>May 17, 2002

WARNING!  some of you do NOT want to read this. (specifically, Teshuvah, RAK, and PJW-S) due to subject matter involving killing animals for sport.  and dinner.

yesterday, i went to the ballet.  the “dramatic ballet dance with death”, according to matador Mario Carrión.  yep, a bullfight.

after the disastrous trip to Granada, i needed to “cleanse my palate” so to speak.  and love Spain
again.

i went by the Plaza de Toros and bought two tickets, for me and Deborah, and went over to her house to hang out for a while until it was time to go to the ring.

we strolled over, stopped for a coffee, then went in to take our seats. which were outstanding!  i don’t know how.

we were on the tercera barrera (third row) under the “box” where the king and queen sit when they come to a bullfight in Sevilla.  needless to say, it is the side the the bullfighters “play” to. 

the ceremony started with all the toreros entering the ring, along with the picadores on horseback.  it is very beautiful with every torero being dressed in a different brilliant outfit.  all the toreros wear pink stockings and black slippers.  supposedly the bulls can see pink, in addition to red.

at this bullfight, the entire ring and all the toreros entered to music and then stood in files on the
bullring floor, removing their hats to observe a moment of silence for one of the Plaza de Toros of over forty years.

so it began.  then the toreros all enter the ring together, and you wait for the first bull to be let
into the ring.  he comes out, ready to fight.  all the toreros use identical capotes (working cape) that is hot pink on one side and yellow on the other.  they all use these, at alternate times, to taunt the bull and lure him to all parts of the rings.  if he gets too close to the torero, he can jump behind a protective wooden wall, which the bull then hooks with his horns, trying to get to the torero.

this goes on for a bit, this is called the first tercio (third).  then the picadores enter the ring on
horseback.  they carry a long lance which they use to pierce the back/neck muscles which then cause the bull to lower his head for the kill.  enter the banderilleros (three persons…or one person three times), who have approach and pierce two decorated banderillas into the back of the bull.  then all but one torero leaves the ring, and this is the one who will actually fight the bull one on one.  he taunts the bull for a while with his capote and after a while, he exchanges his capote for the red muleta (a flannel cape on a wooden stick) and his sword.  he then has ten minutes to kill the bull. 

anyway, it was very exciting, because there were all kinds of crazy things that happened.  one of the bulls really had it in for one of the picadores and his horse and began lifting the horse off the ground with his horns.  at one point, the bull slammed the picador and his horse up against the wall, and the picador was thrown to the ground.  right in front of us.

and then, during the fifth bullfight, César Jimenez (in the picture i attached) was downed and injured by the bull.  he continued with the fight and was awarded the bulls’ ears, which you will read is very prestigious.  he also got to take a vuelta (pass around) the bull ring.  before his bullfight, he had tossed his hat to a little boy in the ring, which is the torero’s way of dedicating a fight to someone.  the little boy threw it back to the torero after he had won and killed the bull.

i want to go again.  donations?  if anyone comes to visit me, we must go!

anyway, after that, all excited, we treated ourselves to a delightful meal at San Marco, an italian
restaurant here in town.  muy fun.