Managed to get to Seville during one of their major ferias. Hundred's of very smart entertainment tents, packed with families drinking, eating and dancing to live music. Its a great atmospere, especially as the parties spill out onto the streets. Everyone arrives by horse drawn carriage and in traditional dress. Its like walking through a town full of celebrating Carmen extras.
The feria includes a week of top bull fights in Spain´s oldest ring. The best tickets get sold out a year in advance but we managed to get a couple crammed in with the locals - sitting on concrete steps with peoples' knees in our backs and people nestling into our crutches. If the audiance had been American, they would have had to reduce numbers 8 fold.
I found the first fight really upsetting, seeing such a magnificent creature wounded, tormented, reduced to a corpse and then dragged out of the areana behind a team of horses.
But after a few fights I became innured to suffering and began to appreciate the artistry and bravery of the matador. Especially when one went back to the fight after being tossed into the air and trampled on.
It is amazing that a modern European country still encourages, let alone allows such an event. It is horribly cruel but set against the other things we are doing, including wiping out complete species it doesn't, in my mind, come to high on the list of mankinds' sins
.
The feria includes a week of top bull fights in Spain´s oldest ring. The best tickets get sold out a year in advance but we managed to get a couple crammed in with the locals - sitting on concrete steps with peoples' knees in our backs and people nestling into our crutches. If the audiance had been American, they would have had to reduce numbers 8 fold.
I found the first fight really upsetting, seeing such a magnificent creature wounded, tormented, reduced to a corpse and then dragged out of the areana behind a team of horses.
But after a few fights I became innured to suffering and began to appreciate the artistry and bravery of the matador. Especially when one went back to the fight after being tossed into the air and trampled on.
It is amazing that a modern European country still encourages, let alone allows such an event. It is horribly cruel but set against the other things we are doing, including wiping out complete species it doesn't, in my mind, come to high on the list of mankinds' sins
. 
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