At the Plaza del Toro, there are bullfights on Sundays and holidays. We got tickets to go to the bullfight on Sunday afternoon. None of us really knew what we were in for, and it ended up being a very gruesome sport. Ryan had mentioned before the bullfight started that they kill the bull afterwards, and I wasn't sure why. After watching just the first bull, it's clear why. The bullfighters injure the bull so much during the bullfight that it would be cruel not to kill the bull after it's all said and done. In total, there are 6 bullfights with 3 bullfighters alternating to take 2 bulls each. Each bullfighter has a team to help him. They are all dressed in skin-tight, flashy outfits and they wave hot pink pieces of cloth in front of the bull. When the bull begins to charge, they hide behind a wooden panel for safety. There is one main bullfighter who never hides behind the panels and is the leader of the team. At the sound of the first horn, 2 horses come out, each ridden by a guy with a spear. The poor horses are blindfolded, taped up, and protected by a soft armor. Once the bull charges at the horse, the guy riding the horse pierces the bull with the spear. In one case, the bull kept charging the horse to the point that the horse fell to the ground. The other bullfighters waved their pink cloths to distract the bull while others helped the horse back to its feet. Once the horns blow again, the horses depart, and one of the bullfighters attempts to pierce the bull two more times. He charges at the bull and aims to pierce the bull in its back. The bullfighters continue to tire out the bull by waving the hot pink cloths. After the sound of another horn, the main bullfighter uses a red cloth to provoke the bull, and when the bullfighter feels it is time, he retrieves a spear from outside the ring to pierce the bull as a final blow. Once the spear is inside, the other bullfighters all come out and wave their pink cloths until the bull falls to the ground. There were a couple of cases where the bull fell to the ground immediately after being speared, but there were other cases where the bull fought on for several minutes before falling to the ground. Once the bull is on the ground, a tool is used to pierce the bull in the brain. It's so sad, so gruesome, and would be so illegal in the States - animal cruelty! The dead bull is tied to the back of 3 horses and is dragged out of the stadium. Next, the blood stained dirt is removed then the next bull enters into the stadium.
For dinner, we all headed to Museo del Jamon. Quinn and I shared a sampler plate of different meat and some cheese. Although the meat and cheese were good, it was nothing phenomenally better than getting slices of meat at one of the markets.
We all parted ways...
Next stop for Quinn and me: Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France
Next stop for Ricardo and Ryan: Florence, Italy
Next stop for Kevin and Daniela: Rome, Italy
Quinn and I were on our way back to our hotel when we decided to make another stop at the cerveceria to get another bocadillo de calamares and a tortilla espanola - twice in one day and three times in less than 48 hours!
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