TOMATO FIGHT!!!!

Off we went to Spain to meet up with Tallie and Chester and to have a go at the famous Tomatina.

It took us two days to drive down there, we also knew that this was the last call for any more 'Chronicles of the wedding dress' and we still had some climbing to do in it. En route we found a suitable location and off the wife went up a rock. We worked out that actually climbing a route was not an option as the dress was just too bulky and big. So a bit of bouldering instead.With that done, we continued onto Valencia where we met up with the other two tomato throwers. After a few too many drinks that night, on Wednesday morning we got a train out of town for 40km to Bunol where the fight was to be. The town was full of fellow idiots who thought that throwing overripe tomatoes at each other was a great idea. There were literally thousands of idiots.

We made our way down into the town centre where all hell let loose. The streets are narrow and deep with lots of people hanging from their balconies cheering. The first instant I took my camera out of its dry bag, an elderly lady above threw a bucket of water over me and my camera. So I have no real fight pictures as my camera was soaked.Lara, I think got off quite lightly with the tomatoes. I think the dress is made from Teflon as most bounced or slid off. Once the fight was finished the stench of tomatoes was a little on the overwhelming side. My continual lust and need of pizza has now strangely disappeared, tomatoes will not be on the menu in our household for quite a while. Once the fight has finished, everyone was still throwing water over you or spraying you with hoses.

The town then turns into a huge street party. Brilliant!

Chester and Tallie still wearing their protective gear, this was a bi-functional piece of equipment as they then went on to demonstrate.Lara was now becoming a celebrity. She must have had 500 odd people ask for their picture to be taken with her, the Spanish all sang a marriage song to us, at one point there must have been a hundred people surrounding us singing.

We had a great time in bars and on the street until it was getting late and to be honest we were all having a little difficulty walking. Lara stank of tomatoes, beer and sangria (it apparently is a tradition in Spain to pour drink over the brides head for good luck). It was time to loose the dress. It had completed it's mission, and it smelt horrible.

Kind of sad to see the dress she look so incredibly beautiful in on our wedding day end up on the street floor, but we had one hell of a good time getting it to its final resting place. You never know there might be a beautifully dressed tramp in Bunol soon!