Tuesday, 2 June, 2015:
Laurie wanted to sleep in late this morning, so I let her continue to doze while I went out for a walk.
Physical activity is the key at this stage of my life I believe.
As I headed towards La Puerta del Sol, I suddenly realized . . .
. . . I knew this church . . .
. . . I knew this sign . . .
. . . I knew this street . . .
. . . I knew this place . . .
. . . and I certainly knew this order
of churros and chocolate!
Fully awake now and together again, the two of us started a new stroll.
Royalty in a park
Roman rulers
Atop the Royal Palace
FOR GOODNESS SAKES,
YOU'RE A GRANDMOTHER!
YOU'RE A GRANDMOTHER!
Even the Armed Forces of Spain
have a church in their honor
have a church in their honor
Esther
I like Madrid's classic street signs, here is a sampling from today's morning walk.
Cool street signs don't you think?
Our reflections at the
San Andres Cervecería
San Andres Cervecería
An Orwellian fountain
A Mercado in the
La Latina neighborhood
La Latina neighborhood
We just had to go in.
Fishmonger at work
Deboning
Fileting with a HUGE knife
Neat old building
Bike Rack on the 1st floor
Love the tile work
Guiness Book of Records declares this
the oldest restaurant in the world
the oldest restaurant in the world
Botin was founded in 1725 making it 51 years older than the USA.
More cool tiles
They serve mushrooms I think
GREAT mercado!
Bullfights tonight
We took the 15 minute Metro ride to the ticket broker behind Madrid's Las Ventas Plaza de Toros to pick up our two ducats for tonight's corrida.
Las Ventas looked sharp today
86 years but looking great still
The Moorish style is to my liking
Not again?!?!?
Lunch at Juana La Loca
It is an award winning option
Much less crowded today
Pablo and Lena took us here last Sunday when the crowds were out on the town.
Tortilla Española with
caramelized onions
caramelized onions
With a Clara of course.
Sidra a bit later in the day
With a tapa or three
Good sidra from our ancestral
province of Asturias
province of Asturias
A fine sidra pour!
After a short rest at the hotel for me while Laurie hunted for another pair of shoes to bring home (she was unsuccessful), it was time for La Fiesta Brava.
Angel praying for a fallen matador
A victorious matador
It was HOT! So instead of loitering out side the Plaza de Toros we opted to enter the shaded, cooler inner workings of the arena.
Barcelona no longer has bullfights
One of the Plaza de Toros bars
Modern art with a toro twist
Smoking inside the arena is encouraged
So is Havana Club rum
We rented two ancient put thick seat cushions and went to our seats on the shady side of the Plaza de Toros.
Along the rooftops
Waiting to chalk two large circles
Still a long time until the 7:00 p.m. start
Where did she get a fan?
Capes at the ready
The band played and . . .
. . . the Entrance Parade started
as the Fiesta de San Isidro was about
to have its 35th night of bullfighting
as the Fiesta de San Isidro was about
to have its 35th night of bullfighting
These two on horseback are the ones
who present ears and tails to
matadors who earn them
who present ears and tails to
matadors who earn them
They would be quite bored tonight as it turned out.
The matadors and their entourages enter
Picadors
Strutting with a purpose
Time to warm up
Practicing passes
The six bulls tonight were from Celestino Cuadri Ranch.
Our three matadors were Luis Miguel Encabo, Fernando Robleño and Alberto Aguilar.
Peek-a-Boo
It would be a long night for everyone tonight as the six bulls were all extremely non-aggresive. They would not charge and were content to just stand and stare most of the night.
The matadors therefore had their hands full trying to get any flow going.
A wide pass
Closer
Nice tail action
Horn closing in on its target
It took some time for him to attack
The bull fought the picador well
once he finally charged
once he finally charged
Attacking movement
One more set of banderillas to go
I'll do it!
Good placement
Nice pass
Stare down
Stay on target
I DOUBLE dog dare you!
New bull, same lethargy
Still wide
Better
OLÉ!
The Moment of Truth
He found the mark --
time for another bull
time for another bull
A good pass
Watch that horn
Bring it!
Noble looking beast
Good cape work
Watching and waiting for a bull
to do something remotely aggressive
to do something remotely aggressive
Egging on the listless bull
Careful . . .
. . . what . . .
. . . you . . .
. . . wish . . .
. . . for!
Finally some action in the arena
Here come the capes
The bull was distracted and the
picador quickly remounted his steed
picador quickly remounted his steed
This banderillero was a crowd favorite
Stop staring!!!
Still a bit too wide
Getting closer
Come and get me
I liked this pass
At your beck and call
Matador trying hard
Try as they might, no matador won an award tonight as the bulls underperformed in all six confrontations.
This was not a night worthy of the traditions of Madrid's famous Fiesta de San Isidro to say the least.
The end of the corrida . . .
. . . and also the end of our time in España. What an incredible time we have had here with the Cobras family in particular and Spain in general. We are grateful to everyone in Murcia that welcomed us into their lives and their homes.
Tomorrow morning Laurie and I take our separate flights to arrive in Los Angeles about ten minutes apart. It will be good to be home.
GRACIAS MURCIA,
1-2-3 COBRAS
y
FUERA SAMPER!!!
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