Thursday
We took a taxi to our hostel, because we had no idea what the fuck was going on or how to get anywhere from the train station. This turned out to be a good idea, because right when we arrived, they were shutting our street to cars because a crazy festival was starting. I asked the guy at the hostel what it was for, and in our conversation of mixed English and Spanish: "no reason. Just cervesa." I already like this city.
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| This was taken within our first half hour in Sevilla |
We immediately went out to enjoy this festival, which turned out to be massive amounts of men in suits and women in dresses or flamenco garb. In the streets. Just drinking. The bars were nuts. We ordered a couple of gin and tonics, in which the bartender put a hefty, hefty amount of gin. He pretty much turned the bottle upside-down over our glasses until it was empty. Drinking out in the street, we soon realized why a huge crowd was forming: matadors were making their way down the street, and these guys are like celebrities here. Oh and a bullfight was happening right near us. We decided "why not" and downed our gin (and tonic) to go buy some tickets. They were sold out though. But good news! We found a scalper who gave us 35 euro seats for 20 each (since that was all we had). Nice. However, getting to our seats was AT BEST the most uncomfortable situation I've ever experienced, without hyperbole. Four different people told us four different places for our seat locations. And when we finally found where they were, getting to them was a feat in LITERALLY CLIMBING OVER PEOPLE. There are no stairs in the stadium, so we had to actually use people as hand railings to get by them. It was the worst. Eventually, after a horrific experience, we got to our seats.
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| Not a bad view from our seats |
Bullfighting is probably one of the most interesting things I've seen in my life. At first a confusing sport, after the 6th and final bull, I started to understand the process and strategy. And after you put the morbid fact that they torture and kill 6 bulls aside, it is actually done in a classy way (if that makes any sense) and everything is about honor, discipline, and badassery. It was amazing to watch. The first phase includes 3 or 4 guys with pink capes, getting the bull to run around the ring a bit.
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| Please don't kill me |
In the next phase (each phase is introduced by a band or horn section), the bull is led toward a guy on a horse, who stabs it in the hump of the neck with a long pole as it charges the horse. Then three guys with shorter, colorful spears come out. Each has two spears with a fish-hook type of thing that sticks in the bull. As the bull charges them, they dodge at the last second and stab the bull's hump with the two spears. Pretty terrifying.
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| Kid stuff |
Finally, the main matador comes out with the red cape and sword. This portion is more like a dance than anything. He basically calls the bull to him, then tries to get the bull to turn and charge the cape as many times in a row as possible. Then, in what is one of the most badass things possible, he turns his back on the bull to walk off. So ballsy.
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| Here, Toro Toro Toro... |
After a few charges, the bull is pretty tired, and the matador readies his sword for the killing strike, trying to get between the ribs through the heart and lungs for a quick death.
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| Lining up the killing strike |
If it's not a good strike, the bull suffers a bit and the crowd boos the matador. If it is good, the bull is down almost immediately and the crowd waves white scarves for it. Really interesting atmosphere. One of the matadors actually had an amazing strike. The bull took three steps, spit up blood, and then collapsed. The crowd threw the matador roses, or more often, seat cushions. Someone then comes out with a dagger to finish the bull off (if necessary), and they drag it away with a team of horses. The words I'm using to describe the event sound like it's really harsh, but actually it's almost like an art form, and an amazing experience.
After the fight we wanted to eat, but at this point it was late and I really wanted to check out this semi-hidden flamenco bar, the Carboneria. It's really squirreled away amongst the tiny, tiny streets (some only wide enough for a motorcycle), but we eventually found it. Thanks to Michelle for recommending it, because it is awesome.
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| She does not give a fuck |
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| Some spanish-yodeling going on |
Kind of like Razzy's in that you walk through some kind of strange outer room to a bigger, basement-like back room. Here, we grabbed Agua de Seville (the only ingredient in this drink I understand is whipped cream) and got seats for the flamenco show. It wasn't entirely what I was expecting, but still really cool. It was more about the music than the dancing. A really amazing classical guitar, clapping, and then a Spanish style yodel-singing. One of the groups had a dancer, but the dance was more about stomping to the claps and having a facial expression saying "I don't give a single fuck." Another great experience and a really cool bar.
Friday
This morning we had a LOT of work to do. We had to see as much of Sevilla as we possibly could before our bus. We rocked it like a hurricane. First, we hit the Plaza de Espana and nearby park. Gorgeous.
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| THAT is a colorful bridge |
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| Exceptional pose |
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| Almost a little too beautiful |
Then, we took a look at most of the amazing Sevilla attractions and architecture. Equally as gorgeous. I'm not going to go into all the detail, but we did a lot and it was awesome. Finally, we went into the Catedral de Sevilla and Giralda, which is the third largest cathedral in the world. Great views from the Giralda (tower) too. Then we booked it to the bus station.
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| View from the Giralda |
More incredible scenery on the bus to Granada! Rolling hills and farms, and finally the city, surrounded by the Sierra Nevadas. I'm pretty pumped about the Granada portion of the trip.
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