More Bull

I received an email from a person who attended the same bullfight as I in Madrid on Sunday night. I'm unable to reply directly to this person, but wanted to address his/her points here, on my blog. I was incorrect in saying there were three bulls that (participated) in the fights on Sunday, when in reality, 6 bulls were killed. According to the note, the first bull (the one I watched) was the tamest in the evening, and the 2nd and 3rd matadors were thrown by the bull and injured, respectively. I don't think I could have watched that, either.

This poster felt "the matadors don't deserve the unflattering portrait you paint of them (at least not for the reasons you highlight)". To address this point: in no way did I mean that I wanted the matadors to get hurt or injured, nor did I suggest the matadors couldn't get hurt in such a sport. Of course, a bull is a dangerous animal, and in bullfights, one that is made more dangerous by the confined spaces and taunting. Matadors have been gored and even killed in the ring - this is a fact.

My question of heroism remains, though. The matador may be brave in stepping into a ring with a bull, but in my opinion, he is not a hero. In response to the practice of bullfighting being a cultural tradition - I agree, which was the original reason for my attending. But, it is a sport that abuses an innocent animal. This practice would never be allowed with another animal, so why is a bull exempt? I am not suggesting the country erase their culture, but in this day and age, it does seem morally just to evolve the tradition and the mentality.

I thank this commenter for his/her thoughts and for reading my blog and providing their thoughts.

J

Back from Vacay!

I'm baaaack! I haven't posted in the last few days because of Internet access, but now I'm home and trapped in the heat! I thought Madrid was bad at 36! Nothing compared to Toronto and area! Yikes!

Here's a recap of what we did on the last leg of our trip:

Sevilla:

Sevilla is a beautiful city with many, tiny, weaving roads and cobblestone paths. We spent our two days exploring the city: the parks, cathedral and castle.

We stayed at the most beautiful boutique hotel called Fontecruz Sevilla. Its nestled in the middle of the old town, literally at the base of the famous Giralda. It was a wonderful mix of modern and rustic (see the original wood beam at the top of the photo).

To the right, the main lobby. Tres chic.

Here's a photo of the Alcazar, which is the castle in Sevilla. It was originally an Arab castle, which was then inhabited by a Catholic king. As a result, the decor an interesting mix of Arab and Catholic designs and motifs.

Alcazar in Sevilla

At night, we did the tourist thing and booked tickets to see the popular Los Gallos Flamenco Show. It was fabulous. 2 hours of dancing, traditional singing and guitar. Earlier in the day we had gone to the Museum of Flamenco, which really helped us understand the history and style of the dance. Today, flamenco is danced all over the world and the style varies depending on where you go.

Here's me, playing with my fan before the show.

After two nights in Sevilla, we took the train to Madrid. Firstly, what a service. The modern train station is no comparison to our GO Train stations here. The two and a half hour ride was smooth and quick; we were in Madrid before we knew it.

In Madrid, we stayed at the glorious Madrid Palace Hotel, which was made into a hotel in the early 1900s. It was fairly central to the city's financial district and made travelling fairly simple. Madrid is a clean, quiet city. We felt safe walking the streets and on the subway. On Saturday night, all the plazas were filled with people having drinks, enjoying the music and tasting some wonderful tapas.

In our exploring, we came across the San Miguel market, which was literally a food lover's dream come true. Inside, exquisite jamon, an olive station, fresh homemade croquettes, a vodka and martini bar and so much more. We spent some time walking along the vendors and buying bits of food along the way.

The San Miguel Market in Madrid

To cap off our 2011 summer vacation, we decided to spend two nights in Paris. We had been to Paris once before, in 2005, but spent our days running from museum to church and barely saw the city. This time, we focused on Paris: the food, the people, the shops and really felt like we took it all in. We had Macarons on the Champs D'Elysees, a Croque Monsieur at a local Boulangerie, we took in Versailles and spent two hours watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle.

Our hotel, the Hotel du Londres Eiffel, was located in a fairly residential area, at the base of the Eiffel Tower. The service was very nice, and the view - spectacular. Have a look see.

This is the view from our hotel room

And so ends another vacation and another culture experience in Europe. I will always remember our jaunts in Spain, having learned so much about the people, the food, and the lifestyle of the beautiful country. I hope to return one day, definitely to sunny Marbella and beautiful Barcelona. As for Paris, it will always remain one of my most favourite cities in the world.

J

Who´s the Hero?

I haven´t blogged in the last few days, and still plan to send my updates about Sevilla, a beautiful city, but tonight in Madrid I experienced a Spanish culture for which I´m not proud. We went to a bullfight.

When we first started planning our trip to Spain, it was understood we would attend a bullfight. Unfortunately, we were unable to get to San Fermin for the famous running of the bulls, so we decided to catch a bullfight in Spain´s capital city. I´ve read about the bullfights in fiction, in the news and online, so I had an idea of what to expect, and to tell you the truth, I had a feeling I wasn´t going to like it. I was curious more than anything, and thought it was important to partake in a rich Spanish tradition. My conclusion: it´s a gruesome sport that pairs innocent animal with cowardly matador.

We arrived at the Plaza de Toros in Madrid just before 8:30 p.m. The marquee indicated it was a night of Novillatas, or young matadors. Because of this promotion, tickets were only 5E per person. We took our seats on a long concrete bench and before long, the brass band welcomed about 12 young matadors, horses and older matadors. They walked proudly into the ring and bowed at an official in the Spanish box, near our seats. And then, they released the bull.

Full of power, the beast ran full force into the ring where about 6 matadors holding pink sheets taunted it and teased it. When the bull ran towards them, they hid behind a wooden door to protect themselves. What would protect the bull?

A few minutes go by and then the sound of trumpets welcomes horses with spears who strike the bull, causing it to bleed excessively. It still has fight in him, and as he goes barrelling at the matadors, another strike. They torture it and it gets weaker and weaker. Blood is spilling over its back and I can´t watch. Scanning the crowd, I notice there are all kinds at the fight: older men and their wives, many tourists, and even children.

When the bull looks noticably tired, only then, does the official matador appear with a red sheet. He´s a novillata, and from our seats, he looks no older than 20. And so he dances with this injured bull. The toro still moves swiftly, but he is waning. He´s dying. This dance goes on for minutes, but it feels like forever. I´m reminded of how we think of the matador - a strong, heroic figure, always praised for battling a wild animal. Only, from my angle, he´s not battling at all. The bull barely has a fight in him; the matador is playing with a dying animal. It´s far from heroic.

The bull gets slower as the dance progresses and finally the matador spears the bull with his sword. The thousands in the audience erupt with cheers and chants. Ole, ole, ole. Out come the remaining matadors and they corner the bull with their pink sheets until he has nothing left in him but to sit down. The matador jumps and waves and pumps his hands into the air. The crowd is going crazy. I feel like I´m in a bubble. They´re cheering on a young person who is making a career out of torturing - and eventually killing - an innocent animal. It´s surreal, and it´s not yet over. Within seconds, someone comes with a sharp dagger and with one blow to the head, the bull tips over. My stomach is turning and I´m ashamed to have paid to watch this. A final send off to the bull? The same horses come in and drag it - yes, drag it - around the ring before exciting. The crowd waves white: tissues, towels, t-shirts.

And so I question: who is the hero in the bullfight? The young matador who puts himself in the ring with a weak, injured bull, or the bull itself, who is fighting for his life, but doesn´t stand a chance?

It´s time for the next ¨match¨, only, I can´t bear to watch it twice more. And so we leave. Tonight in Madrid, three bulls died. Three bulls die every Sunday. This happens in all major cities in the country, except in the region of Catalonia, where bullfighting is outlawed. Somehow, they got a clue.

I appreciate culture, and I appreciate history. But at some point, history needs to change. Turn the bullrings into museums, teach the history, but save the torture of innocent animals. I apologize for the vivid description above, but if I had known entirely what to expect, I may not have gone to the bullring tonight.

J

And onto Jerez!

We were up early this morning and ready to hit the cobblestone paths on route to Jerez de la Frontera.

I meant to mention, yesterday, we were staying at quite a unique hotel. It's called Enfrente Arte, and is decorated in a mish-mash of styles, mainly dating back to the 50s. Music from the main lobby played well into the night, and there were bright lights from the old-fashioned cars in the main entrance. Quite the difference from when you step out into the street of ancient, Arab Ronda. One major perk: a self-service bar stocked with wine, beer, soft drinks and water for all guests to use.

I should also mention that we were staying in the Tower Room, which isn't a unique name, for a renovated, 3-story Arab tower dating back to the 17th century. The bathroom was on the main floor, a rest area on the 2nd floor, and finally our bedroom on the top floor, with a terrace overlooking the city. It was unlike any other hotel we've stayed at before.

And so, we left Ronda to head to Jerez de la Frontera. Jerez, in Spanish, means "sherry" and this was the purpose of our stop here. It was a nice drive into Jerez and we made our way into the city easily. Getting around the town, now that's another story. If there was a record book for the number of times people can get lost - with a map! - I think we would hold it. Nevertheless, we found our way to two beautiful and big bodegas today: Gonsalez Byass - which produces the famous Tio Pepe sherry - and Williams Hubert.




At Williams Hubert, we had a private tour with Felipe Gomez, which was extensive and pretty cool. At Gonsalez Byass, a much bigger, more organized tour, featuring a look inside their sherry and brandy cellars. Both tours did a good job explaining how the jerez is made. Of course, we had to taste at the end of it all, and ended up buying a bottle, too.

Tonight, a light dinner. Tomorrow we're off to Sevilla.

~ J

Ronda!

Yesterday we picked up our Europcar and started our drive from Marbella to Ronda. Ronda used to be an old stomping ground of Ernest Hemingway and Orson Wells. It's also the home of the oldest bullring in Spain, the Real Maestranza. It still functions as a bullring, but only showcases one tournament in September.

Hemingway became somewhat obsessed with bullfights and bullfighters in his time and such is the theme of one of my favourite books, The Sun Also Rises. I'm re-reading it during this trip.

I'm not so sure how I feel about the bullfights - I can appreciate it's a cultural tradition and part of Spain's history. According to the bullfight museum, this tradition and sport dates back hundreds of years ago. That being said, I also think it's an inhumane and cruel sport that faces a matador (the hero) with an angered bull, who will eventually meet its fate.

We're planning on going to a bullfight in Madrid, but I may not last the entire "show". We'll see. As always, I'm curious, but still don't understand how thousands can gather every week to see such a spectacle.

Today - to Jerez de la Frontera - and the land of Sherry.


~ J

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today we celebrate our 2nd anniversary!

After a beautiful day at Palm Beach in Marbella (Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith live a few hundred metres away), we got ready for our last dinner in Casco Antico (the old town).

Donny surprised me with reservations at skina, recommended by the lovely team at La Villa Marbella. This is our view at dinner:



We had a delicious tasting menu - about 7 courses - featuring everything from sea bass with fish eggs to lamb shoulder to Andalusian cheeses, and so on and so on.

I've mentioned the staff at La Villa Marbella in a prior post. Well, they not only surprised us with a glass of Cava at dinner, but when we arrived back from dinner, in our hotel room was a bottle of Tinto (red wine) and a bouquet of flowers with a personal note. Such a beautiful surprise from our wonderful hosts. I wouldn't think twice about staying at this hotel, or recommending to my family and friends.

Tomorrow - a drive up the mountain to Ronda.

Lastly, here we are - two years down, a million more to go. Love the sunkissed tan!




~ J

Beautiful Marbella

Yesterday we arrived in Marbella - pronounced Mar-beya. It's a beautiful old town in the Costa del Sol, in Southern Spain.

After researching various hotels and resorts, we decided to stay these four days at a B&B that got fabulous reviews online: La Villa Marbella. The reviews didn't lie. We arrived to a stunning white stucco building with gorgeous pink flowers climbing it. It's in the centre of Casco Antico (the old town), which is complete with an ancient castle, cobblestone roads and paths and lots of colourful flowers and plantlife. Inside, the manager Marcos greeted us immediately, and Ben (who is coincidentally originally from Ottawa and super nice) took us to the terrace for coffee and to give us the lay of the land, so to speak. Check it out for yourself: www.lavillamarbella.com. We're staying in the Java Room, which is brand new.

We spent the afternoon wandering the streets and familiarizing ourselves with all the nooks and crannies Marbella has to offer. The beach is a five minute walk and stretches a few kilometres in each direction.

This morning, and every morning at LVM, breakfast is served on the terrace of the main building. It's like a sanctuary; water pouring from a fountain, warm morning breeze, sunshine spilling in. It's so tranquil and a perfect start to the day. We got to customize our breakfasts and had everything from croissants, Greek yogurt, hot ham and cheese sandwiches and pain au chocolat. Beats a continental breakfast anytime.


After breakfast, we packed up our things and headed for the beach, which, as I mentioned earlier is quite a few kilometres long. We found a quiet area called Playa de Casablanca and parked ourselves there for the day, taking a late lunch break to savour the freshly grilled sardines that were cooked on the beach bbq. Tomorrow, we're making the trek to Puerto Banus, an area of town once frequented by Hollywood's rich and famous. We'll check out the beach and the shops, of course.

Tonight, more great food, including churros! It's bascially fried dough that you can dip in hot chocolate sauce (bland and not too good) or plain white sugar. We ended up with the Large Churros - blame the language barrier - but we killed it! Definitely need to walk this off tomorrow!



Speaking of walking, Donny bought a pair of espadrilles! Tee hee. Here we are with our new Spanish zabatos!



~ J

Barcelona Day 4: shoes?

We didn't have much planned for Barcelona Day 4, which was nice. We decided to simply walk around, shop, and soak in the Catalonian lifestyle.

We had a late start to the day with breakfast at Bar Lobo, just outside our hotel. I had the Don Quixote: a ciabatta bread smeared with tomato and topped with cured Andalusian sausage. Donny had the Churchill: bacon and scrambled eggs with grilled vine tomatos. Interesting names, but good food, nonetheless.

Then we shopped, shopped, shopped to our hearts content. What's amazing about Barcelona, well, a few things are, but ONE amazing thing is the number of shoe stores in this city! Not only that, but many of them are exactly the same! For example, we probably walked by at least 4 "Scala Dei" stores, and at least 5 "Padevi" stores! Some are even on the same street. As we were told, the shopping in Barcelona is pretty good, with reasonable prices.

We paused in the late afternoon for some tapas and cervesa on a patio. We could get used to this!

Dinner tonight was at Gresca, but it, too, deserves another post with photos. 8 courses of rustic, Spanish bliss.

~ J

Barcelona Day 2 & 3

Our adventure continues!

Day 2 started bright and early with tours of both La Pedrera (Casa Mila) and La Sagrada Familia. Both are works of the genius Spanish architect, Antoni Gaudi.

Gaudi often found his inspiration in organic items and in nature. In the museum, you can see this is true. Arches similar to the spine of a python, spirals like shells, pinecone like structures. He designed his structures like a tree, with solid simple foundation (often a few columns) and branched out from there, much like branches on a tree.

La Pedrera is one of his most famous structures and it's the building many people have seen in tourist photos of Barcelona. Its curved and wavy facade was, again, designed with nature in mind. Gaudi specifically paid attention to the amount of windows and light that were allowed into the building.




La Sagrada Familia is a basilica Gaudi designed nearly a century ago. He knew he would never live to see the church's completion. In 2010 the inside was completed and blessed by Pope Benedict. Construction remains on the exterior of the building. The detail in the stone, stained glass, wrought iron is incredible in this church; it's ornate and elaborate on the exterior, yet vast and calming inside. A side note: when we arrived at La Sagrada Familia, the line was wrapped around the church, easily a 2-3 hour wait. Luckily, we went to the front of the line where an employee told us we could buy tickets at the ATM across the street and bypass the line. Nice hidden secret about this tourist hot spot.

Dinner on Day 2 was a 10 course meal at Cinc Sentits, but it deserves its own post with all our photos, so I'll add that later on.

Day 3 saw us travelling from Barcelona to Montserrat, a village in the mountains where the Virgin Mary appeared to shepherds. I was especially excited to visit as Mary of Montserrat is actually the patron saint of Vallelonga, where my grandparents are from in Italy. We call her Maria di Monserrato. The train ride from Barcelona (1 hour) was nothing too scenic, but the cable car ride into the mountain (5 minutes) was spectacular with lush, panoramic views. Millions of people from around the world pilgrimmage to Montserrat each year. There, there's not much to do but pay homage. We went to the basilica, saw the statue, checked out the museum and audiovisual guide.

Dinner on Day 3: Can Majo in the beachy area of Barceloneta. After insisting with the maitre'd that yes, we did have reservations, and yes, I can pull them up in my cell phone, we were seated on the terrace overlooking the sea. The owner, Enric, who was a very nice man, also came out to check on us, and to verify that yes, I had sent in a confirmation email (which apparently he did not receive). Can Majo is a reasonably priced spot with decent food and environment.

We had the Lobster Paella, which had rave reviews, and aside from being a bit salty, was fresh and good.




We started our meal with complimentary olives and tomato rubbed bread - a nice touch! - followed by garlic parsley clams.


These clams were probably the smallest little clams I had ever seen! They were tasty enough, but definitely left a bit of grit in your teeth. I would recommend this restaurant to others; good service, excellent view, tasty food and the price was right. Just make sure they have your reservation.


~ J

Day 1: Barcelona

We're coming to the end of our first day in Spain, and our first night in Barcelona. What a fantastic city. I'm already in love with the architecture, culture and the look of Barcelona.

We landed from our Air Canada early this morning and made our way into the city via taxi, where we checked into our hotel directly on Barcelona's busiest streets, La Rambla. We've had warnings about La Rambla and the occurance of pickpocketers, so, needless to say we have our eyes peeled and our hands on our wallets! Rumours aside, Barcelona is a clean, historical city that seems to transcend its history. It's trendy yet ancient, with small, windy, cobblestone paths and beautiful squares (Placas) spotting the city. (And it hasn't even been 24 hours yet!)

After grabbing a quick snack (a jamon sandwich in artisan bread), we boarded our Hop On Hop Off Tour and rode that until the skies opened up so we couldn't sit up top. There's more bus tour tomorrow, we figured, so we wandered the streets in pursuit of the Museo Picasso. (We found the museum after a lengthy search - and it's closed on Mondays!) Highlights of our wandering today: The Cathedral (another Gaudi masterpiece) and the Mercat Boqueria, a food market selling everything from fresh fruit, smoothies, nuts, nougat and cured meats.

A charcuterie vendor at the Mercat Boqueria in Barcelona

There, we couldn't resist our urge to try the infamous Jamon Iberico, which lived up to its high praise. Take prosciutto in all its cured goodness, remove the salt content, and you have this jamon. It's smooth and a bit sweet, but it also comes off a bit smoky.

Jamon Iberico being sold by the leg in Barcelona

After wandering down to the pier, we made our way back to Barri Gotic and La Ciutat Vella and found a spot called MariscCO. (http://www.mariscco.com/) Donny had grilled sea bass, while I had grilled Dory and we split an order of Chanquete. Chanquete are teeny, tiny fish called "whitebait" that are deep fried and served with a dipping sauce much like Lea & Perrins. They don't taste like much, but the little fishes were a great start to our meal and our adventure here in Spain.

Chanquete at MariscCO in Barcelona

Tomorrow: We're gonna be gaga over Gaudi with tours of La Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, plus an awesome dinner we booked at Cinc Sentis. Can't wait.

J (&D)