Saturday, May 13, 2006

Not everyone's taste


I don't really want to start a debate about the wrongs and rights of bullfighting. We live in Spain and accept that bullfighting is a part of the Spanish culture. It is clearly not popular amongst most Brits here and not even amongst many Spaniards. I don't suppose anyone really enjoys seeing bulls being killed but that is the inevitable end game of a very spectacular display of courage and skill by the participants.

The month of May is when Madrid celebrates its patron saint San Isidro. As part of the celebration the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas hosts fights each night. Las Ventas is regarded as being the best bullring in the world and attracts crowds of 25,000 each night to witness the spectacle. Tickets are expensive especially for the better seats on nights when top bullfighters and the best bulls are taking part.

We watched the two nights which were broadcast on Canal + last year. This year, with a little more understanding, we were able to appreciate the spectacle more. Wednesday night they had a thunderstorm in Madrid which did nothing to dampen down the quality of the fights. Last night the weather was perfect but the crowd didn't warm as much to the matadors. No one was awarded the bull's ear or carried out in honour at the end of the event.

So, not to everyones taste but still a marvellous spectacle.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Your are Nice. And so is your site! Maybe you need some more pictures. Will return in the near future.
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