During our backpacking trip in 2002, Daniel and I made it to Barcelona, Spain, which was great, but we had to cut out Madrid because there just wasn't enough time. Since then I have been wanting to go to Madrid, so I was thrilled that we would have a chance to go over our anniversary. In order to make a nice long weekend of it, we flew down there on Friday, July 10th. We arrived in the early evening, but we didn't get in much sightseeing that day... we were quite hungry, so finding food was at the top of our agenda. On the way, we passed the prominent Bank of Spain... and then we soon found a tasty tapas place called "El Tigre." We chowed down there and then went back to the hotel to get ready for a night on the town. Some work friends of Daniel's took us to a club downtown... while we didn't have our camera with us, trust us when we say that Spaniards know how to party!
On Saturday, we were itching to check out the city. We first walked through the Plaza de Espana, which has a nice little market and a huge monument. Then we reached the Temple of Debod, which is an authentic ancient temple that was transferred stone by stone as a gift from Egypt to Spain. It was pretty cool, and it definitely whetted our interest in going to Egypt... hopefully we will make it there some time in the next year.
Not far from the temple is the Royal Palace, which is the official residence of King Juan Carlos I. With that being said, I don't think he actually lives there but just uses it for official functions. Pretty nice pad though, don't ya think?! The Gardens of Sabatini next to it are lovely too.
On the other side of the palace is the Cathedral of Nuestra Senora de la Almudena. This church was unique because it had a brightly painted ceiling and dome. After visiting the cathedral, our wanderings took us to the Plaza Mayor. It is a neat square, but we didn't stay long because we were off to finally find some lunch.
We ended up eating lunch at this really interesting place called the Museo de Jamon (translated as the "Museum of Ham"). After filling up, we were back on the road to do more sightseeing. We enjoyed walking some quiet side streets and then decided to go tour the stadium where the soccer team, Real Madrid, plays.
When we got to the stadium, we found out that they were replacing the field... that was a definite bummer because I am sure they normally have a gorgeous pitch! After years of playing soccer, we both appreciate green, lush grass to play on. While the field may not have been that impressive when we were there, the team's abundance of trophies surely was! I guess that is why they claim to be the best team in history. I'm not saying that I agree though....
Soon it was time for our anniversary dinner... we ate at a restaurant called "Sobrino de Botin." It was established in 1725 and has been named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest restaurant in the world. When you first walk in, there is a chef preparing their specialty, roast suckling pig. For dinner, we headed downstairs... we sat in the wine cellar section, which I think is the most charming and romantic and is also the oldest part of the restaurant. It was a great meal and a wonderful way to celebrate our 6th anniversary!
After dinner, we walked back through the Plaza Mayor, which was taking on a nice glow as evening set in. There we watched a flamenco dancer for a little while... she was very passionate, and it was fun to take in one of Spain's defining cultural aspects.
As night began to fall, we continued to stroll through the city. We caught a hint of the sun setting behind the Royal Palace. By the time it was dark, we had made it back to the Temple of Debod... I love this shot that Daniel took there, with the temple perfectly mirrored in the reflecting pool. We snapped a photo by the fountain behind the temple too. It all made for a very pleasant evening.
Sunday, July 12th was actually our anniversary... we celebrated early because on Sunday we were meeting up with friends for an excursion we were all doing together on Monday... but more on that later. While we were waiting for our friends, Matt and Heather O., to fly in from Frankfurt, we went to check out the "El Rastro" market on Sunday morning. They had tons of different wares for sale, so we got a few gifts and souvenirs. Soon Matt and Heather had arrived, so we met up with them and made our way to the famous Prado museum. It's too bad we couldn't take pictures inside the museum because their collection contains some beautiful and bizarre paintings.
That evening we decided to immerse ourselves in an event that is considered an integral, if not controversial, part of the Spanish culture... we attended a bull fight. Madrid's "Plaza de Toros" is one of the largest bull fighting rings in the world and is also considered to be one of the most prestigious. As we were walking to our seats, we saw the matadors entering the arena... you could tell they are treated with very high regard. Once we got to our seats, we were pretty shocked... for the price of only 5 euros each, we thought we would be in the nose-bleed section, and we were kinda hoping we would be so we wouldn't be too close to the action. Well, we were much closer than expected... try three rows from the front! Oh well... so much for watching the fight from afar. At least we were in the shade.
Now I won't get too into what happens during the bull fight as it is, not surprisingly, pretty gory, but I will explain a little. From the start, you can tell bullfighting is steeped in tradition... in full costume, all involved parade into the ring and then it soon begins. Over the course of the event, three primary matadors fight six different bulls. They are assisted by other matadors, who help tire out and weaken the bull. Then, the primary matador steps in and does a series of cape work with the bull... sometimes even completing passes on their knees! Eventually the matador goes in for the kill by piercing the bull with a sword between its shoulder blades... like I said, it is quite barbaric. If the crowd believes the matador has done an excellent job during the bull fight, they will wave white handkerchiefs. We actually saw this twice that evening.
Once we got back home, I actually did a little more research and found out that it is likely that bull fighting first started during the Roman Empire as an alternative to the gladiator battles. It is believed that the Moors cemented the tradition further while they were in control of Spain, though they mainly conducted bull fights on horseback. Since about 1726, the bull fight has followed its current form, with the matadors fighting the bulls on foot with capes called muletas. While a bull fight means certain death for the bull, the matador is also in grave danger... one wrong move and he can be fatally gored or seriously injured. We actually saw one matador get flipped by a bull, but he walked away uninjured. Needless to say, that was not true for the bull. In the end, we were glad that we attended the bull fight in order to understand more about this contentious aspect of the Spanish culture.
After attending the bull fight, our night was in fact just beginning. Shortly after midnight, the four of us met up with Daniel's other friends from work... and we all boarded a bus bound for Pamplona! And what is Pamplona famous for? The Running of the Bulls of course! Every year, July 6-14th, the city of Pamplona holds the San Fermin festival, and the main highlight is the Running of the Bulls, which is actually run every morning at 8am over the course of the week.
Since we were going to be in Spain anyways, we took the opportunity to head up to Pamplona to attend the festival on July 13th. After a five-hour bus in the middle of the night, we arrived in Pamplona. It was clear that all the partying from the night before never quite stopped as the whole town got pumped up for the next Running. The crowds start picking spots along the route very early, so shortly after arriving the girls and the guys split up... the girls off to find a viewing spot and the guys to the start line. Yes... the guys ran with the bulls! Believe me, I tried multiple times to persuade Daniel not to run, but to no avail. But I have to be honest... I was planning to run until someone died during the Running on Friday, July 10th, the day we left for Spain. It was the first time anyone had died in 15 years! My mind changed in a split second... but Daniel's mind was made up. So as we went to find a spot, I was just praying that Daniel as well as the other three guys would finish the Running safely!
The three of us (me and my friends, Heather O. and Tanya) soon found a spot near the finish... the Running ends as the bulls and runners enter the bull ring. About a half-mile away is the start. As the crowd thickened, we waited anxiously for 8am.
Before long, the rocket went off, signifying the start of the Running. Within a minute, there were some people jogging by us, obviously ahead of the bulls. Within what seemed like seconds, there was a surge of people sprinting by us, and we knew the bulls were close! With all the runners, we only got a quick glimpse of the herd of bulls as they thundered by us... they were too fast to capture on camera! As the last of the bulls and runners entered the bull ring, Tanya exclaimed, "Isn't that Daniel?!" and sure enough, it was! He and our new friend, Blake, were about to enter the bull ring when the doors were closed. I was just so glad to see that Daniel was safe and sound! With the disposable camera he took with him, Daniel snapped a pic of us girls... we were smiling with relief, thankful that the race was over. And I was even happier to get my hands back on my hubby sans any scrapes, bruises, or punctures from bull horns!
Before I share about the rest of our day in Pamplona, I thought I would include some photos that Daniel took before and during the Running... the guys near the start, runners waiting for the bulls to approach, and the doors to the bull ring about to close. Daniel said it was a crazy, scary experience... but of course, he is glad that he did it! About 200 meters from the start, the bulls passed him... he had to jump onto some fencing to get out of their way, and they were still just a couple feet away from him! When I heard that, I was very glad that I decided to skip the Running and stay safely beyond the fencing!
So after the Running, we needed to find the other two guys, Matt and Dave. Daniel and Blake said they got split up from them before the Running began but believed they were ahead of them, so we all guessed that they made it inside the bull ring, so we headed in as well. It is quite a spectacle in there also... after the bulls that did the Running are put in a pen, young bull calves with covered horns are let loose into the ring. All the people who completed the Running and made it into the bull ring run around tempting (or avoiding) the bull calves. Since it's not quite as dangerous as the Running, it is pretty amusing to watch actually. Looking above all the chaos, I had a moment of peace when seeing the moon high above the ring. Soon it was time to meet up at the designated spot, so we headed that way.
Not far from our meeting spot was the statue that commemorates the Running of the Bulls. I call the first photo "Running of the Bulls, parte dos." As for the girls, we decided to stage a different type of event... the Riding of the Bulls :) And here is a shot of the whole group too.
Once we had the whole group back together, we decided to walk the Running of the Bulls route from end to start. Every section of the Running has its own name... the final curve before the bull ring, the section where we were watching, is called Telefonica. Leading into it is the longest straight-away called Estafeta. At the beginning of Estafeta is a 90-degree turn that is called "Dead man's corner" and rightfully so... the tight turn often causes bulls to slip and crush runners into the fencing along the corner. I am so glad that the guys all made it safely through that section! The next section, Mercaderes, is beyond the town hall, and the section that passes the town hall is called Ayuntamiento.
And finally, the first section of the Running is called Santo Domingo. Along most of this section there are very few places to hide or avoid the bulls, plus the bulls are at full strength at this point too, so needless to say it is a pretty dangerous section. While this is where the bulls passed Daniel, thankfully there was a fence for him to jump onto in order to avoid them... I am very grateful for that fence!
For the rest of the day, we all meandered around Pamplona soaking up the atmosphere. When it's the San Fermin Festival, everyone is just in party mode all day long. There are tons of people milling around town, drinks in hand and decked out in white and red. Of course there is music too... at one point we saw a random marching band come through. They also have some stuff for the kiddos, like the Parade of the Giants. As we were wandering around, we also saw a pretty cool mural depicting the Running, and we checked out the wall on the outskirts of the city.
By late afternoon, we headed towards the bus station to catch the bus back to Madrid, which was fine by us because we were all exhausted by then. I think everyone in the group would agree that it was an insane but fun day in Pamplona and an experience that we will never forget! We got back to Madrid late that night, and early the next morning, Daniel and I were on a plane back to Frankfurt. It was a wonderful, whirlwind of a weekend, and all in all, we had a great, memorable 6th anniversary!
Well, like I said before, I am a bit behind on the blogging, which means I still have to post about our time on the Rhine River as well as our stay in Paris... check back soon for those. Until then, take care!
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