A Beach and a Bullfight, you can`t get more Spanish than that!

Hola once again, amigos! It`s a Monday afternoon here at the CLM, and I`m up and ready to type another blog about this weekend`s final fantastic excursion!

Let`s step back to Friday night, where the fun began!

I was a bit stumped. Sure, it was Friday- end of the weekend, my final Friday in Granada.. but what to do? See, I`ve been doing so much here in Granada, that this entire week I`ve taken out my map, looked it over... and to my surprise, there`s nowhere in Granada I haven`t been. From the bus station to the graveyard, to the risque side of town to the Parque de Ciencias, there isn`t one place that my foot hasn`t set at least once.. or twice.. or even multiple times. Aye Caramba!

But questioning was soon answered, as my cellphone cheerfully rang in my backpack. It was Brendan, and it was Brendan`s birthday that day! He called to let me know his parents had given him money for his birthday, and he wanted to take us Abroadco kids out for dinner and a Flamenco show!

Well, it doesn`t get much better than that on a Friday night in Spain!

The calling time was 9:15 PM at Correos, and luckily enough, a bit of shopping around made the time fly by. I quickly texted home to say I wouldn`t be needing dinner, and walking down the busy street, (Friday night=everyone goes out) I walked up and waited by Correos, our ever continuing meeting spot. Brendan soon came as well as Evelyn, and the three of us headed down near the Cathedral, at a nearby restaurant.

The show started at 9:30, and we were just on time to get a last minute spot, (Brendan had made a reservation, but I`m guessing in Spain they`re not as stuck on spots as they are in the US) We still had a fairly good area, and we all shrugged all shoulders- none of our legs were broken, so if we wanted to, we could simply walk up and watch.

We all ordered our drinks and our dinners, and waited for the show to begin. It was especially nice for Evelyn, since she hadn`t seen Flamenco yet! Our dinner was rather fast, I getting delicious chicken with some kind of French cheese, and the other two ordered themselves lamb.

But we had just began putting down our forks, when a group consisting of a Flamenco dancer, and three other singers sat down. They began to play the guitar, one of the men singing, as everyone else kept in rhythm with the clapping of their hands. It was a bit of a while before the dancing ensued, but when she rose to the occasion, the flamenco dancer did with with much passion. I`m no judge on Flamenco, but whether she had duende or not didn`t matter- her face was joyful as she danced, so I`m guessing she had fun- and it was definately reflected in her rapid movements!

We enjoyed our time at the restaurant, watching the flamenco and getting some exquisite food. But the clock flew by, and by 11 PM, we were out on the street, walking around and chatting after having much fun at the show. We wanted to stop for a quick tapas, not wanting the fun night to end, and try a delicious fried potato rolls with drinks. The bar we stopped at was packed full of people, Brendan even running into one of his intercambios! Eveyln satisfied her ice cream craving at the nearby heladeria, and we all toasted to Brendan`s 20th birthday. Qùe divertido!

However, a couple of yawns from me and Evelyn later, the three of us decide to retire for the night, wanting to get up the next day for our planned Abroadco excursion. So I headed home, after having a fun birthday night with my Abroadco buddies!

Saturday morning I woke relatively early, (I`m really used to waking up at 7:15 AM! Augh!) and ventured out for some quick breakfast. It was weird being home on a weekend, since the past couple of weeks, I`ve usually been gone the whole time! My host mom gave me some sandwhiches and fruit to eat at the beach, and I changed into my bathing suit and new dress, sneaker`d up, (My sandals broke early on- and I`ve been too cheap to buy a new pair.) and set out for the day!

10:15 AM was go time at Correos, and Inma was suprised at my appearance. I had mentioned that I might not show to the beach, (at the time the trip was going to be to Nerja, which I had already done, and wanted to take the opportunity to go off and see another place) but after some thinking over, and wanting to spend my last weekend close to Granada, I changed my mind. (And we went to Salobreña, which is a bit closer than Nerja!)

She was happy to see me all the same, and Brendan and Evelyn soon showed as well, and Inma lead us off from Correos to meet up with Jaime. We found Jaime a ways off in his car, and we all piled in, and headed off to the beachy town of Salobreña- hurrah!

We all discussed about our recent doing abouts the past couple of weeks, and towards the end of the trip had me simply staring out the window. Why so? Well, I`m not sure if it`s the winding roads, or just the difference in the air- whatever it is, every time I`ve spent long periods of time in a car, (car, not bus, thankfully!) I`ve gotten a bit car sick. Which is really odd, since unless I`m trying to read in a car in the US, that hasn`t happened! But all the same, I was extremely glad we were soon out of the car, because I wasn`t sure how many more turns my stomach could handle!

Soon enough we were out of the car in Salobreña, and Jaime and Inma then decided to take us up to the old Moorish Castle that loomed up beyond the entire city. We had to walk a good ways uphill in the blistering heat to get there, (Thanks for the waterbottle, mom!) but soon the castle`s entrance peeked into our vision:

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(looking back down)

We entered into the old castle, the rocks worn down, but still intact after all these years. Plants had been recently added onto this old castle, and gave a gorgeous look into perhaps what it may have looked like long ago. The five of us explored up and all over the castle, ducking into hallways, looking over the sea, and taking some fantastic photos of oursevles as the ocean breeze whistled by:


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Mom: The shoes have gotta go!
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THE SQUARE TABLE OF SPAIN.. 2ND COUSIN TO THE ROUND TABLE!
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(no idea on that one!)

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(as always, more on photobuckkkkkeeeeeeeeet!)

The castle was a bit hot, despite being close to the sea, so we all had fun taking turns with my ever present fan! I`m definately going to have to bring a fad-fan back to the States, because I`m so used to using it all the time, that the habit will be nearly impossible to the break!

The castle trip was definately a lot of fun, and after touring around to our liking, we made our way down the hill to stop at a nearby museum. The museo had lots of old artifacts on display, such as pottery, trinkets, tools, and other things found around Salobreña of historical value:

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Upstairs was a cute little gift shop, and I all but cursed myself for not bringing my wallet- however, most of the things there I would probably have trouble bringing home, so all`s well on that! Inma and Evelyn bought themselves cute little crafts made by the artesians, and me and the guys simply browsed around, looking at all the beautiful crafts of art.

After touring the crafts store and a nearby pottery store as well, it was well time for some lunch and some beaching! We made our way down through the white colored town:

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hopped into the car, drove to the beach, and soon were settled at a beachside restaurant:
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We had all sorts of different plates, ranging from fish to salads, to calamari to pork pieces in ham. But strangely, my favorite dish came from one of my favorite sea creatures.. shark! Apparently, there`s a small shark that lives off the coast of Spain, which is often caught and made into dishes. It tasted just like chicken, and we all dove into the dish with a lot of gusto! Yummy shark.. who would have thought!

Our appetites sated, Jaime and Inma then took us for a quick stop for ice cream, (yuuuuum!) and then had to going to do some end of the month paper work- giving us Abroadco students 3 hours of free time to go and enjoy the beautiful beach of Salobreña:

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We lathered ourselves up and hit the waves.. ducking from the powerful surge, and enjoying the cool water as the hot sun shone high up in the sky. Most of our free time was spent enjoying the water, only getting out in the last hour to try a bit of tanning. However, despite my lathering from earlier, I defiantely got some lobster red-skin from the experience.. and I knew it was interesting when Jaime and Inma gaped at my new fleshy tone! I promised them that I hadn`t forgotten to put on my `screen, and they ushered me over to the shade. I guess that Wyoming`s made me sensitive to sun now! Yikes!

But the day flew by, and we were back in the car, headed the way home to Granada. I opted to try dozing for a bit, as my stomach was acting up once again, and it definately helped- when my name was mentioned my eyes flew open, and the city of Granada was in my vision once more. Jaime dropped us off relatively close to my home stay, and I was definately in the mind to take a nap. We all bid each other farewell after a fun day, and Jaime and Inma wished me well for my Sunday bullfight!

I walked the short distance home, and slunk into my room for a deserved nap- only after taking a quick shower to soothe my burned skin. Dinner was a mere 2 hours later, where my host mom took one look at my skin, and ushered off- and within seconds, was gently rubbing aloe into my shoulder. She`s so nice!! And the aloe definately helped the soreness!

I was still exhausted from the day and the sunburn, so I planned to spend that night at home. My host mom must have picked up on my mental decision because she mentioned Jurassic Park 3 was on television, so all of us headed into the living room to enjoy watching the dubbed version. (it was fun to watch, since I could compare easily the difference in Spanish-English!) As I was seated down, once again I became the temporary tattoo artist of before- even little Dario coming up and insisting with his hand for a tatoo himself- and I gave him a small dragon, Eloisa and Sergio both opting for some chinese dragons themselves.

My host mom then gave us some delicious ice cream and white chocolate for a late night dessert, and we all camped out, watching some good old Jurassic Park! (Any JP movie=Natalie relaxer) After the movie finished, I eagerly climbed into bed, and immediately fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up late to an empty household. My host mom told me that the family was going to spend the day at the beach, and James was off to Seville with his program. House to myself- nice! I got to relax, eat a nice breakfast, and do a bit of studying that morning. I later on showered, and went out to walk for a bit.. then realizing how very hot it was out. I tried to find an open internet cafè, but none were open till about 2 PM.

I headed home for lunch, and then proceeded to go over my travel plans for the day. I knew where the pick up place for the bus was, and where it was- it was just a matter of when I wanted to go. I thought it over, and decided I`d leave after lunch, wander around a bit, and soon get myself on the bus for Atarfe, the city hosting the bullfight, not 15 minutes away!

The local cyber cafè was indeed open when I ventured out, and for 45 minutes (60 cents! Good deal too!) I got to surf, check messages, and upload some pictures at my leisure. But the internet quickly got boring, as I was far too excited about the bullfight. So I paid my small fee, and decided to go and find the bus.

I planned to simply hang out at the bus station until 4:10 PM, but when I arrived at 3:30 PM, the 3:30 bus was still waiting at the stop. So I thought to myself.. why not? I paid 1.05 Euros, (cheaper than the intercity bus..hmmm!) and found myself a good seat near the exit. The bus rumbled out, and I was on my way to the bullring!

Or maybe not so...well, I guess I`ll just have to explain. The bus eventually did make it to Atarfe, the only way I realizing so by the city`s signs. However, the bus dropped off at the center of town, and I knew it was time to get off when the whole bus cleared... but when I got off, I had absolutely no idea where I was.

There were a bunch of apartments and a nearby restaurant, but no signs, no tourist office, nothing. It was dead quiet in the hot afternoon, and I had no map on me. I put on my determined face, as surely my luck would not fail me today, and made the executive decision to simply walk straight away from bus stop.

That actually turned out to be the wrong way, and I soon figured it out when I walked straight out of the city. I was looking for the highway though- I had been past Atarfe several times via bus, so I knew it was near the highway. But, this side of the city had no highway, and looking left and right yielded nothing.

My spirits began to sink, and I wondered that while I had 3 and a half hours left, that I might miss the bullfight- or worse, be permanently lost. I did have my phone with me, but everyone I knew was out of Granada for the day- so I had to figure my way back, one way or another.

I continued north for a ways, only running back into the city when a sign indicated the police station was in the center. I never did find the police station... but I did walk straight back to my bus stop. Frustrated, I simply continued past the bus station, walking the other way from where I had originally started. How hard was it to find a huge bullring!?!

My furious steps led me past a construction sight, and my anger soon disappated as I heard the hum of traffic... it must be the highway! I looked onto my right, and above me was indeed the highway! Hurrah! But the bullring.... I continued following the highway, and thankfully enough, just beyond the construction site, the large bullring loomed straight in front of me. At last, I had found my way- and I would still be seeing my fight!

There was a nearby carnival of sorts going on, so I walked through there briefly to check it out- it was mostly just a bunch of daytime discotecas, which were spraying mist onto partygoers in the hot, afternoon sun. I guess Spain is a party country, since it was only 4 in the afternoon as well!

I toured up and down the carnival, watching the partiers and the carnival get set up for what I guess what was a later event. I felt a bit out of place as I was by myself, so I decided to head over to the ring and wait out for the bullfight. From what I had seen of Atarfe, it really wasn`t much of a tourist destination, (not to mention it was unbearbly hot) so hanging out for 2 hours in front of the ring didn`t seem such a bad idea.

I walked around the large ring to get a feel of where I was supposed to enter in, and only stopped briefly at a small souvenir stand that had opened right in front of the ticket entrance. Nothing screamed buy me now, so window browsing was all I accomplished there. My steps then lead me to my specific entrance, which on a cardboard was scribbled Tenido 3-4.

So I waited there for a goodwhile, briefly sitting down despite the foul smell of the outside of the bullring, (Im guessing homeless/partygoers hang out here when it`s empty) A couple of passerby passed me by, a few ring workers glancing me at the curious sight of a lone female, but I was relatively unbothered the whole while. I tried to give a quick call home, but no answer- I guessed my family was out on the morning. So I played some cell phone games, watched the blue sky, and generally mentally wished that it was 7:30 PM.

Not 45 minutes later, the spectators soon began to show. Huddles of families, lone older men, and groups of all sorts made their way around the ring, and I rose to stand to my feet, not wanting to be seen sitting. But I wasn`t alone for long- when three, older Spanish men. (I`m guessing late 60s- all but 1 had white hair) paced up to me. One of them enquired if this was where Tenindo 3 was meeting, and I replied back that I thought it was. The speaker then asked me another question, and based on my reply, immediately asked where I was from. Accent strikes again!

I informed back that I was from the United States, a little wary since I was indeed a female alone. But the three men looked at each other, then back to me, and immediately began talking to me all about bullfighting! The general consensus was they were impressed I was from the United States, a female, and that I did like bullfighting. I told them it was my first time to a fight, and they all came to life at that, all three of them butting in to tell me about the different stages about the fight, how the bulls would charge in, how the procession would go. I simply smiled and nodded at their enthusiasm, as they were all eager to relate their experience with me!

After chatting with my new buddies for a while, they glance at their watches, and one of the mentioned wanting to get some ice cold water. They looked to me eagerly, insisting I`d come with them, but with a smile and a gracious thank you, I declined the offer, still a bit unsure if that was a smart idea to do so. The leader of the group then asked if I wanted them to get me a coke, and I laughed, again insisting on that I was fine. They finally waved me a farewell, and I watched them walk off to the nearby restaurant. Within minutes, my phone rang- my family was back from going to Church! I eagerly told them my weekend adventures and about my new Spanish buddies, and to assure them that I was definately fine and ok in Atarfe!

The time breezed by as I was on the phone, and soon the doors were opening at 6:30 PM. Now, large masses of people were all over the place, swarming into nearby doors, but the place I was at wasn`t opening. Was I at the right one, I wondered? My question was answered when my old Spanish buddies appeared in the throng, quickly ushering me over. No, they said, this wasn`t it- it was ahead! I nodded my reply, still on the phone, and the three guided me over to the entrance.

The ticketer took our tickets, ripping off the sides, and we were soon in the ring. My parents got to hear my gasps of amazement over the phone, as I was definately impressed with the inside of the ring:

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My Spanish buddies then got ahold of a helpful usher, and they quickly informed him that I was a young American attending a bullfight, and would need help finding my seat. The guide looked at me, mentioned `guapa`(translate to pretty, but dependant on the situation- I`m assuming he was also impressed I was a foreign female attending a bullfight) I thanked my buddies for their help, and they cheerfully waved me off, and the usher lead me up to my seat.

I was at the higher seating, but it gave me a great view of the ring below. (the photo above shows the distance!) I was pretty happy with my location, smack dab in the center part of the ring. I had to bid my family goodbye as the hour hit, and I waited patiently for the bullfight to start, 30 minutes still ahead of me.

But a quick tap on my shoulder distracted me, and it was my Spanish buddy from before! He gave me a free fan that they apparently were handing out to me, and I thanked him once again. He joined me for a few minutes until the group whose seat were there came, and he waved to me once again, going back down to join his group. I felt like they were my Spanish grandfathers or something, since they were definately making sure I was situated and all!

The wait wasn`t long before the music began to play from the nearby band, and the procession soon came... two men on horseback, followed by the matadors, their assistants, and a whole association of the bullfight`s stars of the night:

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My heart began to thump in my chest with excitement at the grand display, and the crowd was the same- the cheering didn`t stop, and neither did the music- the procession toured around the ring, stopping by the President`s box briefly, but then breaking up and going their respective ways. The matador`s assistants began to stretch their legs and generally prepare themselves for the fight:

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A man then came out onto the middle of the ring, holding up a large, black sign with several numbers written on it. I assume that was the the listing of the bull, or numbering of some sort, but I had no idea.. because as soon as he departed from the ring, the band began to pick up. My gaze searched around, and finally targeted on the right spot: a couple of men were lifting open a large gate. The large door opened, and the men began rapping at the sides- and within moments, they had stopped rapping, and a huge bull sprinted out of the box.

I all but gasped at the charge of the bull, amazed on how fast that animal had torn out of there. The bull looked left and right at the flapping of the pink flags, targeted one, and went straight for him:

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The assistant distracted the bull, but then hastily ran behind a barricade along the ring, where the bull became confused. But another flapping flag had the bull`s full attention, and the bull charged left and right, all over the ring, trying to gore everything that moved. The bull was indeed a brave animal, and his movements strong- I would definately not want to be on the wrong side of the huge horns!

The music of the band soon began to change in tune, and two men on horseback, the picadors, rode out of another entrance. The bull was still chasing every which way, and the assistants lead the bull up to one of the men on horseback. The picador had his spear in hand, and when the bull got close, he slammed the spear down into the bull`s back, close to the neck. The bull immediately went after the horse, but the horses are covered in protective armor, so all he succeeded in doing was knocking the poor horse around:

The bull was enraged, and after a couple of flag flaps, the assistants got the bull`s attention away from the picador. The two picadors then trotted off through the exit, and then the fight commenced once more.

Then cheering ensured- the matador himself was out! He was dressed finely, and in his hands, two long barbs were held tightly. They were wrapped in a colorful way, but I could see the small spear-like tips at the end of them. These are used to spear the back of the bull, but to do so, the matador has to run up, and thrust them into the back of the bull. Needless to say this makes the bull very angry, so the matador had to tear away like a bat out of hell from the charge of the bull!

He did this several times, each time having to narrowly escape the bull, as the assistants would continously wave their flags to snap his attention away. Finally, the bull had enough spears in him, and the assistants stood down: as the matador made his way back into the ring, with a large, red cape, and sword in hand.

What happened next could only be described as art. I can readily understand how organizations that fight and protest the act of bullfighting have their reasons, but strangely, despite the blood and stabbing, I couldn`t help but be enraptured instead of sickened. Man versus bull, in one of the more primal conquests from days of old.. or maybe I just have an inner Roman inside me. Whatever it was, I cheered OLÈ along with crowd, excited at this matador`s mastery over the charging bull:

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The first fight was only about 20 minutes long, and from there, the matador switched his swords (the assistants distracting the bull) and went to make his killing blow. This is the more dangerous part of the fight, in which the matador must throw himsef in front of the horns to drive the sword in between the bull`s shoulderblades. The first try the matador`s blade didn`t go all the way through, and fell off within moments. But the second strike rang true- within moments, the bull stumbled, and he fell:

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The crowd then came to life, waving small white clothes to petition the President of the Bullfight to bequeath the brave matador with the prize of an ear. The president put down one white cloth, and the crowd roared with delight: and the matador was awarded with one cut ear, a trophy for his performance.

There were 5 more fights after that, 3 matadors, 2 bulls per matador. I could write a book on each individual fight, but neither you nor I have the time to write/read so! But every fight had it`s own special moments, every bull brave as can be. There was blood, there was cheering, there was simply an old traditional of fighting against a beast, clad only in a sword and cape.

However, my perspective on the fight changed when my buddies came up to get me after the first fight. They eagerly waited for my response, which I replied in all truthfullness that I had absolutely loved it. That made them even happier, and they all but dragged me down to their row- and they were much closer to the ring! So most of the bullfight I spent relatively close down the ring, and they would cut in with commentary on performances, giving me a good feel for what a true aficionado is like at a bullfight. I definately felt like Hemingway hanging out with these guys!

The crowd also was drinking from wineskins, which I did remember from The Sun also Rises as well (I highly reccomend reading this book-it gives a good look into the bullfighting culture; not much has changed since the early 1900s!) My buddies also had one, and offered me some to drink, but I replied a grateful no. They nodded and protruded a cup for me, (the tradition is to drink some and pass around) and poured me a cup. Not what I had meant but... I simply shrugged. When in Spain...! I sipped the amount they had given me, it a slightly strong alcholic beverage. Good thing I only requested a little bit, but I did partake in the bullfight`s tradition!

Here are some photos/videos from all different parts of the fight...there are a TON of more photos on photobucket, as well as several videos online as well: as you can tell, I was very impressed throughout the whole fight:

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(one part in the fight where El Fandi, my personal favorite matador from Granada, took a guy`s hat from the crowd and placed it on the bull`s head. Mind you, he had to do this while running away from the bull, and Fandi really had no fear- he got the highest honors during the fight, and showed off mad skills beyond belief. Here`s a picture of the bull near the said hat:)
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VIDEOS! (9 in total on photobucket!)

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(the guy on the right is one of my Spanish buddies!)
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(much more on my photobucket.. I can`t stress this enough! :) )

The bullfight lasted for about a little under 3 hours, and soon 10 Pm was upon me- I had a bus to catch. I watched El Fandi drive the killing blow, and admist the cheering and roaring of the crowd, I ducked over to bid my new found friends a farewell. I thanked them kindly for their assistance and companionship, to which they simply waved off, saying it was their pleasure. I gave them a cheerful goodbye, and made my way out of the stadium. I walked passed the carnival, into town, finally locating my bus station to get home. 11:20 PM I was back home, and after a magical night, was more than ready to hit the sheets.

Today was a bit different from school as usual, as we watched a movie in class today! It was a Spanish movie, Al lado de la cama? (I think that was the name..) it was pretty interesting, but definately not a movie for a family! Moreso us 16+ year olds... after the movie, we were released for the day, so that came at a welcome surprise!

Lunch was delicious fish, which I surely will miss when I leave here! (I consume fish here on a regular basis.. I guess US fish just tastes terrible, since it`s delicious here!) The fish always comes with bones and scales, so I always have to eat a bit carefully. But taaaasty!

My afternoon plans? Unfortunatly, it looks to be studying.. bleah! However, I`ve decided while I`ll have to study, I won`t be locked in some room. Nope, I`m going to either head to the park near the Alhambra, or a park close to my home. (still under question) so that while I may be bored to death, I`ll at least be in a scenic area! Hurrah! Tommorrow will be my final day here in Spain, and of course, that probably entitles some organized wandering, and some farewells to my favorite Spanish city.

This also will be my last blog written from Spain. This comes a bit on a sad note, since I`ve personally enjoyed writing all of my going-ons and adventures, and it will be a definate absence in my routine. But this isn`t the last update, friends! I will write one final chapter in my story about my final day, the trip home, and of course being at home with my family. So as always...

Until next time!