So much to say so little time

This post is going to be like turning a novel into a paragraph, but I'll give the highlights.

Madrid is absolutely amazing! I had a great time walking the city and the hostel I stayed in was amazing. I saw a flamenco show which was incredible, but the highlight was a bullfight. I have always had the impression that the bullfighters had their fun with the bull and then it was let go. Not so. It is actually a slaughter. For each show six bulls are killed by being stabbed with saber thingies and then finally with a sword. I happened to get a ticket in the first row so I saw the show in all its gruesome glory. It wasn't just the bulls that got bloody though. One matador got gored in the butt and trampled on, but was fine. The second matador was not so lucky. The bull horn went through his hand. He left in an ambulance. The Spanish people loved it. They came in their best clothes and had their gin and tonics at 5 in the afternoon.

The saving grace of the fight is the fact that it is very tasty. I befriended some French people at my hostel and we had a tapas meal of bull testicles. They liked it but I thought it tasted like fried snot. I'm considering it a cultural experience.

Other than that, it's been great exploring through the windy streets and seeing the sights. I thought Spain would be dirty, but it isn't at all. People are friendly, too. They do not, however, speak English so I have been struggling to communicate. All the more reason to learn Spanish next year.

Ciao!