Ryan King put it better than we ever could: ''Men need to get in touch with their inner stupidity.'' King, who incidentally believes that our ''safety-driven culture'' has spawned the emergence of ''something primal, mostly for men,'' has been leading tours to Pamplona every July since 2004 (888-825-4720, www.spyns.com). His excursions are a combination of bull-running and bicycling, the latter involving rides through Spain's picturesque and wine-rich Rioja Valley.
The tours climax at the Festival of San Fermin, which is held each year on the same days - July 6-14 - with the bulls running every morning at 8 starting on the second day. ''A lot of people think you have to pay to run, but you don't,'' he says. ''Another misconception is that people should stay at hotels in town.'' King suggests you hang your hat in Pamplona's outskirts, in part, he says, because brass bands begin waking up the townsfolk at the unseemly hour of 5:30 a.m. ''You don't want to have a brass band under your window at that hour.''
Still, King's charges want to experience those same images of chaos most of us see only on the nightly news, and for that he rents a large wraparound balcony ''which overlooks the dangerous 90-degree turn from Calle Mercaderes onto Calle Estafeta.'' Some end up running; others chicken out (''they suddenly discover they have knee injuries''); but all would agree with you that it's an incomparable sight.
''Take the New York City Marathon,'' King says, ''cram it into an alleyway that's 20 feet wide and then run 12 bulls into it.'' And let the inner stupidity begin!
I'll be traveling to Rome in early December. Are there any big seasonal festivals/markets I should see while there?
A Roman December can be chilly and wet, but if your spirits are dampened it's no one's fault but your own. By the first week of the month, the Christmas fair at the Piazza Navona will be going strong; you'll see dozens of merchants selling candy and toys. (The square itself, with its Borromini church and Bernini fountain, merits a visit all on its own.) Other Christmas-themed events include an annual exhibit of more than 100 Nativity scenes near the church at Santa Maria del Popolo. But there's plenty for Scrooges to do as well, such as the Romaeuropa Festival, an explosion of dance, theater and more held at venues throughout the city. It begins on Nov. 7 and goes through Dec. 15. Info: www2.romaeuropa.net.
