Dangerous Summer

"Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death." -Ernest Hemingway

After hoping off the plane from Barcelona, it was straight Plaza de Toro to watch the controversial and centuries old Spanish tradition- The Bullfight.

Thousands of Madridleonos crammed into the huge, concrete benched area to watch six bulls be slaughtered.

Running a little late, we arrived at the beginning of the third fight which was deemed by everyone we talked to as "the most gruesome," ending in not the ordinary bull collapsing on the side of the arena with about 6 colorful swords sticking out of his back. Instead, we were treated to about three minutes of the bull spewing blood from its mouth as the bullfighter got off his horse and taunted it.

Being a traditional bullfight, the main fighter was on horse. One of the most interesting aspects of the fight was the camaraderie of bullfighter and horse, they moved as one, and if one of them were to make a mistake, they both ran the risk of a horn through the abdomen.

I had just finished "The Sun Also Rises" by Hemingway, which is focused on bullfighting. As I read the book, I though that Hemingway was romanticizing the sport, but at the fight I realized he was not. It really is an intricate art that is bathed in ritual, gruesome beauty and fear.

While watching animals get slaughtered may never be my favorite pastime, it was intense, and very interesting to watch.