PASSIONS' Charles Divins shares highlights from the whirlwind European birthday binge he took with two high school pals this summer.

"We all turned 30 this year, so we rented a car, and it was six countries, seven cities and 1,800 miles in nine days," says Divins, whose birthday was Jan. 29. "I'd been to Europe for work, but not for pleasure. This was a straight-up party and celebration. I went with Ryan and Greg, friends from when I was 14. They're my brothers, basically."

The trio had a blast in Paris; Amsterdam; Bordeaux, France; and San Sebastian, Spain, but it was the three other stops that had them talking. "We hit the Tour de France in this little town in Belgium, watched the World Cup in Dortmund (Germany), and ran with the bulls in Pamplona (Spain)," Divins raves.

The cyclists were amazing, but his stories quickly turned to the World Cup. "It was Germany vs. Italy," he sets up. "The stadium was at capacity, but outside there were big-screen TVs for 2 miles and 500,000 Germans. You walk into this sea of people and they're all there for the common goal of supporting the country — and to party! It was crazy, but if they allowed 500,000 people to be around the stadium for the Super Bowl, it would be madness. There would be riots, killings and drunken brawls.” Especially after the home team lost. "It wasn't like, 'Oh, we lost! The world's coming to an end. Let's burn down the place!'" Divins recalls. "You had hundreds of thousands of people hanging their heads low and doing the walk of shame to the nearest bar to drink away their sorrows. By the end of the night, everyone was having a good time again."

And by the next morning, Divins and friends were on the road again, bound for Spain's running of the bulls. "The party for Fiesta de San Fermín is just crazy," Divins marvels of the infamous event. "Too many people in Pamplona dressed in red and white! It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you get a chance to do it, definitely do it.

"I actually ran with the bulls," Divins confirms. "It makes you feel alive and scared s---less at the same time. I was going on 30 minutes of sleep and was covered in sangria, but I got toward the front of the main street. The bulls caught up to me in the bottleneck entering the stadium. I experienced the bulls running with me."

That was the perfect finale. "It was a great trip," Divins concludes. "It was crazy, but sleep is for the weak, baby!"