Monday, 7th April 2008

	20ºC
	15ºC

We arrived in Seville the night before, and took a taxi to our hostel, as it was already close to midnight, and most of the public transportation was not available. Then again, its never fun to try to take the bus in the dark of the night, not knowing where you are going.

The city of Seville, far south in Spain, was a refreshing sight. Modern yet charming at the same time. We left our hostel in the quaint neighbourhood of Triana, and headed for the city center.

Crossing the Triana Bridge

Although many call it a bloodsport, bullfighting in Spain, especially in Southern Spain, here in Seville, is a cultural event and part of the heritage. When it is reported in the news, it is reported in the “Culture” section, and not the “Sports” section, and bullfighters are like superstars. Young girls idolize them, and each has their own fans.

And so, we simply had to, at the very least, pay a visit to the bullring. We bought our €5 ticket to the tour of the bullring, and not long after, we were off. The tour was mainly in Spanish for the rest of the Spanish tourist, but the guide also had to, after giving the explanation in Spanish, stop and explain the same thing all over again in English, almost exclusively to the six of us!

The Toreadors' Chapel

Mother of the bull that killed the legendary matador, Joselito.

Bullfighting takes place from March to October each year, every Sunday evening. But, during the Abril Feria (April Fair), the pros take to the stage, and there are fights every evening. (Compared to novice toreadors and small bulls during the rest of the season) We were in Seville right smack in the middle of the Fair, and it was a great opportunity to partake in this particularly Spanish tradition! We were hoping to buy the cheapest tickets (high seats, facing the sun, €22), but these were sold out, and we were left with purchasing the next cheapest ones at €32.50. Pricey, but in my opinion, well worth it. After all, how many times in your life do you get the chance to watch an authentic bullfight with the locals?





We next went around the charming streets of the city of Seville, and at the same time, did a little souvenir hunting. And then, disaster struck! It started to rain! We found shelter in a fast food joint (Burger King), and decided to have lunch here.

Walking the streets of Seville.

The rain subsided a little, and came to a stop. We exited back onto the streets, only to find them completely empty and the shops, all closed! It was siesta time! Every Spaniard’s gone to have his/her afternoon nap, and all the shops were closed to 5pm! There was nothing left to do in town!

We hence come to a decision to carry on to our next place of interest, the Basilica de la Macarena. As we proceeded to the bus stop, it started, again, to rain really heavily!

Marcus: "Help! I'm getting wet! I'm melting!"

We found our way onto the bus though, and not long after, we were in the Macarena neighbourhood. With a little bit of difficulty, we eventually located the Basilica. To our surprise, it was closed too, until 4.45pm! Well it seems, in Spain even religious people need their siesta!

We hung around the neighbourhood, waiting for the basilica to open, and at the same time hoping for the sun to reappear so that we would have a dry bullfight that evening. Just before the basilica finally opened, the skies turned ominously dark. Hak Liang and Derrick then very generously volunteered to give the church a miss, and headed back to the hostel to grab their jackets and ponchos, and at the same time, the rest of ours as well.

The other four of us entered the church.

The Basilica de la Macarena is home to the famous and most revered images in Seville, the weeping virgin, the Virgen de la Macarena, a.k.a. La Esperanza. She is the patron saint of bullfighters, each year on Good Friday, the holiest day of Semana Santa, the fraternity dedicated to La Macarena appears in procession, leading her image through the city streets in mourning for the death of her son.




Soon after, we were back at the bullring to watch the bullfight! The event was like going to a major football game! Everyone was there, young and old, and it was crowded beyond believe. We took our seats and met back up with Hak Liang and Derrick, we very kindly delivered us our waterproof gear. The atmosphere was electric, and we were seated amongst locals, so it doesn’t get more authentic that what we got!

At the bullring during the bullfight!

As the sun started to set, the bullfighters and their teams took to the ring and paraded. And then in came the first bull for the first fight!

The fight is highly ritualized, and starts with the first stage, signaled by a trumpet call, and matador (main star) and the banderilleros (his “assistants” on foot) test the bull for ferocity with a magenta and gold cape. Next, a picador (on horseback, horse is padded with armour to protect it) enters and the bull charges the horse (as the horse is the bull’s natural enemy). This provides important clues to which side the bull favours when charging. The picador stabs the mound of muscle on the bull’s back and this is its first lost of blood.



In the second stage, also signaled by a trumpet call, banderilleros stick razor sharp barbed sticks into the back of the bull, further weakening it neck and shoulder muscles, while also spurring the bull into making more ferocious charges.


In the final stage, the matador takes to the stage alone with a red cape and a short. With the knowledge of the bull he has earned from the last two stages, he uses the cape to attract the bull in a series of passes, demonstrating his control over the bull and his fearlessness by risking his life in this “dance with death”. Finally, the matador maneuvers the bull into position and he stabs the bull through its shoulder blades and into its aorta, killing it quickly and cleanly.




The bull is then dragged out of the ring by a team of mules.


In each bullfight, there are 3 matadors and their teams, and each fights 2 bulls. So each evening, 6 bulls are killed.

The show was entertaining, with the crowd so passionate at shouting “oles” at good passes made by the matador, as well as jeering so loudly at one stage. It would have been better if we understood what was going on though, especially what they were shouting about!

Into the 6th bull, it started to rain. And it started to rain really really heavily. Our gear was not able to keep us dry in the torrential downpour, and so we decided to leave, running all the way back to the hostel, stopping only at the supermarket to pick up ingredients for a homecooked dinner.

These 4: The 4 cooks of the day

These 2 (left and right): The dish-washing team waiting to be fed.

Dinner!

That night, we were supposed to attend the festival parties where there would be flamenco dancing and all sorts of festivities. It was the April Fair, and the city of Seville was supposed to be alive! Very very unfortunately, it rained as hard as we had ever seen before, and we had no choice but to stay indoors. I don’t think the street processions could carry on in such heavy rains anyway… Well, we’ve had plenty of good luck in terms of having dry weather. I guess it was about time it rained… Bummer though…

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