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Madrid's Bullfighting Stadium
The stands were packed and it was only a Wednesday! Hello Everyone!
The Kingdom of Spain (the official name) was our next destination after the great time we had in Paris, and Madrid - our first stop in Spain - was a great introduction to the country. They had “good eats” (Calamari sandwiches are very popular), friendly people, great museums, and bullfights. We took an overnight train there and shortly after we found our hostel and settled in. The one thing I really wanted to do was see a live bullfight, but the guide books say they are usually only on Sundays and by then we would already be out of town…Well, as luck would have it, the bullfighting season was under way so they were having them every night! We made it to the stadium bought tickets and were excited to watch the show, not fully comprehending what entailed of a true Spanish bullfight.
Not sure how many people have been to a Spanish bullfight, but it isn’t just some guy waving a red cape trying to avoid contact with the bull…damn Looney Tunes lied to us all those years. Anyways, here is a fast rundown with not too many details, but enough to paint a picture. Each
night there are three matadors, and six bulls. The matador has his little helpers that go and get the bull worked up with their yellow and pink capes, then a guy with a spear that is on a armored horse (wearing blinders) comes out and the bull charges him and he pokes it a few times to soften and weaken him. Next, the matador-helpers come out with two short hooked spears in hand and as the bull charges them they stick those in it’s neck and back…they do this three times = six hooked spears in the back. Finally, the matador comes out with his red cape to taunt the bull and he has a sword to stab it in the back, then once the bull is about to keel over, he takes the final sword to hit the sweet spot to put the bull down for good. A good matador is supposed to make the kill in one strike, but out of the six times I think it only happened once. Then three horses come out and drag the bull by the horns out the arena leaving a nice trail of red.
Sounds a little bloody, eh? Well,
the whole process lasts about 30-45 minutes per bull and after the first bull we wanted to see one of them get a little revenge. The second bull did get a hold of a matador and throw him around a bit, but no serious injuries for him…just the bull. What was even more unsettling was watching the locals root and cheer like any other sporting event, apparently desensitized from the bull killings. A local next to us said he goes at least once a week. Don’t think I’ll ever go to another Spanish bullfight, I know Heather won’t, but it’s one of those things you are supposed to do as a tourist…I guess???
The next day we did a long walking tour taking in the local sights and hanging out with some of the greatest people at our hostel, but also worked on planning the rest of our trip. We decided to leave Sunday night for Portugal, because we had a place to “couch surf” starting Monday, so we needed to find a place to stay for the next two. Since we had seen most of the sights and Madrid was booked for the weekend anyhow, rather than worry
about accommodations we jumped a train to small town of Cuenca three hours east of Madrid to check out the Casas Colgadas or hanging houses. The old town is located on top of a steep hill with big cliffs that were carved by the two rivers that run on each side. Then someone thought it was a good idea to build a few houses that hang from the cliffs and now they have been turned into museums for us tourist. Look at the pictures for a clearer image.
We had no trouble finding a place here, €22 a night for the both of us, and Heather also gave me a much needed haircut! The town was quiet, and with not too many tourists it was great to walk around the old town and hike outside of town for a great view. We just really took the time to relax and catch up on some sleep. Sunday we returned to Madrid recharged, went to the Del Prado Museum, because it’s free on Sundays, and we were able to view some famous Spanish art by Goya, El Greco, as well as works by Botticelli, Raphael, Titian and many others. We wanted
to visit the Reina Sofia with more modern art and houses Picasso’s Guernica, but decide to pass it by since the Picasso wing was closed due to a Picasso expo starting on the 6th (we were there on the 4th, oh well!).
We enjoyed our first Spain experience and look forward to returning after the five day super tour of Portugal. Keep an eye our for our next blog where we tell you about our trek through the streets of Lisbon, our day playing in the fairytale castles of Sintra, our not-so-good experience with a seagull, and our exciting boating adventure through the Grotto caves of the south. Thank you for all you comments!
Love Ben and Heather
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Mary (Mom) Wright
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It's not easy being green...
Hi! I'm sure I'd be green, too. Rick Steves reviewed a bullfight on one of his programs and that (plus your photos) are as close as I need to be. But the views of the hanging houses and the "fancy" post office are great! On-on!