A Matador Fights a Bull:
Today I got
to experience one of the cooler cultural events of my life, a bullfight. But we
will get to that. We slept in a little bit before getting a cab to the
Barcelona train station. I should note that a couple of days prior we had
stopped at the train station to purchase our train tickets. This was one of the
main times that I had to use my Spanish, as the ticket agent literally spoke no
English, but I did fine. We managed to get the correct tickets and we were on
our way to Madrid in no time. I should also mention that it was odd after
travelling on so many trains that the Barcelona to Madrid train is the only one
where we had to pass through metal detectors and put our luggage through
security. This must be aftermath of the Madrid train bombings.
The Real Casa de Correos (Office of the President of Madrid) at Puerta Del Sol:
The train
ride was relatively quick and offered some cool views of the Spanish landscape.
There is a lot more desert than I had realized. Anyway, we arrived around
midday in Madrid and took a subway to the Puerto Del Sol Square. We then took
the short walk to check in to our new hostel, the RC Miguel Angel hostel, where
we were greeted with tiny bunk beds and very few amenities. Oh well, we are
only here for a couple of nights.
We were eager to check out what the
city was all about, so we wandered around for a little while before deciding to
get food before the bullfight. We found a place called La Taurina which fit
right in with our evening plans. The walls were covered with autographed photos
of famous bullfighters alongside the heads of many famous bulls. TVs all over
the restaurant also displayed vintage bullfights for anyone to watch. I enjoyed
some Paella, Mushroom Caps with Minced Ham, and a tomato salad. With little
time to spare, we took a cab to the Madrid bullring and got in line for our
tickets.
The Plaza De Toros Las Ventas (Madrid Bullring):
The
atmosphere at a bullfight in Spain can almost be compared to going to a
baseball game back home. Thousands of people come out for the events that
happen about once a week in the summer, and many people are regulars that
occupy the same seats each time. The line for tickets was long, but street
vendors selling waters, sodas, beers, nuts, fruits, veggies, and seeds are
there to help you through the line. We bought some sunflower seeds and
purchased our actually pretty expensive tickets to a Corrida de Toros
(bullfight) at the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas (Madrid bullring) and made our way
inside.
A Poster Advertising the Corrida de Toros (Bullfight):
While we
purchased some (bucket sized) Cruzcampo beers, we were informed that it was
considered rude to enter the seating area while a bullfight was going on. We
were a little bit late, so we had to watch the first fight on the TV screens in
the vendor area before being allowed inside. Not to worry, though, each event
features three matadors who each get two bulls to fight, so missing one fight
was not a big deal. After the first fight we made our way to our seats,
apparently in the Ernest Hemingway section, and sat down to watch.
The Bullring at Dusk:
The
bullfight begins as an angry bull is released into the bullring. Assistant
matadors called Banderilleros use purple and yellow capes to fight the bull.
This offers the matador a chance to see how the bull will react when he gets
his chance to fight it. It also gives the fans in the stands a great
opportunity to see the bull charging in all its fury. The matador may also
participate in this stage, but mostly he is watching and learning from the
moves of the bull.
A Banderillero Confronts the Bull:
In the next stage, two men on
horseback called Picadors come out wielding long lances. In the days of old,
horses would frequently perish by the bullhorns hitting their undersides, so
the horses now wear blinders and are heavily padded from such attacks. The
Picadors wait until the bull charges the horse, and then open a large and deep
wound in the back of the bull. This is the main wound that will weaken and
fatigue the bull over the course of the bullfight. They try to open two or
three deep wounds before making their way out of the ring.
A Picador Lances the Bull:
Next, the
Banderilleros return. In a bizarre act, the Banderilleros tempt the bull to
charge them while they also run at the bull. The goal is to attach two weighted
sticks called Banderillas to the opposite sides of the wound in the bull’s
back. This will help keep the wounds open to tire the bull even more as he
loses blood. Once the bull is prepared for the fight with the matador, the
stage is set for his entrance.
A Banderillero Stabs the Bull with Banderillas:
These guys
are like Spanish celebrities. People cheer as the matador enters the ring with
his majestic red taunting cape. He is given a large wooden sword to use to
taunt the bull some more, and he begins the Faena, or display. This is the part
everyone has come to see, as the bull charges the red cape and the matador
dances out of the way. As foolish as this sounds, it is quite beautiful to
watch and really takes some skill. The matador is awarded by cheers and good
marks if he can get the bull as close to his body as possible without being
struck. The bull expands most of its energy in this stage, and all the while it
is losing more and more blood through the wound in its back. After a long
series of displays and charges, the bull finally will tire to the point of not
charging from a mere few feet away.
The Faena (Display):
The matador will then ceremoniously receive
his Estoque, or the kill sword, and prepare his kill strike. Good matadors are
able to kill the bull in one quick strike to its heart while it charges,
through the open wound in its back. This is seen as a quick end for the bull,
and the animal does not suffer as much. Unfortunately, this does not always
happen, as we saw. The kill strike, or Estocada, is pretty brutal, and a
massive animal quickly passes away after a deep blow. The bull is then carted
off by horses and the ring is prepared for another fight while the matador receives
cheers, jeers, hats, roses, and applause. With rare, exceptional performances, the judge can award the bull's ear, both its ears, or its tail, or any combination of these items to the matador as a prize.
The Matador Prepares the Estocada (Killstrike):
We got to
watch five of these over the course of a couple hours. After you get passed the
fact that you are watching the killing of a live and beautiful animal, you
realize how cool the event actually is. It is just beaming with Spanish
culture, and you can tell from the cheers that people really live for these
events. We did see one matador awarded a bull ear for his performance, and we also saw the same matador get jeered out of the stadium after his second fight. He struggled to kill the bull in that one, and people do not like to see the animal truly suffer.
A Deceased Bull is Carted Off:
We enjoyed quite a few beers at the bullfight, and had a nice long walk
across the city at night. There are some beautiful buildings in Madrid that are
lit up with pretty lights at night, and I am eager to see the city during the
day! We stopped for another drink near the Plaza Del Sol, where a protest was occurring
outside of the Offices of the President of Madrid, the Real Casa de Correos. I
think it had to do with the economic problems that the EuroZone was facing at
the time, and about unemployment in Spain. After a long day of travel, it’s
time for bed!
The Palacio de Cibeles (Madrid Post Office) at Night:
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