Hola from Madrid!
We started our day with a walking tour of Madrid. Our first stop was the bull fighting museum where the culture, history, and significance of bull fighting in Spain. Our tour guide Rosa was very passionate about the culture of Spain and was able to answer every possible question we had. In the museum, we saw uniforms, bull heads, paintings of famous matadors (bull fighters), and weapons used in bull fighting. After our tour of the museum, we reserved our tickets for the much anticipated bull fight later that night.
Next, we continued on our walking tour of Madrid. We finally got to see older, historical buildings and parts of the old city rather than the more modernized parts. Some of the older things we saw included churches, a palace, the foundation of the first Christian church, statues of previous rulers, and other interesting architecture. Once the walking tour was over, we went to lunch. For lunch, we went to a genuine Spanish restaurant called Ciudad De Tui. We were served three appetizers, which included bread with a cow’s milk cheese, a lettuce, tomato, and roasted pepper salad, and finally croquetas de pollo. For our main course we had a Spanish dish called paella. For dessert we had a custard putting cake.
After lunch, we were able to have some free time and explore Madrid ourselves. Some of us went shopping, buying things such as souvenirs, clothing, shoes, and even tattoos. After our free time, we finally got to the main event of our day. We arrived at the bull fighting arena for the 7:00pm bull fights. The stadium was huge, as it would be for any professional sports team. It was a very traditional, outdoor arena with stone bleachers, lots of cheering fans, and lots of stairs. Though we were all slightly unsure about how we would handle an event like this, once we were wrapped up in the atmosphere, it was just like watching a professional sporting event.
For those who don’t know about bull fights, it starts off with trumpets playing music, and then all of people who are participating in the event walk around the arena. There are three main matadors and several “teammates” who help throughout the “fight”. Each of the three matadors has two fights against a lottery drawn bull. The match starts off with the “teammates” waving pink and yellow capes to get the bull fired up. Once the trumpets sound, men on horses with large spears enter the arena. It is their job to stab the top fat of the bull to begin the fighting process. This occurs twice, and sometimes the bulls get pretty rough with the horses, but the horses are surprisingly very strong. When the trumpets sound again, the men on horses leave the arena and three of the “teammates” stab arrow spears into the back of bull to further the fighting process.
When the trumpets once again sound, it is time for the main event. The matador comes out with a red cape and a large sword. After tiring out the bull and showing off their skills, they grab a different sword to prepare for the final stab of the fighting process. This appeared to be the trickiest part of the fighting and the most intense. When the fight is over and the bull is down, people cheer according to how well the fight went. If the fans think the matador did exceptionally well, they wave a white flag, encouraging the president to wave his white flag as well, meaning the matador gets the ear of the bull he just killed. This is almost like an extra trophy for the matadors. We watched all six fights, which were all unique in their own way. We had an amazing, once in a life time experience with something new and we will always remember it.
We finished off the night at a chocolateria, where we had churros that you dip in chocolate. It was a tasty desert, similar to an elephant ear that you dip in dark chocolate. After that, we saw the night life of Madrid, which included performers, street venders, and lots of lights. Though it was a long day, it was a great experience for all of us!
Adios amigos!
TCVB J
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| The Palace of the former Kings on our walking tour |
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| Matador and Bull |
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