| Bullfight at Plaza de Toros We miraculously found the meeting point for our bullfight tour with Julia Travel. Much to our surprise, we were given a quick tour of the city before heading off to the arena. We stopped off at Atocha Station which has a mini tropical forest in the middle of it. Bizarre but beautiful! Unfortunately, the humidity was suffocating so I didn’t last long in there. We finally arrived at Plaza de Toros where we spent some time at the souvenir booths outside of the building. I think I bought a postcard of a bullfight poster. The building is beautiful as its design was influenced by Moorish architecture. We took a few photos and then meandered through the crowds to get to our seats. Thankfully, it was a cloudy day or else we would’ve baked in our "sun" seats. Shaded seats are more expensive. For the first fight, I was rooting for the bull. He was clever and the matador repeatedly underestimated him. Once I noticed the blood dripping from the wounds in its shoulders, the novelty of the experience turned into a gruesome fascination. I wanted to leave but I couldn’t. I had to watch the inevitable which did not end in cries of death but it wasn't my idea of humane either. I think I left after the second fight and took close-up photos of the stadium. I felt guilty about leaving Marisol so I went back inside but I was ready to leave. Bullfight etiquette: don’t get up to use the bathroom during the fight. Wait until the intermission periods between the fights to leave and return. Oh, and don’t block anyone’s view. But you can smoke with total abandon and disregard for the nonsmokers around you. |