Bullfight

Another thing I highly recommend is attending a bullfight. It can be bloody and rather shocking, but it is a very strong example of Spanish culture. The couple sitting behind me was explaining bullfighting to a boy seated in front of them, and when he asked about it being a sport, the woman replied that bullfighting is not a sport, but an art. It truly is. All involved face death and injury regularly, and do so with such grace and presence. The animals themselves are amazing, the bulls powerful and wild and beautiful, and the horses, oh the horses. They are blindfolded and are routinely hit by the bulls, and still they behave. The mules that haul out the bull at the end are very well trained as well, as they do not respond to the scent of blood in any way. Any one who knows horses knows that this in itself is amazing. Horses and mules do not like the smell of blood. It means danger to them, which causes them to run away. The mules at the bullfight behaved beautifully, and only ran when instructed to do so. The only part that truly bothered me was at the end when the bull was dead and being hauled out, it seemed to me that they were parading him out, until a friend pointed out that it was necessary to drag him to the center of the ring because they would not be able to get him out at any other angle.

All in all, the bullfight was a pleasant experience with wonderful people surrounding us, beautiful animals below, and unbelievably skilled and brave men using their talents for the sake of art.