Corridas de Torros

Corridas de Torros

So, I thought "I can't come to Spain and not go to a bullfight" (in Spanish Corrida de Torro). But I was defiinitely nervous to go and see the bulls die. I definitely had cause to be nervous. It was the most brutal and unnecessarily cruel event I have ever seen. It was a Spanish experience that I couldn't skip, but it is an experience I never want to experience again. 

Plaza de Toro. This is the colosium that bullfighting takes place in. It usually holds a maximum of about 36,00 people. The ring is dirt and the lines are just chalk drawn onto the ring.

This is the Presidente and his assistants. If the matador fights well, then the crowd can ask the presidente to award him with trofeos (trophies) by waving handkerchiefs. If the presidente puts a handkerchief out it means the matador gets 1 trofeo. The most trofeos the matador can recieve is 3. The tropheos are actually the ears and tail of the dead bull. After the matador recieves his trofeos he takes a lap around the ring.  

These are the men and the horses that drag the body of the dead bull out of the ring. Usually this is done by mules. When the bull fought well the Presidente will signal to the men to drag the bull around the ring to honor the animal. 

Personally, I think this is terrible. It doesn't seem like it is honoring the life of the animal at all, but it glorifying the kill of the animal.

The matadors are warming up before the fights.

The first fight was a "rejoneo" which is a bullfight where the matador is on horseback. These are not as common. Rejoneos are almost more dangerous than traditional bullfighting on foot. This is because if the horse spooks or is hit by the bull not only can it be fatal for the bull but also for the matador. 

This guys is called a subalternos. He is in the matador's entourage. He is another matador, but he is not as not the main matador. This suit, traje de luces, is sewn with silver thread instead of gold like the main matador's. I like to think of this guy as the rodeo clown in the ring of the bullriding. He distracts the bull so the matador can safely switch capotes (capes) or change horses. 

Seriously, this guy is such a little cutie how could anyone want to kill him!

El presidente thinking about the fight and listening to the crowd to see how many trofeos the matador will recieve.

This is the matador taking his lap of victory with his entourage. Matadors are heros in Spain. They are considered better than royalty here.People trhow down clothes, hats, even a wine bag just to have the matador touch it and throw it back to them because it is good luck to the person who owns it.After the last bullfight a man actually brought out his little daughter to have the matador kiss her cheek. (I don't know if it more disturbing that the guy gave his daughter to a bull killing stranger so he could kiss her, or the fact that she was about 5 and at a bullfight.)

Warming up and getting psyched for his upcoming duel with the bull. Although, I would say that it is more onesided. I wouldn't even really call it a fight.

This was my favorite part of any of the "fights". The matador and the bull would just stand there staring at each other. 

Here the matador is holding his hat because he is about the throw it up in the air. If the hat lands right side up (as if the ground were wearing the hat) then it is good luck, if it lands the other way it is bad luck. The matador does this before the 3rd and final stage of the fight.

What really gets me about this picture is how it shows the true nature of bulls. Bulls aren't mean, viscous creatures that want to hurt people. They are only trying to attack becuase they are being tortured. 

The red copa is a sign that the third and final stage of the fight is in progress. The matador also does all of the maneuvers of this portion of the fight with the sword he is going to kill the bull with. Neither of these pictures so the sword, but that is the reason that the cape is so straight on the top. 

I thought that this matador just had so much attitude when he stood in the ring. 

Instead of throwing his hat before the last stage of this this fight (there are 3 matadors and they each fight 2 bulls) he gave it to his father. His father was a famous matador. Most of the time matadors are born into families of matadors. 

I definitely started crying at the end of this fight. It was so brutal. I actually never watched them kill the bulls. I couldn't handle that. And there were 2 girls about my age sitting in front of me and they were laughing at me. They loved bullfights. 

Another rejoneo. This is the same matador on horseback as before, but this is his second bull. 

Lots of focus.

This is where the bull is released from. This was the first big bull that came out. And he came out very angry.

What looks like a multicolored ribbon is actually to signify where the bull is from. The different colors are the colors of the ranch that the bull is raised. 

Now these things hanging off the bull are called banderillas.These are sharp barbed sticks. This is done by banderilleros. These are guys in traje de luces with silver thread. After they are done this is when the matador comes into the ring with the muleta (the red capote). 

Matadors are judged on how well they perform. This not only means being able to kill the bull in one swift stab, but also taking the correct stance, bringing the bull as close to him as possible, and maneuvering  keeping control of the bulls movements as much as possible. 

Another nice stare off between matador and toro.

I'm going to preficit these next couple pictures by saying that he threw his hat this time instead of giving it to his father, and it landed the wrong way....

The bull actually ripped the muleta away from him at this point and then the bull turned on him. Luckily for him he had his rodeo clowns to help him out and distract the bull. 

This is probably my favorite picture of the rambuncious bull. He leaped and almost ripped the muleta away from him as well as almost catching his arm.

But unfortunetely the bull was still killed and the matador was still rewarded with his ear. 

At the end of the fights the matadors that were awarded with at least thre trofeos are carried on the shoulders of men around the ring. This seemed extremely strange to me. 

I am glad I went for the experience, but I definitely never want to go again. It is awful and I just don't understand the ritual. 

Ferias y Fiestas de Salamanca

Ferias y Fiestas de Salamanca

This festival is a two week long celebration in honor of Santa María de la Vega ( The Virgin Mary of the Valley). The Virgin Mary is the patron saint of Salamanca. It is said that she helped protect the people of Salamanca from Portuguese troops during the War of Spanish Succession, in 1706. Every year after the failed invasion of Salamanca the people of the town have a parade through the town and decorate an alter with flowers in honor of the Virgin Mary and her kind act. Today this continues. The people of Salamanca wear the traditional clothing of Salamanca in the parade. This parade kicks off the 2 week festival of food, music, and bullfights. 

Before the flowers were added

Traditional music and clothing

She does not seem thrilled...

The finished product

I knew two people in the Parade

Salamanca at Last!!

Luckily for me Salamanca is completely different than Madrid. Salamanca is another beautiful city, but it is a lot smaller and safer feeling. It still has a city feel, but without all the hustle and bustle and craziness that Madrid had. I still wouldn't really call Salamanca "welcoming" though. This is only because Spaniards are so direct. My professors here actually make fun of how "polite" Americans are when they are speaking Spanish. This is funny to me because I feel like Americans have the stereotype to by rude and always on the go. Spaniards definitely have a more relaxed attitude towards life than Americans; I mean they literally shut their shops down from 2-6 for lunch and siesta everyday. And they never seem to be in a hurry while walking. But when it comes to asking someone for something in a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, please, may I, and thank you are never required. You say I want (this), or give me (that). It feels so rude to me. Also, everyone wants to be talked to in the "tu" form this is the informal "you" form. This is strange for me because it is respectful in other countries to talk to someone in the "Ud." form, the formal you form. But here it is almost disrespectful because you are basically calling them old. These things are all going to take some getting use to, but I think after 9 months here I should have the hang of it. 

Holy Toledo!!

Toledo is known as the "The City of Three Cultures" because it has been influenced by Christians, Jews, and Muslims throughout history. Toledo was the original capital of Spain. This was because it was well protected from invaders by the surrounding terrain including the very famous Tajo River. Toledo is no longer the capital because King Phillip II felt the church was becoming too powerful, so he separated the church and state by moving the capital to Madrid in 1561. Today Toledo is still the holy capital of Spain. This is where the saying "Holy Toledo" comes from.

Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes was built in in 1477-1504. This was monastery was founded by King Ferdinand in celebration of victory in the battle of Toro and also the birth of his and Queen Isabella's son Prince John.  

The chains hanging from the monastery are from the Christian prisoners freed after the Conquest of Granada and the fall of the last Muslim leader in Spain. 

Toledo is what I pictured every Spanish city looking like. Even the streets are lovely and quaint. 

Street Performers are a normal sight in Spain and are usually amazing at what they do. 

The Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo is the most famous building in Toledo. The groundbreaking on the cathedral was in 1227 and it was completed in 1493. 

The clock in the cathedral is very famous not for what is has but for what it doesn't. It is lacking the minute hand because while you are in mass the minutes don't matter. The service will continue until it is done. 

The inside of the Cathedral is gorgeous, but I couldn't imagine going to mass there it would be much too distracting. There stained glass windows around the whole church, as well as masterpieces by famous artists, such as El Greco, and sculptures everywhere.

These are only 2 of the 37 pipe organs that are in Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo. The pipe organ below is the Pipe Organ of the Emperor  It use to only be used when important ceremonies were taking place. These organs are both Spanish pipe organs which means instead of the pipes going straight up they actually point towards the audience and the person playing the organ. 

This is the city hall building. All the architecture in Toledo has a roman influence and it is very apparent with this very important building.

Most amazing view from inside Toledo walls. I'll have you know that I only waited 17 minutes to get a shot with no people whatsoever in it.