FUN-travel: La Tomatina – Buñol, Spain
September 11, 2012 by Susan Clarke
Trip Day 50 – Wednesday, August 29 – La Tomatina, Buñol & Chiva, Spain
“Pequeno Tomatinas”
What I LIKE
La Tomatina in Full Swing
- 7:00 – up and adam for our big day
- 8:00 – taxi over & back $20 Euros
- secured roof top is a big win!
- water station is set up in main square – Plaza de Puebla next to church – 4 huge hoses on raised platform
- pole is up set up with big ham leg attached on top
- the revelers cheer as people take their turns attempting to climb it to get the prize
- biggest hurdle is that it’s all soaped up & slippery
- 9: 00 – locals turn on their spigots & start hosing the people in the street
- on rooftop we fill buckets with water to throw on the revelers
- our hosts have typical breakfast of tomatoes, bread & olive oil, potato chips, tortilla (egg & potato dish) & beer for us
- the costumes are incredible!
- 3 people outfitted in theme – as a hot dog, Heinz ketchup & mustard bottles
- 2 guys in full tuxedo body suits
- 2 with watermelon head helmets
- Japanese man in fishnet stockings & red ruffle panties with “pequeno tomatinas” sewn on
- most people in t-shirts
- 11:00 – canon sounds for the official start of La Tomatina
- now the crowds are packed in like sardines in all 4 directions from our corner perch
Mixing the Soap for the Pole
- 11:10 – 1st truck arrives with tomatoes – crew on board starts throwing as many as they can – then truck dumps a portion in the street
- chaos ensues!
- 4 more trucks drive through at intervals
The Tomatina Truck
- have no idea how no one gets run over!
- 12 noon – canon sounds for the end
- by this time people are begging to be sprayed with water
- locals come out and start sweeping & hosing the streets
- you can’t believe the amount of clothing articles are left
- the tomato juice actually cleans the cobblestones
- 1:15 – we venture down to walk back to taxi pick up
- Japanese couple sharing taxi are on their honeymoon
- 1:30 – back to hotel
- drive to mas y mas grocery store for lunch of you guessed it – bread, meat & cheese
- go to recommended restaurant for dinner & make reservation
- grande siesta
- 8:30 – dinner @ La Orza – tomato & tuna belly salad, roasted tuna with grilled vegetables, nice Ribero del Duero wine
- 10:30 – drive back to hotel
True Entrepreneur
What I DIDN’T LIKE
- by 8:15 the main square is packed with people
- major claustrophobia!
FF (FUN-fact) – La Tomatina is a food fight festival held on the last Wednesday of August each year. The town of 9000 swells to over 30,000 that day. The festival begins with the sound of the canon at 11:00 and ends with the sound of the canon at 12 noon.
More FF – We met people from Portugal, Finland, Norway, Latvia, Japan, India, & the US.
Up On The Roof