First, the bullfight…my first. A bullfight in Madrid is an event, a spectacle, and a place to see and be seen not unlike sporting events in the US except that here you know the outcome…the bull dies. At a bullfight, however, it’s not the end that counts; it’s how you get there. In this sport, it’s the skill and bravery of the matador that the crowd comes to see. They come to watch a man (and sometimes woman) face a big, charging beast with horns and subdue the animal with a grace and elegance. I’m not taking anything away from the people who practice this sport. It takes big “cojones” to pull this off and look good doing it. Each time a matador enters the ring; there is a very definite possibility that he or she could get gored and die. It’s like a very dangerous form of ballet.
I arrived at Plaza de Toros at around 5:00 and outside the arena, there were vendors selling T-shirts, souvenirs, drinks and snacks. I went inside to find my seat, which was a pretty good one, in the shade and just below the Royal Box. At 5:30, the band begins with the flourishes that signal various aspects of the pre-fight ceremony. First the cuadrillas (team) of toreros (bullfighters) enter the arena with their pink and yellow capes, dressed in their spectacular costumes, each hand-sewn garment costing thousands of Euros. There is a brief parade around the ring then all but the cuadrillas leave and the first bull enters and charges various bullfighters positioned around the ring. Then the picador enters the ring on horseback, stabs the animal in the back with a lance and leaves the ring. The matador, star of the bullfighters, then begins to dance with the bull. At various times banderilleros stab banderillas into the bulls neck further weakening the animal. This is followed by more bullfighting. The matador then stabs the bull with a sword through the nape of the neck and into the heart…the bull falls…the matador bows…the crowd applauds…they drag the animal from the ring…the cuadrillas reassemble… a new bull enters the ring and it starts again. Each fight takes around 20 minutes. That’s a gross over-simplification but you get the idea. For a much better description, click right here: http://www.madrid-guide-spain.com/madrid-bullfight.html. And, I did feel sorry for the bull. I’m from California.
Earlier, we took a tour of Palacio Real or Royal Palace. There isn’t anything like it in the States. The Palacio Real was ordered by Bourbon King Philipe V in the 18th century and completed by Carlos III. The palace tour includes just a fraction of the more than 2,000 rooms (more than any other palace in Europe) and the sights are spectacular. After viewing the opulent way the royals lived you wonder why there weren’t more revolutions. Today the King and Queen of Spain live at a more modest country estate and the Palacio Real is used only for state occasions. It’s an amazing place. Check it our right here:
http://www.travelinginspain.com/Palace.html
After the Palacio, Heather had a class and I continued my tour of the great art museums of the world by visiting the Reina Sofia, the home of Picasso’s Guernica. This is the painting that was commissioned for the Spanish pavilion at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1937 (the height of the Spanish Civil War) and depicts the bombing of the village of Guernica by the Luftwaffe on behalf of Franco. It is a very powerful painting and the surrounding Picasso exhibit makes it a must see when you are in Madrid. For more on the Reina Sofia, click here: http://www.spanisharts.com/reinasofia/reinasofia.htm. Art in Spain is truly amazing. A person could spend weeks or months seeing what exists in just the three museums I visited. If you come to Madrid, give yourself plenty of time to take it in.
Finally, it was time for a little R & R at one of the world’s great parks.
“The Retiro” formally known as Parque del Buen Retiro is a beautiful place originally developed as a royal retreat by Queen Isabella in 1505. King Phillip moved the royal court to Madrid in 1561 and the retreat was eventually expanded to what it is today. It remained off limits to the commoners until it was eventually opened to the public about a century ago and now El Retiro has become the heart of the city much like Central Park in New York. The park has over 130 hectares of woodland (1 hectare equals roughly 2.5 acres) and it’s home to over 15,000 trees. Here’s an Arial shot from Google Earth to give you an idea of what the place looks like.
If you have some time, go to Google Earth, http://earth.google.com/
enter, “Parque del Buen Retiro, Madrid Spain” and take a look around.
The green area in the top area of the picture is Estanque del Retiro, a huge artificial pond which served as the sight of naval displays back in the day and where you can now rent rowboats and put on your own display.
That's it for now. I'm writing this while we're on a supertrain to Sevilla. We're spending the next two days there and then it's on to Granada. Check back Monday for...
- The sights of Sevilla...
- Fun with Flamenco...
- And, I think this is our stop.
Hasta la vista!
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