¡Ole!

Its official. I have lost my heart to the Spanish culture... bull fight tonight= amazing...... First off, we got to the Plaza de los Toros and didn't really know what to expect. I knew it was a fundraiser for kids with downsyndrome.... so that was really neat to me. At this event, there were the three best bull fighters in Spain, (which means basically in the world) and they were doing it for charity- so neat. As an opening "act" the kids with downsyndrome got to meet, greet, and take pictures with the matadors. It was so precious- the kids were dressed up in little flamenco costumes. So adorable. After that was done, the bull fighting began! The first guy was riding a horse, and fought the bull from there! At times, I was worried that the bull was going to just lift the horse and the man up by his bucking neck.. but all went well! After that guy, there was a fighter from Cordoba, Spain. He was VERY showy. He would pound his chest,grab the bull's horn, get on his knees, go head to head with the bull... etc. The crowd LOVED him, and he was just basking in the attention! The next guy was from Madrid. He was pretty good, but not as entertaining as the others. He did this one trick that was pretty sweet tho- He spun around in a circle, and the the bull did the same thing! It was like he had already trained the bull within 3 minutes of being in the ring. The fourth matador was from Granada. His name is "Fondi". He was QUITE the showsman! The crowd obviously loved him because he was from our city. He was so smooth and poised. He looked like a gazelle out there in the ring. It was spectacular, and simply elegant to the eye. Not only was it neat to see actual bull fights, the audience life was also just as intruiging! In the crowd, there was a LOT to take in. We were sitting in the highest section, understandably, so we got to see basically everything going on! There were not only many elderly people there, but also people my age. We were actually sitting by some Spaniards that were my age. I took it upon myself to ask them questions throughout the fight. It was neat to get to interact with them, and see things from their perspective as well. It is custom to eat and drink throughout the fight, so I saw everyone with their canteens of wine and their sandwiches. It kind of cracked me up how EVERYONE had one... they knew what they were doing! Also, at the end of each fight, everyone waves a white cloth or tissue in the air, and screams. Its just their way of applause... and it was so beautiful when everyone did it! During the fight, people would yell "Ole!" or "Guapo" or "Torero!" Everyone got so into it. It really did feel like I was watching a sport back in the states. Some people may say that bull fighting is cruelty towards the animals. After actually witnessing one, I would have to disagree. They handle the bull in a very classy manner, and it is something that isn't too crude to watch, in my opinion. It appeared like an art, or a sport in a way.