Toreador, en garde, Toreador, Toreador!

On the 19^th of June, the four HCers and Meggs, a new friend from the program, went to a bullfight. Spain is famous for it's bullfights, both how they are loved here and how they are hated here as well. From attending a bullfight and walking through the museum under the bullring with Trinity, I've learned a lot about this classic sport. Let me share some of what I've discovered.

Bullfighting has evolved dramatically over the years. When it began, it was a sport of chaos. The crowd sat around the ring in the stadium watching as several Toreros (or matadors or bullfighters – all the same people) fought several bulls all at the same time. Our guide mentioned a number around 8 or 9 bulls and fighters. Toreros could be on foot or on horses, and there was a little hole in the center of the ring that the men could jump in to hide from the bull. There were also dogs and cats in the ring to, in the dog's case, fight the bull or, in the cat's case, be thrown by the torero to distract the bull. They finally outlawed the participation of dogs and the throwing of cats in the mid 1800s. The horses that the Toreros rode didn't have armor, as they do now, to protect the horse from the bull's horns as they charged the Torero. The horses were given armor to wear in 1950 but until that time, every horse ridden into the ring died along with the bulls. Sometimes in the scuffle, a bull would jump over the railing round the ring and escape into the crowd. It was complete and bloody chaos with dead bulls, horses, dogs, cats, and men.  

The game now is very different. It's almost become a dance, all about elegance and perfection. This is what happens. First before anythings starts, the ring is watered down thoroughly to avoid dust.

Then, the event begins. There is a band sitting in the audience that creates a soundtrack to the fight. There are certain tunes or sounds that happen with every fight to announce the entrance of a new player or the death of the bull, but sometimes, the band will play when the matador is really good and the fight deserves a little drama. At the very beginning of the event, the band plays to announce a parade of participants. All the players the audience will see in the fight parade around the outside of the ring to receive encouragement and applause from the public.  

There are three main human players in a bullfight, the picadores, the bandieros, and the torero. All three types of fighters make one “team” that all works together to kill the bull. The torero is responsible, in most cases, for both picking his team and paying them. One fight with one bull lasts about 25 minutes. There are three toreros and team in each event and six bulls, two for every torero. The fight begins when the gate opens to release the bull into the ring, hopefully running.

The first five minutes are dedicated to the torero who comes out and gets to know the bull. The torero, at this point, has a fuchsia cape that he uses to control the bull. He goads the bull into running a few times to decipher the personality of the bull, is it very strong, aggressive, intelligent, and things of this nature. He then exits the ring to the side to watch the rest of the team work.

The second party to come into the ring (or third if you count the bull) are the picadores. The picadores are usually bigger in stature and very strong. They're mounted on horses who have been completely blindfolded between the parade and the fight. There are two picadores although when we saw the fight only one interacted with the bull and the other was for backup, I'm guessing. When the bull charges the horse, the picador uses his huge lance to stab the bull in the shoulders. I read that if they're successful, they should wound the tendons that assist the bull in raising it's head. If the bull can't raise its head, the horns are significantly less of a threat. The horses, as I've mentioned, wear armor now and are not killed as the bull smashes into their sides. However, it was still the most frightening part of the fight for me. You can hear the huge horse grunt as the bull hits it's side, often lifting the horse onto three legs and sometimes two with the force. I was always afraid the horse would fall over. This process takes about 5 minutes as well.

Next come the bandieros, in my opinion, the gutsyist fighters of the team. On foot, the two bandieros must face the bull until it charges and then the bandiero jumps and sticks two bandillos in the shoulder/neck area of the bull. The bandieros both stick two pairs of bandillos in the bull, eight in total. The bandillos are sharp, hooked barbs that stay in the bull, making bright colorful stripes on it's back to join the color of the blood that, by this time in the fight, is running down its shoulders and legs. The bandieros, if they're good, can make their part in the fight so exciting and the crowd often participates in this part of the fight with ooos and ahhhs and much applause. A good bandiero can jump with effortless grace making this terribly frightening job look easy. This also takes about 5 minutes.

Finally, the hero returns to the ring. The torero comes out again to face the bull, this time with a red cape. Contrary to past belief, bulls only see in black and white; they cannot see red nor do they become enraged by it. The colors are just for tradition. Bulls are actually only attracted to the movement of the capes. The torero enters to the musical announcement of the band and the applause of the crowd. Then, he “dances” with the bull. The torero is all about elegance, with his arched back and slow, measured movements. Even his crazy outfit, the suit of light or traje de luzes, looks elegant as it sparkles in the lights. The point of the dance is to show the skill of the torero to make the bull do what the torero wants. The best is when a torero can make the bull charge several times continuously all around the torero. When this happens, the happy crowd counts the charges with “Olé! Olé! Olé!” Finally, the torero inches his cape along the ground, encouraging the bull to follow it with it's hooves and get very close to the torero so he can kill it with a sword. A good torero can get the entire blade of the sword into the bull at a certain angle to kill the bull almost instantly with only one stab. That is what the crowd cheers for. This last for about 10 minutes so after 25 minutes, bull one is dead.

If a torero is really good, the president of the bullfighting ring will wave a white handkerchief and the torero will be awarded the ear of the bull. Two handkerchiefs mean two ears, and on the very rare occasion, three handkerchiefs mean two ears and the tail. Also on the very rare occasion, the president may decide that the bull is so valiant that he does not have to fight to the death but is set free to procreate other little valiant bulls. After the bull is killed in the ring, a team of three mules comes out and drags out the body to the fanfare of the band and cheering of the crowd. The bull is then butchered for meat that is sold at local supermarkets and the tail (if it's not in the hand of the triumphant torero) is served as a delicacy at restaurants.

There has been a lot of discussion about the ethics of bullfighting, the cruelty of making an animal suffer and die for entertainment. We talked to a fan behind us and she said that this is what these bulls are breed for, that to fight in the ring is their purpose. And it really is honoring the bull to give him such a good life and valiant end. I thought about this and it really makes a lot of sense. I looked up how the bulls are raised, and it's every animal's dream. They are fed like kings, with special grain mixes, alfalfa, and vitamins. They receive regular veterinary care, plenty of rest and (most extraordinary in my mind) plenty of space. The bulls are raised on large ranches with space to roam for the duration of their five or six years of life. When I compare this to the beef industry which raises cows in feedlots, pumps them full of hormones, gives them only enough space to sway, not walk, and butchers them after one or two years of this miserable existence, I wonder which industry is more inhumane? I disprove of violence and entertainment, but I also disapprove of hamburgers when I stop to think about it. I'll have to keep thinking on this issue. I'm glad I went to a bullfight. It's probably a one time experience, but I'm glad I went. 

June 14, 2011

Last Tuesday, the group visited one of the most interesting towns I have ever seen. We hopped on a train to Segovia. First adventure of the day: we were all really tired (a common theme for these first days) and fell asleep in our train seats. The train was stopping in Segovia, not making it it's final destination there. We were all sleeping peacefully and we kind of noticed the train stop but we were comfortable and sleepy and didn't think much of it for a second. Then Andrea bolts up and asks the passenger next to us, where are we? Turns out we were in Segovia and we had almost slept through the stop. The four of us went from lethargic to running very quickly. Our passenger neighbors watched us run off the train with pity in their eyes. Those poor silly Americans.

We took a taxi from the station to the aqueduct. If you want to be humbled, take a trip to Segovia and stand next to the aqueduct. Built in 50CE, it is completely stone on stone architecture without a drop or mortar to hold the stones together. They are just cut perfectly and placed perfectly together to create just enough tension to keep the arches in place. The Romans might justly get a bad wrap, but they did built cool things. I couldn't stop thinking about how it existed during the New Testament! There were also tons of birds wheeling about. Their shadows on the city and aqueduct reminded me of disco lights. I had to laugh at the paradox of old and new in my head.

We took the stairs to the top of the aqueduct and soaked up the incredible view. The city is lovely and old. Not “vieja,” my Professor would say but “Antiqua.” Old, but still breathtakingly beautiful. We continued on the path that brought us above the aqueduct. The city is so hilly, we joked that Jillian Micheals would be proud of us as we walked everywhere. There were some fun stores that we stopped in including a Spanish equivalent of a dollar store. Here, they are £2 stores. We also found (wonder of wonders) DRINKING FOUNTAINS! We were so excited! We all took drinks and splashed in the water for a while. We even took pictures with the drinking fountains. I noticed a few more pitying glances at the crazy American women. There were also fresh fruit and vegetable stands, something we hadn't been able to find in Madrid.

One of the buildings we stubbled upon was a little cathedral that we were allowed to go in for free. Again, I marveled at the intricate art that was so old! This particular cathedral had a pipe organ which was interesting to me. There were two altars in the front of the cathedral, one to Jesus and one to Mary.

By this time, we were becoming a little hungry. When breakfast is at 8 and lunch isn't until 2 or 3, it is imperative that you eat a little snack in between. We stopped at a little bar and ordered drinks and gazpacho. Think of Spanish bars the same way you think of English pubs. They serve alcohol like American bars, but they are really more like restaurants. Anyway, the gazpacho was delightful – cool and fresh with a little tang from some type of pepper, I think.

After our “merienda” (snack) we made our way through the narrow streets to the Alcazar. It's impossible to approach the Alcazar and not feel like a medieval princess. Segovia's Alcazar was the castle that Walt Disney modeled Sleeping Beauty's castle after. (Picture the Disney logo with the shooting star over the castle – that castle) The Alcazar was an incredible building that had many uses over history: home of royals, prison, and soldier training headquarters. We purchased tickets to tour it and I wondered as I entered what it must have been like to walk past the moat and the impressive gates as a queen of Spain – it was a rather romantic thought.

We toured the castle with the help of a brochure that they gave us with the tickets. The castle was very expensive with linen walls, velvet carpets, inlayed ceilings, portraits and stained glass everywhere. I was beautiful! The most impressive parts of each room were the carved ceilings – they were amazing. Everyone in the group had lived in, visited, or at least studied Latin America, so we couldn't help but feel a little dirty walking through luxury gained through colonialism. When the Alcazar was in it's glory, the royalty of Spain was exploiting the natives in their Latin American colonies. Another thing that struck me were the bloody murals often lining the walls. For an age that is so glorified – the age of knights and princesses – it didn't seem all that great to me. Also, many of the murals were religious. There were depictions of saints doing horrible things to people or the grotesque bodies of martyrs.

To me, the Alcazar was like a mirror. Thinking about colonialism made me reflect on my own countries history of colonialism. Seeing the bloody religious history made me think about the things that we do now in the name of Christ. The contemporaries of the Alcazar thought their Christianity was true, and we think ours is too, but will future generations look back at us and shake their heads saying, like I did at the Alcazar, “What Christ did they follow?”

After our trip to the Alcazar, we stopped to rejuvenate with some churros (a delicacy I will miss when I have to go home) and then headed to the train station. We took the metro right from the train station to the house of Carmen and Carlos. Their family is such a complete blessing. When we arrived, Carlos was in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Baby Clara was on the floor giggling as she played with various unrelated household objects. Carmen was at the door to greet us and give us all cheek to cheek besitos. All the ladies (Carmen, the four of us, Clara, and their dog) took a walk in their lovely urban neighborhood while Carlos finished preparing dinner. Andrea and Carmen tried to catch up between the girl's questions – What is this? How do you say it in Spanish? How does that work?

When we got back to the apartment, I nearly cried. Carlos had laid a feast on the table with food intentionally chosen from each of Spain's regions. There were so many platters of tapas, they filled two tables – we had to switch out plates halfway through the meal. That kind of generosity is not something you encounter everyday. When we sat down to eat, the questions started again. “What is this? Where is it from? Why is it famous? It is a common food or only for special occasions? How do you say it, again?” As the four Americans ranted and raved about the fabulous roasted peppers and whitefish, anchovies, white asparagus, jamon iberica, olives, empanadas, and many cheeses, I caught Carmen mouthed over the table to her husband, “te quiero – I love you.”  

Holy Toledo!

June 12, 2011. Sunday

Now that I've settled unto a home in Sevilla and we're not running around all the time, I can write about our day in Toledo! We traveled to Toledo on Sunday, June 12. After one of the most solid nights of sleep I have ever had. I was so tired! Andrea woke us up in the morning and we prepared for a day of turing the city of Toledo. We took the metro to the train station and caught the Renfe train. Andrea had worked hard on booking us tickets before our trip and that was such a plus when we got there – we were all set to go already (not to mention she got a deal).

As we were giving our tickets to the officers to board the train, there was a group of people also from the US in front of us. They were having some trouble figuring out what line to be in which caused some problems with the tickets. As they tried to explain the situation to the ticket guards, they kept talking louder and slower in English, once in a while throwing in a Spanish word like seis which they pronounced "seez" while holding up seven fingers. It frightened me that I might look like that so some people. I hope I'm a more sensitive communicator. They were pretty nice people though, we talked with them a little one the train. One big difference I noticed about train travel here that I appreciate - they check your bags before you go on. You are not allowed any sharp or dangerous objects. In the US, you just hop on a train with whatever you want in your bag which has created some frightening situations for me in the past on American trains. They're not picky, just don't try to bring a big scary knife on board.

The trip was speedy, only 30 or so minutes before we were welcomed to Toledo. When we got off the train, we were in awe at the beautiful train station! We wondered, if this is the train station, what does the rest of the city look like? We weren't disappointed.

This is the shockingly lovely train station. 

After catching a taxi to the Plaza Zocadover in the center of Toledo, we sat down and had some breakfast. Our waitress was rather surly but this is not uncommon because wait staff aren't tipped here according to good service. She was especially confused when Jill, Andrea, and Megan ordered big bocadillos – lunch food – at 9:30am. Oops. I guess we didn't know that when we ordered. Did I mention that all the orange juice here is freshly squeezed? It's ridiculously good.

The square where we ate is very old and famous. It's a funny hodgepodge of architectural styes because so many different cultures have lived in Toledo. During the inquisition, public executions and bull fights were carried out there. During the Arab era, it was a fresh food and livestock market. It was crazy to sit there sipping my café con leche, imagining all the lives that existed there.

Toledo, I'm told, is Spain's “Rome.” It has been occupied by Jew, Muslims, and Christians, and fought over fiercely. The huge cathedral there was once, like many cathedrals in Spain, a mosque. The phrase “Holy Toledo!” comes from all the conflicts that have gone on there over religion.

After breakfast, we went exploring. We really had no concrete plans, we just wandered and looked and read. We shopped a little, walked around the cathedral and got lost a couple times. We had an ice cream to refresh ourselves and walked some more. Andrea had a guide book that served it's purpose really well – it had a lot of good information for us about the things we were seeing. A couple nice knowledgeable peopled helped us out too. For example, we found this traffic device at an intersection. For one of the streets on the intersection, there was a red light that never turned green and a big road block in the middle of the street so that cars can't pass. We were puzzled by this and so we fiddled with it for a long time. I bet we looked like little squirrels examining a nut or something. We were poking it and scratching it, whacking it and just staring. We must have looked pretty dumb because a little old lady from Toledo stopped and explained to us that you put a ticket in a little machine in the wall and the light turns green and the road block sinks into the street. We get it now.

Toledo has these smart canvases strung across the street to provide shade for the pedestrians. We were very thankful for this clever invention. 

After walking for a long time, we took a little bus tour. That was a great plan because it was shaded on the top deck, we didn't have to walk, and it told us lots of fun information about both the old city, and the surrounding area that we also toured. As we were coming back into the city, the bells of the clock tower were chiming - when I say bells, I don't mean they ding like in Holland. They sounded like the wedding bells in The Sound of Music. I felt like Maria Von Trapp!  

One things that I noticed (and continue to notice as we continue to travel) is how all the most beautiful parts of culture – the art, the architecture, the literature, things of this nature – used to come from religious motives. Religion used to be the leader of culture back when Toledo was in it's hayday. Now, it seems just the opposite. Religious people are seen as stiflers of culture – who fight against culture and art. Sometimes, I think this stereotype is very accurate. I think it's interesting how the pendulum swings.

Along those same lines, I loved looking at the religious splendor all around the city and marveling that at the beauty that was made for the love of God. The intricate stonework, the wall reliefs, the murals, to me, seemed like acts of worship. Halelu!

When we got back to Madrid, we shopped a little. By the time we got back to the Hotel Villar that evening, we were very tired but we had lots of time left in the night. We took showers and little naps and then got dressed in our nice clothes (or new purchases of the day) and went to the Plaza Mayor area for a special treat from the Nyhofs. We ate dinner at the oldest restaurant in the world! It was so completely cool. I had the roasted lamb, a house speciality. I couldn't believe how good it tasted. Our waiter was a fun guy who seemed to like his job. He knew a little English and practiced a little with us. It was such a exciting treat to each such high quality restaurant with such high quality food and a high quality history!

Jamón Iberica is very delicious when paired with honeydew melón!

June 13 – a day in Madrid

June 13 – a day in Madrid

Here are some observations I've made about Madrid in the short time I've been here. Some of them are things that I actually wonder about - there are probably answers, I just don't know them. Others are simply observations that I've enjoyed making. I've only seen a couple specific parts of the city in a few short days, but this is what I think this far. 

1. Madrid is efficient more than fast

The pace of life in Madrid doesn't seem to be fast like the pace of life in the United States. In the US, work always comes before play. In Madrid, diversion is just as important as work to many of the people we've met. It's a cool worldview.

Although the pace of life may not be breakneck, what is done is done quickly. Everything is efficient here. The public garbage cans are made to be emptied (they tip on hinges), the metros are fast and maneuverable, the traffic lights are short.

                                  Look! And efficient metro! It moves so many people at one time! 

2. Madrid is proud of it's history

This morning (the 14th), we met Carmen at the school that she works. She gave us a grand tour and told us happily that her school is the second oldest institution in Madrid. They have a library of super old books of all kinds, classics, sciences, social studies, history. Many of them were from the 1600 and 1700s, if I remember correctly. She was so gleeful when she saw our awed faces. The librarian we met talked and talked about all the famous and influential people of history who have come through their school system. She was so excited to share with us, even if her rapid talking was hard for me to understand.

Carmen also showed us a beautiful meeting room with incredibly old chairs and tables from when the institute started. They still use them! In the halls, here are benches that are just as old with the crest of the school carved on them. Carmen told us that they are so old they really could be in a museum (that valuable, too) but the students use them to sit in the halls everyday. They respect them and the history that they represent and so they are never vandalized.

3. Madrid never sleeps

People here don't seem to sleep. I don't understand it. They eat late and get home late – around 2-3am ish. Then they go to work at 9am in the morning. How do they do it? When do they sleep and get all their work done? Maybe it's all the espresso style drinks like café con leche...

Jill and I are confused because the handles for our café con leche cups aren't big enough for our fingers

4. Madrid is dehydrated

People here don't seem to drink enough water. I don't understand it. The tap water is not advised to drink although some people do. I think it is used mostly for cooking. All the other water is sold in bottles for £2 a bottle if you're lucky. We went to a restaurant this evening that charged £4! I'm always thirsty. How do they do it?

We stopped in a little restaurant to get water and they gave us a plate of olives too! They were so good - much more yummy than the imported ones back home. 

5. Madrid is insanely clean

The streets are cleaned every morning by machines and power washers. They are many, many men and women in green uniforms cleaning the city all the time. The streets are always litter free and the trashes always emptied. The metros are clean too – it's wonderful!

6. Madrid smokes

From what I can tell, the majority of the people in Madrid smoke cigarettes. It is just very different from the way Holland is set up especially. In Holland, we aren't allowed to smoke within 100ft of a building or in a building. In Madrid, people smoke everywhere all the time. There are signs agains it in the metro and in clothing stores, but other than that, everything is fair game.

7. Madrid looks good all the time

Everyone in Madrid is beautiful. I don't understand it. Everyone is chic and put together. The women always good great with their heels or unique sandals, their hair done, their make-up perfect. The men are fashionable too. We commented at the Plaza Mayor tonight that we would probably break ankles in seconds if we wore heels on the uneven cobblestones there. But we saw a lot of women wearing heels there. What talent. We always feel really classy when we trip over the uneven stone streets (which is often) or spill things (also not an uncommon occurrence). 

Also, we have observed a lack of children here. We know they're here, we just don't know where. We've seen a couple young children maybe under the age of 5. But where are the elementary age ones, the middle school age ones and the high school aged ones? We saw them at Carmen's school, but not on the street. Maybe families with children only live in suburb-type areas. Finally, I've been told it's cultural to not spend much time in the house – most of the day is spent out. My question is then, where do people put their stuff? All the women carry little fashionable purses and that's it! When I stay away from my house for a whole day, my car is filled with stuff for the day, how can they fit it all in a purse?

8. Madrid has no sales tax

This makes buying things a lot easier because a) when you see on the tag is what you pay. You don't have to figure the extra into your calculations. b) most things are in even Euros and cents then. It's handy. I like it.

7. In Madrid, if you want service, you have to be aggressive.

We went out to the “Museo de Jamon” (Ham Museum) for lunch during our day in Madrid. It sounds like a museum, but really it's just a restaurant. While waiting for the counter space or order, Jill and Megan struck up a conversation with some people sitting at the counter with their food already. They were ignored for a very long time because they couln't get out of the conversation nor would the server pay attention to them because they didn't look like they needed help – they were talking. It was very funny. Andrea and I got our food and started eating and watched. Jill and Megan were stuck and not getting any attention from the waiter. 

These are the guys who were engaging us in conversation. One was studying to become a biologist. 

8. Madrid it is a melting pot of people (ethnicities, cultures, languages)

As with most big cities, there are tons if different people here from languages (we've hear a lot more than just Spanish!) to ethnicities, to cultures, to countries of origin. So many people move to Madrid from all over. The desk man at our hotel is from Peru and is studying English part time. He's asked Andrea for help with his worksheets once or twice. At Carmen's school, we talked to the students for a while and ALL of them except for one or two were from other countries in South and Central America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East. It's amazing what a beautiful mezcla of people there are here.

9. Madrid is a city after my own heart.

It's not humid.

There are ice cream/frozen yogurt/gelato shops EVERYWHERE.