From May 2-May 6 we were in Madrid, Spain. We arrived late on the 2nd and unknown to us, May 2 is a big holiday in Madrid. As we were navigating our way to our hostal on Gran Via street, we were literally surrounded by thousands of people swarming the streets. Our hostal is located on this very popular street and in our minds, we're thinking Madrid is a huge party city. We later found out about this holiday on May 2 and then everything made sense. One of the highlights of our time in Madrid was going to a bull fight. Being budget travellers, we purchased our seats in the unshaded section. This made the experience really authentic as the sun beat down on us and sweat dripped down our backs. The actual bull fights (6 bulls are killed in total lasting for about 2 hours) were a little hard for us to watch because it is gory. We got our moneys worth because during the event we saw everything from:
1) Animal rights protestors jumping into the ring with their signs and then being dragged out of the ring rather violently by police
2) A matador getting pinned underneath a bull and barely managing to escape before being trampled
3) A matador being "whistled" (their way of booing) out of the ring because he was unable to kill his bull after several gory attempts.
We were told after the fight that it is rare that even one of these should happen in one night, let alone all three! Overall we had a really great time in Madrid, next stop Lisbon, Portugal.
Bull Fight Stadium
Donovan inside the Stadium
Matador facing Bull
Olé!
Our Last Night in Madrid
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Bull Fights in Madrid!
Posted by Donovan & Traci at 2:19 PM
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6 comments:
How could you go to Spain and not attend a bull fight. Can you beleive it!! It's amazing how much you've seen and experienced already and you are not halfway through your trip!! You will have a lot to share when you return. Take care,Love Mom Q
Amazing! Excellent blog entry!
Spain has a labour day holiday on May 1 so this must have been part of a long weekend. Dad L.
sounds and looks exciting! dono - love the aviator shades. you guys look great! thanks for posting pictures of the bulls/matadors. it really made the madrid experience come alive for me ;) love you lots!!! can't wait until the next blog post!
You guys look so fabulous in all your photos! I look forward to posts and check everyday...sometimes more...what can I say? I guess I think you guys are pretty great!
Love you!
ole, that is pretty gory stuff. I am sure you had to hold yourself back from jumping into that ring with those animal rights protesters Trace.. since you have always been against eating beef and stuff? what!?
sweat dripping down your backs hey... sweet, I'm glad you could have the genuine experience. Take Care you sick dog lovebirds!
-Anonymous lover of your blog
WOW! A real, live bull fight!?! Very cool. Oh, and you guys look FAN-tastic in that last picture! Keep soaking it all in.
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