The Beach & a Bullfight

Today we woke up after a late night arrival in Riviera del Sol. We secured a condo before leaving Toledo at the last minute.  $44 a night for a condo with a stunning view.  We got the keys from the owner when the morning came we had a amazing view of the Mediterranean and vast mountainsides full of condos and apartments. We headed straight to the beach to soke up some rays and try the water.....hace frio! We both thought the water was a bit cold, but after laying in the sun for a couple hours, diving right in the sea was very refreshing.

With a lil tan going we decided to head South West for lunch and in search of a market to inquire about bullfight tickets. Why? Because every Sunday in the spring/summer there are bullfights. We hopped in the car and headed to Marbella to locate the market. No luck at this market, we were instructed to go to the market in Puerto Banus, just a few kilometers away. Little did we know Puerto Banus is the retreat for the who`s who of Europe. According to the guide book there are more Rolls Royce`s per capita than anywhere else in the world. Once we found this swanky market in the middle of an outdoor shopping mall we found the ticket counter. And the directioning was all en espanol, so we are lucky it only took an hour!

Not remembering what our tour guide told us the day before in Madrid plaza de torros, we opted for the cheap seats at 40 euro a piece. The sports ticket man that I am thought no way it was sold out and we could move around. No problem we thought and then went and found some lunch and hopped back in the Med after to cool off. We then left the ritzy beach town to go back to Marbella as we had an hour until the bullfight and giving us enough time to get lost and find parking.

We arrived at the Plaza de Torros and had about 20minutes til the start. There was a line at the ticket window, maybe our plan to move around would back fire? On the way into the arena a man was perched behind a cement counter with cardboard signs with the words "BAR" scribbled on them. I had Caitlin take a picture for all to see. "Agua, Fanta, Coca Cola, Cerveza!" The man shouted. Little did we know that was not the last time we would here that phrase. We climbed 7 rows up in the middle if our side of the arena and found the seats. Not a bad view, seemed great. After a look around we noticed the different in price. The arena was broken into 8 sections split in half by two railings. The one side completely in the natural shade of the arena. The other side was in direct sunlight. The tour guide the day before told us you always want to sit in the shade, so our tickets were directly in the middle of the sunny side. After five minutes and two bottles of water I looked at Caitlin and we just laughed cause we knebw there was no way we weren't going to get sun burnt and no way not to sweat our asses off. *I really thought we were going to end up with heatstroke. It was that bad.

As more tourists filed into the seats around us we overheard a British man sum up the seating location nicely, "This is a bloody endurance test!" He exclaimed as sweat poured down his long sleeve dress shirt.

Another great experience of the bullfight was the drink hawkers. There was one peanut and chips girl. Then there was a combination of four men carrying dual 5 gallon buckets filled with with drinks and ice. These four men covered the entire arena, which we estimate seated about 12,000. Today, it was only a 1/3 full. But alas, these four drink vendors did not leave any seat unatainable. I watched as they scurried in and out of crowds in the rows, they took the buckets up and down steps countless times. All while shouting "Agua, Fanta, Coca Cola, Cerveza!" All for 2 euro each.

As the time approached for the fight, I thought I must have a cerveza for this, alas.."Agua, Fanta, Coca Cola, Cerveza!" Perfect timing by the vendor. Always one in sight! We then watched as a parade of matadors, picadorres and bandalleros entered the arena. Then they all took their respected spots outside the ring. And then came the first bull. We watched in curriosity and amazement. After the first matador performed his skill, we both were very intrigued. Caitlin was a bit turned off, but I was more curious as to how this sport has survived? Why was this not sold out? Why was there no sponsorships anywhere? Why were we sitting on cement steps covered in bird crap? Why could thousands of people watch a bull die in arena and cheer? The answers to these questions soon, but first "Agua, Fanta, Coca Cola, Cerveza!" Ah yes, my second cerveza and time for the second matador.

There were three matadors of the day, each performed twice. The third matador was Caitlins favorite. *Because he was muy guapo:-)  "Agua, Fanta, Coca Cola, Cerveza!" While enjoying my third cerveza and starting to sweat through all layers of clothes we watched a matador perform with great movements and carisma. I started to realize some of the answers to my questions. This sport has been around in this bullring since the late 1700s and hasn't changed one bit. I assume every aspect of the contest has remained in tact. What other sport has never adapted, never sold out? Yes bull rings are used today for redbull freestyle motocross, but no enhancements have been made to this arena.

"Agua, Fanta, Coca Cola, Cerveza!" Time for another and time for a seat upgrade for the 4th bull. We moved down to the third row and on the corner of the shaded section, by this time the sade had moved to engulf nearly 60% of the arena and in a few minutes our new seats would be covered! While sitting closer we watched my favorite matador perform. He was a great showman! And not to mention he looked a lot like Tom Cruise!

*Note from Cait: I drank water because I am smart... or weak... Its not that I hated the bullfight, its that I don't know how they are allowed to do this. How is this legal? Why hasn't PETA shut this down? I mean the picadors stab them with a lance to make sure the bulls are "strong" and then dude jab colored hooks into the wound, then they let them bleed while running in circles and eventually stab them through the heart. And sometimes, like with one matador, they have to stab them like 5 times for them to die. WTF!  At least they take the bulls to the butcher and sell the meat for restaurants, but it was seriously intense watching bloody bulls drop dead.

"Agua, Fanta, Coca Cola, Cerveza!" Yeah, another. At this time we were on bull 5, in the shade, and watched the British fellow (and his three amazingly sunburnt little pale kids) fail his endurance test and exited early. "Agua, Fanta, Coca Cola, Cerveza!" One last cerveza for the last bull. Throughout the day musica was played by a 10 person band in the top of the arena, it corresponds to the different parts of the matadors performance. By the last battle, the band had stopped, taking a siesta. The local fans were a bit restless and shouting more and more. The last matador performed well, but no trophy was granted from the presidente, the restless fans then started chucking their seat cushions into the arena floor. The first matador of the day who claimed three trophies, the first ear of bull 1 and both ears of bull 2, was carried out of the arena on shoulders. As is tradition.

I enjoyed the tradition, the purity, and the cerveza. Is there a better way to spend a Sunday? In america we watch football or go to nascar, but if I lived in Spain....I would be deeply indulged in the bullfighters realm.

As we have come to realize, most people do not like the bullfights. I can definitely see why. I also did some research before coming and know animal rights groups have successfully shut down numerous bullfights over the past couple years. I am very glad I was able to catch one now. The sport will never be the same, it will continue to battle the public, maybe if they had sponsors or updated arenas it would appeal to more. But that is not bullfighting. Do not expect a Nike red cape anytime soon.