but in a different sense than the cheese. This cheese literally took over my whole head once it hit my tongue. The smell flowed through my nasal cavities and filled my head like a hot air balloon. I was not alone with this opinion as Jorge had the same feeling also adding in that its best cheese he has ever tasted in his life. That really put it in perspective as Jorge has lived in numerous places in Spain and is born and raised in Northern Spain where it is produced. The cheese itself is actually regulated to make sure it hits a certain quality and is produced from a certain region (Liebana specifically for this cheese). This type of thing common in Spain primarily for wine but also for certain foodstuffs like this queso. The Spanish people take their wine and cheese seriously to say the least.

For most my dishes abroad I love to take a shameless photo of my meal prior to eating for my scrapbook once I get home. Believe it or not I was so cheese-drunk during this meal I completely blanked and forgot to get a snapshot of the three triangular cheese slices. For now its alright as a week later I still catch faint whiffs of it in my sinuses as a replacement. I did happen to get a few photos of the jamon appitizer and jijas con patatas y huevo which you can see below along with various photos around the city of Santander.

Jamon Iberico 

Jijas con Patatas y Huevo. I didn't expect the potatoes to come out like this because some countries call them french fries... regardless delicious!

 Playa Del Camillo, one of the many beaches in Santander 

Punta de Higar, Santander 

A snapshot under a walkway that separates two beaches in Santander

Over looking Santander