i don´t even know where i am anymore...
[some amazing hostel, cadiz, españa]
i´m finally getting used to the spanish keyboard.
at 1 a.m. thursday morning, bridget, erin, alex and i hopped on an overnight bus to seville. we arrived at 8 a.m. and started our day at a starbucks (not my wish...) and went to alcazar, a cathedral, and a bull fight.
bull fight
i left the bull fight in tears after the second bull was slaughtered. i knew what i was getting myself into when i paid the €20 to get a nosebleed sun seat. i knew a bull was going to die. but i wanted to see it so i could know exactly what i was renouncing. now i feel shitty for contributing to this sick game. it´s just like you see on tv, but when you see it in real life, there are nuances of the event that are glossed over. the arena is huge, the sand orange. the shaded parts are full, overall the arena is full with tourists and spaniards alike. the sleek, strong black bull was pushed out on the field and everyone in the audience started laughing. the bull looked around frantically, obviously frightened. the bull "fighters" then waved flags so the bull would run over to them and would then hide behind wooden walls so the bull would run into it. then, a man on a horse came into the arena and stabbed the bull with a long stick. you could see the blood over the bull´s black coat. that´s when it starts shaking and peeing. it´s so scared. it´s been trained to follow these fucking red flags and one day its trainers just beat the shit out of it. that´s really all these so-called fighters do, is trap this bull, trick it and stab it. then they stick some sort of metal, colored objects into the bull´s skin, making him bleed and pee even more. it´s so scared at this point it doesn´t know what to do, but when it see´s the red it can´t help but run to it. then the bull "fighter" takes a sword and stabs the bull, marking its end. it finally collapses, and another fighter comes out with a dagger and repeatedly stabs it in the head to kill it. the audience is up on its feet cheering at this point. then, the bull fighters proudly parade around the ring, their hands on their chest, their chests pushed forward. they´re so proud. their people are so proud. but they´re not fighters, they´re murders. the bulls don´t get a chance to fight back like i thought they would. i´ve never been more disturbed or seen anything more heartbreaking in my life.
cordoba, flamenco
alex and i decided to take a day trip to cordoba. we saw this cathedral/mosque there. it was so beautiful to see how this mosque had been turned into a cathedral, to see the architecture mix together. we bought this amazing plastic 1.5L bottle of sangria for €1.51 and drank it. i was having camera problems all weekend, my memory card filled up after 20 pictures even thought it was 1G. we got wasted, i bought a memory card, we walked around and rode the bus back. then we saw an amazing flamenco show. i didn´t realize how huge the arabic influence was in spanish culture. the flamenco singer was amazing, the dancer was too.
cadiz
then we all, plus john matt and riley took a bus to cadiz. we left our amazing hostel in seville and 10 minutes before our bus was leaving, i realized i left my passport there. so i ran back--all the way--and actually made it back on time. then i realized i lost the battery to my camera. so once again, i cannot take pictures and it´s killing me.
i have to get off. so much to say. i love my life...
i´m finally getting used to the spanish keyboard.
at 1 a.m. thursday morning, bridget, erin, alex and i hopped on an overnight bus to seville. we arrived at 8 a.m. and started our day at a starbucks (not my wish...) and went to alcazar, a cathedral, and a bull fight.
bull fight
i left the bull fight in tears after the second bull was slaughtered. i knew what i was getting myself into when i paid the €20 to get a nosebleed sun seat. i knew a bull was going to die. but i wanted to see it so i could know exactly what i was renouncing. now i feel shitty for contributing to this sick game. it´s just like you see on tv, but when you see it in real life, there are nuances of the event that are glossed over. the arena is huge, the sand orange. the shaded parts are full, overall the arena is full with tourists and spaniards alike. the sleek, strong black bull was pushed out on the field and everyone in the audience started laughing. the bull looked around frantically, obviously frightened. the bull "fighters" then waved flags so the bull would run over to them and would then hide behind wooden walls so the bull would run into it. then, a man on a horse came into the arena and stabbed the bull with a long stick. you could see the blood over the bull´s black coat. that´s when it starts shaking and peeing. it´s so scared. it´s been trained to follow these fucking red flags and one day its trainers just beat the shit out of it. that´s really all these so-called fighters do, is trap this bull, trick it and stab it. then they stick some sort of metal, colored objects into the bull´s skin, making him bleed and pee even more. it´s so scared at this point it doesn´t know what to do, but when it see´s the red it can´t help but run to it. then the bull "fighter" takes a sword and stabs the bull, marking its end. it finally collapses, and another fighter comes out with a dagger and repeatedly stabs it in the head to kill it. the audience is up on its feet cheering at this point. then, the bull fighters proudly parade around the ring, their hands on their chest, their chests pushed forward. they´re so proud. their people are so proud. but they´re not fighters, they´re murders. the bulls don´t get a chance to fight back like i thought they would. i´ve never been more disturbed or seen anything more heartbreaking in my life.
cordoba, flamenco
alex and i decided to take a day trip to cordoba. we saw this cathedral/mosque there. it was so beautiful to see how this mosque had been turned into a cathedral, to see the architecture mix together. we bought this amazing plastic 1.5L bottle of sangria for €1.51 and drank it. i was having camera problems all weekend, my memory card filled up after 20 pictures even thought it was 1G. we got wasted, i bought a memory card, we walked around and rode the bus back. then we saw an amazing flamenco show. i didn´t realize how huge the arabic influence was in spanish culture. the flamenco singer was amazing, the dancer was too.
cadiz
then we all, plus john matt and riley took a bus to cadiz. we left our amazing hostel in seville and 10 minutes before our bus was leaving, i realized i left my passport there. so i ran back--all the way--and actually made it back on time. then i realized i lost the battery to my camera. so once again, i cannot take pictures and it´s killing me.
i have to get off. so much to say. i love my life...