Malaga, Spain - Bullfight March 26

March 26, 2016

On 26MAR2016 I drove to Malaga to see Miguel Angel Perera, Cayetano, and Jimenez Fortes take on six Nunez Del Cuvillo bulls.  This was my first bullfight at Malaga.  We had went to the Malaga bullring but not during a fight.  This was also the first bullfight of the 2016 temporada!  I got a sol tendido 4 fila 2 seat for 30 euros.  My seat was between the bull entrance and the bull exit doors.  The fight started at 18:30 and it was a beautiful spring evening.  

Bull one was a brown Nunez Del Cuvillo bull.  Perera did the best he could with the bull and got the music playing in the second act.  It was a clean single escarpada kill but the bull took some time to finally go down.  An attempted descaballo in fact brought the bull back up.  Perera was preparing for a second attempt when the bull finally went down.  This fight earned a silencio.

Bull two was a black Nunez Del Cuvillo bull.  The bull had ADHD.  It was a very distracted bull who would not concentrate.  Cayetano could do little with this bull.  The faena was good enough to get music and the kill was quick with a single thrust of the escarpada.  For his work Cayetano earned an ovation.

Bull three was a black bull who Jimenez Fortes received on his knees (only matador to try this.)  The bull came out of the gate and stopped in front of Fortes.  My heart was racing but Fortes did some quick distraction work with his veronica and the bull bought into it.  The music started and the faena was great.  The kill was poor.  In fact it took five decaballo attempts to sever the spinal cord.  The poor kill caused a silencio.

Bull four was a large, powerful black bull.  Perera saved his best bull for his second fight.  The muleta cape was captured by the bull during an otherwise good faena.  Music was earned.  The kill was poor and a silencio was earned.

Bull five was a brown bull with great potential.  The picador gave him too much vara and the bull was weakened too much.  Despite the over vara the bull did fight through to the end.  The kill was clean and an ovation was earned.  The fifth bull was the first bull to not earn music from the band.  Maybe the band was getting tired.  Also, Malaga’s plaza is near the ocean.  The evening ocean breeze really started to pick up on the fifth bull causing the muleta cape to be uncontrolled.

Bull six was a brown bull who Jimenez Fortes and his escuadrilla had no control whatsoever over.  The bull had ADHD.  This bull was the first to have missed banderillas.  It took four times to plant 5/6 banderillas.  The bull also managed to take both a veronica and a muleta cape.  For this bull Fortes and his escuadrilla earned a silencio.  

Malaga was a total of six hours drive, and nothing but ovations (two) were earned.  The weak link may have been the quality of the Nunez Del Cuvillo bulls and not the matadors.  I was very excited to see a fight in a new bull ring for me.

Medina Sidonia, Spain - Alvaro Domecq Farm

March 19, 2016

This farm was founded in 1954 for the breeding of fighting bulls and horses.  The breed of bulls at the farm is Torrestrella which is one of the three best breeders in this area of Cadiz. The bulls, cows, and horses all live in beautiful open pasture of grasslands with cork trees and olive trees.  We got to see their show of the bulls, cows, and horses.  The first segment was showing all of the emblems for the breeder.  This is the ribbon pattern that is put on the bull immediately before going out into the ring.  Then we saw the cows and calves.  The vaquero men demonstrated how they separate the calves from the cows using their trained dogs. Next we saw the dressage horses.  The purpose of these horses and their strange looking strides is to show complete control.  This is mandatory for the horses used in the bullfights.  In the ring the horses are blindfolded so the training for trust between the horse and rider is crucial.  Lastly we saw the bulls. The Toro Bravo is the term for bulls specifically bred for bull fighting. They were brought out by a set of leading steers so all the bulls would stay together.  When the bulls are four years old they are out for the bullring. Owen loved seeing all the animals.  Unlike American spectacle events, the concessions were cheese and olives.  Very tasty.  My favorite part was that the music playing while the horses or bulls were coming into the ring was the theme from Indiana Jones and Mrs. Robinson, among others. 

Ghent, Belgium

March 6, 2016

We took the train just 30 minutes south to Ghent for our second full day in Belgium.  Ghent is larger than Bruges and is Belgium’s second largest municipality. The earliest evidence of human habitation goes back into the Stone and Iron ages.  At the end of the 4th century the Franks invaded bringing the French language.  In 851 and 879 the city was plundered by the Vikings. In the mid-18th century the Hapsburg Empire reached up into Ghent. During both World Wars Ghent was occupied by Germans, but managed to escape severe destruction. The Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24 that was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom.  Our main stops were the Gravensteen Castle, Saint Nicholas’ Church, the belfry, and Saint Bravo’s Cathedral.

The Gravensteen Castle is much like Monty Python’s Swamp Castle, a structure was built and then it fell apart, then they built another one that also fell apart, and then the third one – that one stayed standing. It was first a wooden structure built in the 9th century that was abandoned and decayed.  Then it was built of stone in 1180 modeled after the crusaders castles from the second crusade.  At the end of the 19th century it was scheduled for demolition and in rather poor condition.  In 1885 the city of Ghent purchased the castle and began renovations for its current use for tourism.  Throughout its history, the castle was the seat of the Counts of Flanders, a courthouse, a prison, and lastly a cotton factory.

Saint Nicholas’ Church was built in the early 13th century in the Gothic style as a replacement for an earlier church on the same site.  It has undergone several renovations and restorations over the years.  The most remarkable feature is that the current use is more of a community hall than a church as in the front nave a flea market was taking place.  That is something I have never seen in a church.

The belfry is also a medieval tower that is 91 meters tall and part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. The carillon contains 53 bells that are still functioning and chime every 15 minutes.  The bells are chimed using a huge barrel with pins much like how a music box plays the tune. Originally the bells were only religious, but the bells soon became useful for everyday life and warning signals. The bells have been used for timekeeping since 1378. The tower itself has a wonderful outlook over the entire city making for an excellent watch tower. The hall adjoining the belfry was the headquarters for the rich cloth trade during the Middle Ages.

Housed in St. Bravo’s Cathedral is the Ghent Altarpiece which is a 15th century Early Flemish panel painting. The artistic significance of this piece is that it is a hybrid of both Byzantine and Romanic styles showing an unidealised human representation.  The historic significance is that this piece has managed to survive many wars including the French Revolution, and both World Wars.  The panels have also been separated many times. One of the panels is still missing after the German forces took the altarpiece during WWI.  The Altarpiece spent much of WWII hidden in a salt mine.  That particular story was featured in the movie, The Monuments Men.

Month 20

This month has taken us to Barcelona and Belgium.  With Owen's increased speed and mobility, we have begun using the hiking backpack on our long trips.  He loves to be up high to see what is going on around him. I would probably have to admit that his favorite toy is the iPad and watching Sesame Street.  He still loves playing with his kitchen and blocks.  Owen's biggest accomplishment this month is that we have graduated him out of his crib rail into the toddler rail.  I had to make an added length for the rail to go across the entire front of the bed so he wouldn't slide out.  Since he can now escape from his crib, we tie his door shut so he can't escape into the rest of the apartment.  The first week was awful with him not getting in his bed, but now I can put him in his room for nap time and then within about 30 minutes hear him getting into his bed.

Giving the Sagrada Familia a high five.

Jumping in the mud puddle.