One Day I went to the Amusement Park here in Madrid, it was a little pricey but totally worth the 5 hours of roller-coaster riding that we did. The was actually a roller-coaster that starts upside down, that I wasn't going to do, but with the lovely peer pressure from Jesse, Sam and Emma I did it.
A few days ago my host father recieved tickets to go to a bull fight and he was so kind to give them to me and my host sister. My host sister was then also very kind and she gave her's to Emma. So Emma and I got to go experience another wonderful cultural experience in Spain. I would say about 40-50 percent of people in Spain actually support bull fighting and enjoy watching it. The rest are disgusted or just not a fan.
Emma and I took the metro to the Plaza de Toros in Madrid and once we arrived I noticed everyone was dressed very nicely and buying candy or sunflower seeds as if we were going to the movies or something. Emma and I joined them, bought some candy and entered the bull ring. We purchased two butt cushions for 1.20 a piece and crammed into small concrete bleachers where your knees are literally touching the person's back in front of you and if you want to leave, well good luck. You are surrounded by older men smoking cigars and chanting "ole"
The next description is from Emma's blog, I apologize I was lazy..
The bull fight consists of six different bulls and three stages of the fight with each bull. In the first stage, Tercio de Varas, two men called picadores ride out on blindfolded horses. The horses are covered in padding and the picadores carry lances. The picadores’s job is to stab the muscles on the back of the bull’s neck using their lance, leading to the first blood loss. This weakens the bull. The stage ends when a trumpet is blown.
Next is the Tercio de Banderillas, involving three men called banderilleros who attempt to stab barbed sticks decorated like flags into the bulls shoulders. They hold two sharp flags in their hands and run towards the bull, stabbing it in the shoulder just in time to run out of the way. This leads to excessive blood loss. The bull at this point is much weaker but also much more frustrated and irritable. During this time it will often make ferocious charges. This stage ends once again with a trumpet being blown.
Finally, there is the Tercio de Muerte when the bull is killed. The matador enters the ring with a red cape and a sword. The matador attracts the bull using his cape and completes a series of passes called the “faena.” This is the matador’s time to show off with fancy footwork and highly dramatic movements. They are demonstrating their control over the animal. This is the most dangerous part of the fight. During a good series of passes the crowd will shout “Ole!” After about ten minutes of faena the matador attempts to use his sword to stab the bull through the shoulder blades and all the way down to the heart. If his sword does not completely enter the body and kill the bull then he will be given a second sword to cut the spinal cord. Once the bull is killed the body is dragged out by mules.
It was very hard to watch at first, the hardest part for me was the beginning with the horses because I can't imagine being blindfolded and then rammed into by a bull. It was very gory and bloody, and it was an experience that I will always remember, but not something I am interested in going to again. I can see the culture and history behind it, but it is very brutal to watch. Here are some photos..
Other than that I have been waiting for summer and soaking up every little drip of Spanish fun that I can get.
Lots of love!
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