San Isidro = Madrid's patron saint
Madrid = famous for bullfighting
Therefore, attending a bullfight in Madrid during the annual San Isidro festival = a guaranteed good show!
We were lucky enough to get tickets to a Saturday night fight at the famous La Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas del Espíritu Santo (aka "Las Ventas") in the middle of town. The whole ordeal very much reminded me of Gladiator and the Colosseum we visited just a few months ago. Every seat in the stadium was packed, even the "cheap," €50 seats directly in the sun, and people were chanting the names of the famous fighters as they took the stage.
We attended a rejoneo, a bullfight in which the fighter, the rejoneador, is on horseback. The skill of controlling horses millimeters away from a bull's horn to the thigh was incredible. Apparently, the horses are blinded, but even after a couple of the horses received a swift jab, the rejoneadors maintained control. These horses could easily outrun the bull, so the rejoneador would have the horses side step to taunt the bull - I was amazed at how fast and steady the horses were with this seemingly awkward movement.
Earlier that day, we stopped at the Torre del Oro Bar Andalú in Madrid's Plaza Mayor to get excited about the fight, educated on the sport, and of course a glass of sangria. We saw how large a bull's head and horns actually are, read about the famous matador El Cordobés, and found out that even the most skilled fighter can end up with a horn through their chin. This made it even more impressive when the rejoneadors hung off the horses and literally grabbed the bulls by their horns.
Bottom line: Saturday night rejoneo during the San Isidro festival = the ultimate Madrid experience!
No comments:
Post a Comment