Ever since I can remember I have wanted to visit Spain. I wanted to know more about my Spanish heritage and indulge myself in the culture. This trip not only satisfied my longing to visit, but it exceeded my expectations.
As usual, this trip started out just like the others where the actual travel to my destination didn't quite go as planned. Tiffany and I have had our Spain trip booked for over a month, so you could imagine our anticipation. It became frustrating when we were forced to wait through a two-hour delay at Newcastle Airport, and if you know this airport, then you know how fantastic of a time it is to chill there for about five hours (note sarcastic tone). It got to the point to where I was sending e-mails to our hostel, informing them of the possibility of us not showing up for the first night as well as e-mails to Ryanair, of course I sent complaints.
Much to our content, our flight wasn't canceled! In fact, Tiffany and I were rather pleased on our flight. We were able to claim our own, personal rows to stretch out across and fall asleep. Some of the other people flying told us they were jealous we took over the rows before they thought about it. When we arrived in Barçelona, we were happily surprised to find that Ryanair has business relations with companies associated with travel. We were able to catch the last bus of the night, one we thought we would miss due to our delay. That bus took us to the Barcelona bus station where we hailed a cab to our hostel, Paraiso Travelers Hostel.
We only had one full day in Barça so we had to make the most of it. In the morning, Tiffany and I went to see the sites on the outskirts of the older city. Anyone visiting Barçelona will be left in amazement with the architecture found throughout the city, most works designed by Antoni Gaudí. I would say his most famous work is the Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia.
At 31 years old, Gaudí took over the project of building Sagrada Familia and made it his own. It was his idea to open the top with free-flowing light.
As you might be able to see, there is a sense of geometry in Gaudí's architecture. Gaudí applied geometry and nature to create these spectacular buildings. It's either that, or he was as high as a kite.
La Pedrera, or Casa Milá, was Gaudí's last civil work before he dedicated all of his time to the Sagrada Familia. Many problems were faced when building La Pedrera. For example, one of the columns designed by Gaudí was too wide and too close to the paseo that the city wanted to cut it down if it wasn't removed. Stubbornly, Gaudí stuck to his original plans, didn't remove the column, and eventually won the dispute because the building had such an artistic value, that the city declared La Pedrera in line with city ordinance.
Casa Batlló is a part of a bock of buildings known as "manzana de la discordia" (block of dissension). This block contains a variety of architectural styles, making it a perfect place for Gaudí to design away. I had seen pictures of Casa Batlló, and was intent on finding this place. The cost of finding this place was getting lost... twice... and asking for directions from about three different people. Oh, yes, and remember, we are in Spain, so this was in Spanish. However, if it wasn't for our determination to find this place, we wouldn't have seen Casa Batlló or La Pedrera. Win some, lose some.
In the 1870s, Gaudí received commission from Barçelona to design candelabras, or lampposts, for the city. Gaudí designed two types of lampposts, one with three arms and the other with six. The lampposts usually go unnoticed because visitors are not aware that they were designed by Gaudí. To be honest, I didn't realize that they were designed by Gaudí until I researched the architect online. I just liked the way they looked and snapped a picture!
As you saw during my London part deux adventure, I am a great fan of Picasso. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard that there was a Picasso museum in Barçelona. Tiffany and I found our way to the Museu Picasso between a maze of roads, rain, people, paths, and buildings. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the exhibits, but an example of what we saw can be seen at this link for Las Meninas.
Funny story, Tiffany asked me in the middle of our journey through the exhibition if I took any art classes. After I said yes, I asked why she would want to know. According to her, she could just tell. My Mom would be proud.
Yes, we weren't supposed to take pictures... but you should know me by now.
This sign is hidden right behind a street light... inconvenient.
After the Museo Picasso, Tiffany and I headed toward the Travel Bar to meet for our free walking tour with Travel Bound. Some of the things we saw were the Roman Ruins, the oldest Synagogue in Europe, Plaza Real, and the Barçelona Cathedral. This tour offers €1 drinks after the tour at the Travel Bar.
Quote inside the Travel Bar, "So close to the Sea you forget to count the days. A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving."
We learned that the people of Barçelona have festivals in honor of two saints, St. Eulalia and St. George. We were taken to the location where St. Eulalia had died. The story we were told was that during the Christian persecution, the Romans tortured her by putting her inside a barrel with knives stuck inside of it. This was made worse by rolling her down the street called Baixada de Santa Eulalia, "Saint Eulalia's descent." Now, I said "the story we were told" because apparently there was more! She was subjected to thirteen different tortures, some of them included the barrel with knives, cutting off her breasts, crucifixion on an x-shaped cross, and decapitation. I think it goes without saying that she deserves a fiesta in her honor, maybe two.
El Call, the Jewish ghetto, is where we found the oldest Jewish Synagogue in the Europe. We were told that the entrance was so small because the Jews had to keep their religious practices secret during the times of persecution. They were eventually driven out, and the Synagogue was going to be turned into a hotel, but the Jewish community collected the funds to purchase the property. It now serves as a museum. More information can be found at Call de Barcelona.
Plaça de San Felip Neri is one of Barça's most famous plazas. It's history is sad, showing us gun shot holes from the Franco regime and the holes made from bombs when 42 men, women, and children were killed during an aerial bombing under Franco's orders in 1938. A small plaque can be seen in the plaza to remember those who lost their lives that day, but nothing too extravagant. Today, a school is located in the area and the plaza is served as a place for play for the school children. Also, you may find this location familiar if you have seen Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona.
As we wondered around the streets, we would run into many bands or single artists with musical talent playing for large crowds. We stopped at this one in particular because if you can see in the picture below the band, one of the stones has markings still legible on the surface. We were told that these stones were taken from the cemeteries that were once in the area to build these walls. Creepy.
Almost completely unnoticeable, the Temple D'August is one of the best Roman artifacts preserved from the Roman era in Barça. It once served as the center of Barçelona. As you may notice, there are many windows surrounding this monument. Temple D'August is completely surrounded by apartments and can only be found if you go up a side path and through a small courtyard.
Below is the Plaça del Rei. This is the place where Christopher Columbus is said to have met with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella after he discovered new lands in the Americas. This square used to serve as a palace to the Barçelona royal families, but is now used as a museum.
The Basílica de Santa Maria was built by poorer people during the little free time they had to give them a place to worship. Many consider the outside to be rather plain in comparison to the rest of the city's cathedrals, but like they say, don't judge a book by it's cover. The inside of the Basilica is very spacious, open, and bright, making it even more magnificent.
Many, but certainly not all of Barçelona's demonstrations are held in La Plaça Sant Jaume. It is unique in that on one side you will find the City Hall and on the other the Palace of the Generalitat (the government of the Autonomous Community of Catalunya), basically two separate governments facing one another in the same plaza.
City Hall
Palace of the Generalitat
Other things that I noticed during our exploration were either cultural or, well, cultural (you will see why in a few pictures down). Below, you will see a few pictures I took of the buildings. They were just so beautiful that I couldn't resist! Every building you would see was unique in style, color, design, and size.
It was quite nice to walk around to see some local children playing futból in the public areas. Just being here a day gives you a sense of the Spanish culture.
Now I don't know if it was my Catholic upbringing or what, but I could not believe that the store below was just so casually placed in a heavy foot-traffic location! It's either that or what they say about Americans being "prude" is true.
One of the restaurants we visited was Tapa Fina. This was probably my first test at using Spanish because the people who worked there knew absolutely no English. I am a bit rusty to begin with, so this threw me off guard a bit. But Tiffany and I enjoyed our first Tapas of the trip. I had the patatas bravas and Tiffany had the tortilla. Oh! And I just had to enjoy some sangría because A. I can, B. My Mom told me to, and C. I wanted to celebrate getting a job interview! High five for me!
Sangría
Patatas Bravas
Tortilla (thick egg and potato omelet)
I like to take pictures of pastry shops, or pastelerías, because I apparently like to torture myself with food I should not have. Below was one that we walked by about six times. At one point, I literally thought it was calling my name. Though tempting, I did not purchase any of the goodies. Honestly, I don't think I could have because there were so many options!
So, Tiffany and I had never been in a hostel before. Just imagine yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere, with a leaf for shelter, no food, and no towels. However, we found Paraiso Travelers Hostel to be quite nice. I believe I could speak for Tiffany when I say I would still rather stay in a hotel if I had the option, but it was something that we needed to experience and we were pleased to have Paraiso be our first hostel.
We found out about this hostel through my Little, Tarrah. She had been to Barçelona during the summer of 2011 and stayed at Paraiso. The walls in our room were painted lime green with a purple trim. Oddly enough, I once had my room painted like that when I was around twelve, but I know for a fact that I did not have an orange duvet like the ones here. All-in-all I would suggest Paraiso if you are looking for a hostel in Barça. The service is fantastic, with people who are multi-lingual and will call cabs for you in the middle of the night. They also have free wifi and great security!
Note: Hostels do not provide you with a towel, so if bringing one slipped your mind, you will resort to using one of your shirts to dry after a shower. Yes... we did this.
Check me out in the mirror! HA!
The next day we woke up around three in the morning to fly to Madrid. If it weren't for Ryanair's inconvenient departure times, we would have definitely booked a later flight, but we made due.
The original intention of the trip was to meet up with some co-workers from Albuquerque, Hector and Keshawna, in Madrid. It turns out that we couldn't meet up the entire time. He will argue differently, but I still believe Hector was trying to avoid me, but whatevaaa!
Do yourself a favor and press play to this music video to get you in the proper mindset for Madrid!
The first full day in Madrid was spent taking in the sites. Prior to our trip, Tiffany had seen a free tour online, it seemed like a great plan, so we went on the tour. The company is called New Europe Tours, where the tour guides work for tips. Our tour guide, Paula, was fantastic! She is from the United States and now resides in Madrid.
Tiffany and I escaping the light drizzle that day
Our tour began in Plaza Mayor where Paula told us a lovely story about the horse statue in the middle of the square. Way back when, the horse's mouth had an opening directly to its belly, and of course, birds would find their way inside the horse. The problem with this was, the brilliant creatures couldn't figure out how to get out. As a result, they would fly around inside the horse's belly until they died, leaving a lovely smell for all those who visited the plaza. Not to worry, the mouth has now been blocked, so no more dead birds.
Plaza Mayor
One of the restaurants Paula pointed out was Restaurante Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas. Luis Candelas is considered to be Madrid's Robin Hood, except when he would steal from he rich, he would give it to himself (...technically to... whores). He would become friends with wealthy people and would get away with stealing from them. Eventually, he became a bit too confident when he started "becoming friends" with the royals. He had stolen a unique coat from a member of the Royal Family and wore it around Plaza Mayor. Because the coat was so unique, he was spotted and was to be arrested. He fled the country for a while, but returned to Madrid. The smart guy decided it would be a good idea to wear the coat again in Plaza Mayor. Much to my surprise (sarcastic), he was caught. This restaurant is a fun (and expensive) experience for the family purely because the waitstaff is required to dress in medieval costumes.
Botin is just across from Restaurante Las Cuevas de Luis Candelas. It is said to be the oldest restaurant in the world. In the window, you will find the Guinness Book of World Records certificate to prove to all of the non-believers that it is in fact the oldest restaurant. Had this place not been so expensive, Tiffany and I would have gone, but the average cost per plate was €18. We were told that if you feel like trying an exotic dish, be careful, because their octopus costs nearly €100. If I am trying something funky, they should pay me the €100!
As we kept walking, we stumbled upon Plaza de Puerta Cerrada, "closed door." This square was once home to a wall with a single door entrance known as the Serpent Gate. The door was closed to separate the prostitutes, thieves, and murderers from the more "pure" Madrid. In the middle of the plaza, you can't miss a giant statue of a cross. This was placed here to serve as a religious reminder to all of those living on the sinful side of the wall. The first thought that came to my mind was "Where are all the grandmas? This is the symbol for Catholic guilt!" The wall was destroyed in 1647.
Below, you will see a picture of a few of the people on the tour, Paula, and I standing in the front of the rest of the crowd. Paula used us at the front while she explained the Spanish Empire, specifically the Habsburgs' dynasty. I played the roll of King Phillip II. Paula explained the great things the kings did for the country, but most things were negative. This family had an issue of incest. The last of the Habsburgs had a mental disability and could not produce children, marking the end of their family's reign.
The Almudena Cathedral is located next to the Royal Palace. It took many years to build because of political imbalances, mainly the civil war. It was officially completed and consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993. The interior of the Almudena Cathedral has a more modern feel to it than most cathedrals.
The door to the Cathedral
Ceiling over the Altar
The Palacio Real de Madrid (The Royal Palace of Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family, but it is only used for state ceremonies. King Juan Carlos, aka J.C., and the Royal Family do not live in the palace. Instead, they live in a more humble place, Palacio de la Zarzuela. The palace contains 2,800 rooms and is the largest palace in Europe by floor area. The decoration of the palace is to be admired because various materials and styles are used in each room. For example, one of the rooms was completely decorated in porcelain, including wall and ceiling decor.
Students receive a discount on entry with a student I.D. You aren't allowed to take pictures, which is unfortunate because the decoration is something to see. Just by walking throughout the palace you can see the infatuation with gold during the reign of earlier kings. In a way, I would describe the decor as gaudy, which I believe could be one of the reasons why J.C. didn't want to live there. My favorite room was the Royal Dressing Room. It was decorated with granite, oak, and a dramatic styling using maroon.
Palace Guards
Random Story: As in any history lecture I have ever been to, I began to zone out. I was distracted by a group of guys walking by our group. Thankfully I had my sunglasses on because I was literally staring. Not that any of them were David Beckham hot, but the fact that they were boys probably caught my attention. Apparently our group caught their attention too. As Paula kept talking, I noticed the boys checking out our group. For the sake of my self esteem, we will say they were checking me out. Anyway, Paula was talking about a museum behind her, the artists name I do not know because I was not really paying attention. But once she said, "He was the first artist to paint naked women just because," each one of those boys whipped their heads around toward our group and cheered. It was hilarious! As she kept talking, Paula turned a bright shade of red.
Teatro Real (Royal Opera House)
The Spanish Royal Family has many scandalous stories, and the scandals weren't just the men in the family. Queen Isabel II, who was crowned at three years old, focused more on the arts, entertainment, and fiesta aspects of the country. As a result, not too many were pleased with her, unless you were one of the lucky men she chose to be her "entertainment."
Statue of Queen Isabel II
Halfway through our tour we were allotted a lunch break. While everyone was busy getting normal lunch food, I made my way to La Mallorquina. I fancied myself some cookies! I say that this was a well balanced lunch... I mean, there was fruit jam, sugar, carbohydrates... plus you use eggs and water in the batter... sounds healthy to me!
If you visit Madrid, the spot you will see the most is Place del Sol. In the plaza you will spot Madrid's El Oso y El Madroño statue, Casa de Correros, two fountains, the Place del Sol Metro, and the heart of Madrid.
This place is packed with people, and as you can see in the picture below, Spongebobs. There were so many people on the streets doing things for money (funny story, we did see hookers). Most of them (not the hookers, they had hooker-heels and booty shorts on) were dressed up in costumes, some much freakier than others. You had your typical Spongebob, Mickey, Minney, and painted statues, but then you had these freaky goats, babies, and headless men. What made it worse was when they had these little buzz/whistle things that they would blow to try to get attention. They got attention alright, just not very positive. It was refreshing to see this guy who was pulling a Miss Congeniality. He was playing songs with the wine glasses!
El Oso y El Madroño
Before the tour, we would notice many people stopping and staring at the ground in the plaza. We didn't know until after that the reason was because they were looking at the 0 km point. All of the country's highways are measured to this central point. And fun fact about the Place del Sol, it's in the shape of a half sun, looking as if it were a part of a sunrise or sunset. The plaza is the central point of the sun with the rays being the roads that connect to it. For those who have been there but didn't get the connection, can I get a collective "ahhhhhh!"
In Place del Sol there are two fountains which you will see filled with people sitting around it. Because it was a beautiful, sunny day, Tiffany and I found ourselves a spot and took in the rays. Because I haven't seen much sun in what feels like years, I did in fact get burned. On the upside, we saw someone famous! We had absolutely no idea who he was, but he was on a jog and people asked him to sign their soccer jersey and take a picture. I know, cool story, and yes, I will tell it at parties.
Mailboxes in Place del Sol, mailing a postcard to mi familia!
Gran Via
End of the tour at Palacio de las Cortes
A few other things I would suggest seeing, which we either didn't see or realize it was "famous," are Plaza de Santa Ana (fantastic place for lunch), Retiro Park, Alcala Gate, Arco de la Victoria, City Hall, Royal Botanic Garden, Metropolis Building, and a flamenco show. I know that seems like a lot, but we also did a lot, and there are probably more things to see than that!
Cervecería 100 Montaditos is like the McDonald's of Spain. Why? Because it is a famous chain of restaurants on nearly every street. We ate here twice because, well, let's be honest, it's cheap. You can get tapas from 1-3 EURO each. What makes it even better is that the tapas were delicious! Granted they were more on the carb side, but I'm not complaining! They even have some sort of deal if you order one of their "party platters" you get a "free" beer.
Another quick, cheap, and delicious restaurant we went to was Tako-Away. It has been a while since I had Mexican, much less New Mexican, food, so this was a great fix. Tiffany and I both had a Vegetariano Burrito which was rice, beans, cheese, and hot sauce inside a tortilla. Muy delicioso!
It was amazing when I saw this fast food restaurant! It has been so long since I have seen a Taco Bell! In Albuquerque, it's like Starbucks where it is on every street corner. Unfortunately, we didn't stop and eat here because we will have that opportunity in America.
When we were on our free tour, we were told about the other tours that New Europe provides. They offer a Spanish Civil War Tour, Tappas Tour, and a Pub Crawl. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to do all of them, so we did as anyone in their 20's would do... we chose the Pub Crawl. I would have to say that this night made it into my top 10 nights out.
When the other song is finished, play this one... it is the theme song for this night!
At the beginning of the tour, enjoying our 45 minutes of unlimited Sangría!
Our first tequila shot of the night... blahhh
My friend Dave!
My friend Max!
Tiffany trying to get away from the guy who would later ask me to dinner in the salsa club El Son.
Pub Crawl Survivors
The prettiest bathroom we have ever seen (inside Coco)!
At the very last "disco", Coco, our guide, O.D., threw up his arms and said, "It's the last bar, I can drink!" We went on inside and had our final shot of the evening, which tasted like toothpaste. For reasons which Tiffany knows, I thought it was convenient. After about an hour or two of shenanigans in Coco, Tiffany and I decided we wanted to go back to El Son (they don't have a website, but I gave a link to the world's best bars site where you will find El Son at #99).
I have no idea how we found El Son. It's not like we knew the area, plus we weren't in the best frame of mind to remember directions! We had to walk about six blocks through groups of people who were just hanging out on the street. There was this one group of guys that were randomly chanting, showed Tiffany and I to the middle of the circle, and chanted and cheered around us. It was awkward. I had no idea what was going on, but I saw Tiffany getting out of it so I just followed. Miraculously El Son was on the next street!
When we walked up to the door, the bouncer that looked like a big teddy bear said that the only way we could get in is if he gets kisses on his cheeks, so, I leaned over the table and gave him the traditional Spanish kiss, one on each side. After that lovely moment, Tiffany and I walked happily into the bar. It was literally no longer than three minutes before we were approached to dance. I danced with three different guys this time. One asked me to dinner because he supposedly fell in love with me during the one dance we shared. Poor guy... he tried. My favorite was the last guy from Cuba. He knew how to salsa and made it fun! He kept saying I was a good dancer, but I don't know if he was just saying that so I feel better about myself or what, but I'll take it!
Around 5 a.m. the next morning, we casually get back to our hotel, rested our little heads on our pillows, and fell asleep.
After our awesome night out, we were surprised to find out that we woke up only five hours after we got in. We were feeling pretty rough so we thought we would take Paula's advice and go to Chocolatería San Gines. Tiffany and I shared one order of churros and each had our own chocolate. It definitely hit the spot. This place is well-known among the locals because it is one of the few places that is open all night for those who may get the late night munchies (aka after going to bars).
Chocolatería San Gines
Churros with (hot) chocolate!
During our tour, we saw this statue with his rear-end facing the street. It was funny because his cheeks were the shiniest part of the statue. We saw this as a great opportunity for some "cheeky" pictures.
Paula had mentioned to us a pub called El Madroño, mainly for their Madroño shot. If you were not aware, the symbol of Spain is the bear with a madroño tree. The liquor used in a madroño shot is from the madroño berry. It is served in a chocolate coated ice cream cone! To be honest, I don't know how I ever had a shot in a regular shot glass before this. What could be better than taking a delicious shot followed by eating a chocolate covered cone? Exactly what I thought, nothing.
Near Plaza Mayor and Mercado de San Miguel is a small pizza shop called Sobre Cero Pizzas. It is quick, cheap, and ammmmaaaazzzinnngg pizza! I may have liked the margarita pizza because it had a taste of Scranton, PA's red pizza, but who knows?! It was delicious and I am craving it as we speak!
Just look at that cheese.... is your mouth watering yet?
So you remember how I said the original intent of the trip was to meet up with Hector and Keshawna? Well, that never happened, but I did see Hector! Originally, Hector was trying to convince me to run a 10k in Madrid since he was running the marathon. This would usually be an easy "ok," but I had been ill, so I wasn't prepared for that distance. It just so happened that when Tiffany and I were looking for El Rastro, a famous market, we saw a leg of the marathon and decided to watch it for a bit. I took the picture below so I could prove to Hector that I saw the marathon, but I had no idea that moments after snapping this shot I would actually see him running! I was too slow in my reaction to take a picture of him, so the other pictures just show the point after he passed us. He was wearing all black during the race if that proves anything. I was too busy being the only person cheering in English.
Before Hector
After Hector
Some other sites we saw, or pictures I felt you may like to see are Plaza de Colón, San Francisco Basilica, Geppetto, our yummy fro-yo from llaollao, the Crystal Palace, Retiro Park, and the Metro.
Plaza de Colón
View from San Francisco Basilica
San Francisco Basilica
El Rastro is said to be the largest market in Europe. Each Sunday, the streets are packed tightly with booths selling anything from clothing to cookware. I personally found it difficult to enjoy because I felt like it was complete chaos! And some of the booths made it feel like a flea market... which isn't really my thing.
El Rastro
Geppetto
Pinochio!
llaollao
Random Story: As Tiffany and I were wondering through Retiro Park to find the Crystal Palace, we spotted a mariachi band! Just as I was about to say, "I must take a picture of them because it reminds me of home," some guy and his friend walk right in front of us and starts talking... in Spanish. I didn't see them at first because all of my attention was on the mariachis, but Tiffany grabbed my arm and had the look on her face saying I have absolutely no idea what this guy is saying! Help! Well, he realized then that we don't speak Spanish and we were awkwardly asking one another if we spoke the other's language. Of course, my Spanish was as good as his English. He eventually called over another friend who was fluent in English. He gets him to talk to us and what does he do? He flirts with us! To be honest, Tiffany and I thought the first guy was going to ask us for directions. False. They were wanting us to go to a pub for drinks. It got really awkward because Tiffany was just sitting there laughing, so I had to actually speak. I had no idea what she would want to do in that situation so I just kept agreeing with things he said. Somehow, how I don't remember because it became a blurr, we got away from that awkward situation. All we could say was, "I can't believe they just stopped us!" and "Guys do not do that back home."
Crystal Palace
Artwork being sold outside the Crystal Palace
The Mariachi Band
Madrid Metro
The last day we were in Madrid, we ate at Mercado de San Miguel. This is a well-known mercado in the city, with a large selection of food, wine, and treats. We just had to try some paella, so we opted for a serving of vegetable paella at one of the booths.
Because we can, we decided to have a nice glass of wine with our paella. We chose Pinkleton & Wine because there was an open area for us to stand and eat our food. The wine was fantastic! We honestly don't know why we didn't make more of an effort to eat here. There were so many places we would have wanted to try! Well, that's a lie, I know exactly why we didn't go... the last time we went we could barely get in the door! There were so many people!
... excuse me sir... this is not a FULL glass!
Tiffany and I thought it would be a great idea to see a bullfight. After all, what is more Spanish than that? Just before we leave for Spain, Tiffany's boyfriend (hey Nick!) decides to inform us that they kill the bull. WHAT?! We honestly had no idea that this happened! We also didn't realize how bad it would be because we still went. People were literally staring at us! Why? Because both Tiffany and I were on the verge of tears, hands over our mouths, and cheering for the bulls.
Las Ventas
The first part of the fight was fine, and what we expected bull fighting to be. The matador would essentially tease the bull with the cape and make it run through it.
¡Vamos Torro!
But there are apparently four rounds to bullfighting. If you are squeamish at all or a member of PETA, I suggest skipping the next paragraph... seriously.
The first round, like I mentioned, is teasing the bull and getting it frustrated with the movement of the cape. In the second round, matadors on horses stay on the outside of the ring and stab the bull as it rams itself into the horse. In round three, two matadors are responsible for getting two weighted sticks latched on to the pierced flesh of the bull in order to open the wound for round four. In the final round, a matador teases the bull again for a while and eventually stabs the poor thing in its open wound. Some bulls collapse right away, but others were fighters and endured the pain of the sword. Sadly, the matadors had a fix for the bulls with more endurance. They would get the bull moving side to side so the sword would cut up their insides, eventually killing the bull. I think I was just so stunned that I couldn't move because I don't know how I stayed.
The hotel we stayed at was Eurostars Zarzuela Park Hotel. The hotel was really nice, clean, and had friendly service. My only complaint is it's distance from the central part of the city. It made it difficult to plan for a night out and dinner options because there weren't any restaurants or convenience stores nearby. It was convenient however, that public transport was located right outside of the hotel, so it wasn't difficult to get around. Overall, thumbs up!
There were so many reasons why this trip was amazing, it is difficult to name one thing. But if I had to choose, I may shock you with my response. My favorite part was communicating in Spanish. I'm not saying I am bilingual, I don't consider myself to be, unless you consider Spanglish an official language. Throughout school I would take Spanish courses, mostly due to requirements, but I often showed promise in my work. It was unfortunate for me that I didn't have the opportunity to practice Spanish outside of school, especially because I know I would be really good at it. More often than not, whenever I mention that I am Hispanic or that I am from New Mexico, I am asked if I know Spanish. It makes me sad knowing that I don't and it wasn't because of a lack of trying. My grandparents (on my mom's side) are fluent in Spanish, but they refused to teach their children and grandchildren (except for the youngest of my cousins because they love them more... haha jk) Spanish because they were discriminated against for not speaking in English. This happened in both school and at work. I guess I liked this part the most because I proved to myself that I do know quite a bit of Spanish and was able to connect to a part of my heritage that I was missing out on.
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