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Published: February 8th 2008
Bootleg Torero
Toreando with an umbrellaWell, as a continuation to my last pathetic little entry, my Carnaval began on Sunday morning. I was still sick, but feeling better, as I finally broke down and took an ibuprofen for my fever.
Ruso & I left early for Ciudad Rodrigo. I was excited as it was our first trip together & was pleasantly surprised that we had a blast & had no problems travelling together...even though I tend to get grouchy when i'm travelling & am hungry, tired, etc.... We took the bus to Rodrigo, which is a small pueblo outside of Salamanca (a much bigger, well-known, tourist location). I have to say that CIUDAD RODRIGO is one of the most charming places I've been to & I would like to go back. It's very small, but it's a walled city, so Ruso & I spent some time walking on the ancient city walls (once used to protect them from a potential attack by the Portuguese...CR is very close to Portugal) , checking out the views of the mountains & the interior & exterior of the city.
It's a romantic little place, with an ancient cathedral & castle. One of my favorite moments was when Ruso
Café at the Castle
El Parador de Ciudad Rodrigo & I went to the castle, which is now a Parador (state-owned building converted into a luxury hotel.). We had café in the café at the castle & it was so quaint & romantic, I just loved it! I felt like a princess sitting in these huge wooden chairs, in this grand room with tapestries, etc.
We also saw an ENCIERRO (running of the bulls). This is a smaller version of the one most people are familiar with...there aren't as many bulls as in then one in Pamplona, for example, but it was still my first running of the bulls (which is different from a bull fight, which I have seen before too!) Ciudad Rodrigo is known for their Carnaval celebrations, which is why we chose this site for our trip.
During the encierro, 'valient' young gentlemen (or sometimes just very drunk young idiots) heard the bulls through the streets until they reach the bull ring. It's kind of like the opening scene of the movie CITY SLICKERS, if you've ever seen that. It can be very dangerous, but people like to try & 'help' heard the bulls, but running alongside, behind, or sometimes in front of them.
Encierro
Running of the Bulls...my 1st! We also saw a 'capea.' This consisted of several people, some in Carnaval costumes, joining in the Plaza Mayor (which was converted into a ring for this occasion) to use various items (jackets, UMBRELLAS, capes, etc.) against one, or maybe 2 bulls at a time. Basically they taunt the bulls and get the bulls to chase at them & lunge at them around the bull ring until the bull is tired. Then, they have a 'desencierro' where they heard the bulls through the street. During the encierro & desencierro it's a little eery because they sound the huge town bells to warn people that the bulls are on the streets. This sound, magnified by the fact that it was dark & drizzly made for a rather eery effect. Overall, the encierro & the capea is a strange process, but I actually enjoyed seeing it. The most strange thing for me was seeing people taunting these bulls with umbrellas. It was very unproffesional & not at all like a bull fight (probably because it's not a bull fight...they don't kill the bulls during a capea). There was even a very old man in the ring with a walking stick! All
sorts of people were at this event...
Ruso & I also went to the fair & ate cream filled churros & chocolate...Yum!!! We were going to go out to the bars with all of the other crazy people dressed up in Mardi Gras attire, but we were so beat when we got back to the hotel that the thought of changing into costume & getting ready was tiring, so we stayed in. The juerga (nightlife) in Ciudad Rodrigo is supposed to be great during Carnaval, though...
We only stayed one night & we came back the next day, but we swang through Salamanca first & checked out the fachada (facade) of the Cathedral & just strolled along the ancient city streets. The trip was a success & was nice because it was close. We only stayed a couple of days & spent very little money, so the trip was definitely worth it!
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