Olé and Our Final Day!

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Our final day in the vibrant city of Madrid found us catching the Metro to Plaza de Toros Las Ventas, the famous bullring in Madrid and argued to be the most famous in the world as well. This bullring is an incredible structure inaugurated in 1931, seating 25000 people. We toured this famous attraction, gaining insight about the world of bullfighting through our audioguide. Bullfighting is truly considered to be an art. The Matadors are artistic and flamboyant in their precise moves as they bait the bull which can weigh upwards of 450 kg. These bulls are specially bred and are treated like royalty receiving almost 2 hectares of land each upon which to graze. All sounds great until you hear that they are ready for the bullring when they are between the ages of 4 and 6. As interesting and exciting as bullfighting may be to some, watching the videos was quite difficult and learning some of the hard facts of bullfighting ensured that I would never go to watch one! I did not realize that the bull dies, whether at the matadors's hands or later by the handler of the bulls. It is very rare for a bull to be spared and returned to its home. Instead, the animal is butchered immediately after the fight and the fresh meat sold. We learned how the matadors are ranked on their performance, which also depends on the bulls's performance in the ring. If it was a grand perfomance, the matador earns the bull's ear (it's all fun and games until someone loses an...ear!). In rare instances and in the case of an outstanding performance, the matador may also be granted the tail! Bullfighting is hugely popular in Spain. If we were here on the 29th of this month I am sure Curtis would have been tempted to be a spectator. We wandered through the huge ring, looking up towards the box where the royal family sits. Seats range in price from 5 euros (these are the highest seats on the sunny side, the shady side is cheaper) to an outrageous price to be able to sit right at the ring. After watching one of the videos where a bull actually leapt over the ring I don't think I would put out the money for the lower seats! Hearing and watching some of horrific injuries that the matadors receive was quite frightening. The most recent and horrific was back in 2010 when one of them lost his footing and the bull's horn went through his Adam's Apple and into his mouth! Amazingly the team of doctors and surgeons that are on duty in the Infirmary were able to save his life. One of the most famous matadors, Antonio Bienvenida, was killed, not in the ring, but while testing his courage with a heifer on his ranch. It pierced his heart and this famous matador was killed instantly. It was interesting to learn the facts behind this extremely popular sport/art form. It is entrenched in the very history of the Spanish culture.

After leaving the bullring (with a shirt for my husband) we took the Metro down a bit further in order to explore the neighbourhood of La Latina which is re-knowned for its tapas bars. La Latina also has some of the oldest and best known monuments. The churches that are in this area have strong links to the history of Madrid. Unfortunately, none of these churches were open to the public so we were only able to gaze upon the structural beauty from the outside. We stopped in one of the tapas bars that was recommended in our Lonely Planet Madrid book, called Casa Lucas. This quaint bar has won numerous awards and we know why! They are quite particular about their wines and the waiter brought us one called "Brega" and with this we got a small bowl of bean and chorizo soup with fresh bread. We then ordered ham croquettes and something called "Madrid" which was a blood sausage with sweet tomatoes and purple onions on bread. It was absolutely delectable! We continued our journey through the streets of Madrid as we made our way to the Prado Museum where entry was free from 6 to 8pm. During our wait we sipped sangria and chatted with a nice couple from Scotland. Shortly after 5 pm we made our way back to the Prado which was filling with people in anticipation of a freebie. As soon as the attendant motioned for the line to form, Curtis quickly made his way over, putting us very close to the beginning of a line that was soon to grow well into the 100s or more. We wandered through this magnificent art museum and were quite taken by the vast array of paintings that adorned the walls. Each one had an explanation in English which was very helpful for sure. The different forms and styles were very evident as we moved from room to room. As we stopped to look at paintings my imagination began to wander. Standing in front of a painting of a person I would walk from side to side and I swear the eyes were moving with me! The details that these paintings hold defy imagination since many were painted 500 or more years ago! One of them had a woman wearing a watch that was three dimensional in effect and there was another one of a bunch of grapes that looked as though you could reach out and grab one. We marvelled at the work of Franciso Goya however the one of Saturn eating his son caught me off guard! The paintings of Diego Velazquez, Rafael, and Rembrandt were ones we made sure to see. We also were quite fascinated by the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, which focussed on heaven, hell, and life where people give in to their vices. There was so much going on in each of his paintings and I am sure art students from around the world have been given the task of deciphering his many works.

As the museum closed for the night, we rushed to pick up Curtis' backpack from the cloakroom. We walked out into the night and marvelled at the beautiful structures illuminated against the clear, night sky. We wandered past the Fountain of Neptune, built in 1898 which is the centre of a huge roundabout. We made our way back to Plaza Mayor where we enjoyed dinner in the square at Los Arcolos.

Tomorrow is our day to take the train to Cuenca. We bid Madrid "adios" but are leaving with many memories of this amazing city. We look forward to our next adventure!

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