Nestled amongst the bustling streets of Madrid is the famous Las Ventas Bullring (Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas). Only a handful of stops from the centre of the city, you exit the metro station at Ventas and are welcomed by this magnificent sight - a Moorish style circular structure adorned with ceramic designs. The Plaza itself is split into 10 'tendidos' or sections and holds up to 25,000 spectators, and is regarded as the home of bullfighting in Spain. My friend Charlotte is writing her dissertation on bullfighting, and therefore wanted to go and visit bullring, and I gladly --- along. I personally didn't want to go and watch an actual fight (which are only on from May - October anyway) so we decided to do a tour of the bullring instead. The building itself is stunning, and is just waiting for you as you exit the metro station. We had decided to buy our tickets the day before at Sol, but it turns out we really didn't need to as it was really empty (and ended up paying an extra €2.20 'distribution fee'). If you buy your tickets at the Plaza itself, they will cost you €10, which includes an audio guide. Charlotte and I decided to be studious and got it in Spanish, and I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I understood! I personally love audio guides because you can tour at your own pace and not be shuffled along as part of a larger group. Like I said, it was practically empty, so Charlotte and I only ended up seeing about 6 other people whilst touring this massive structure. This meant that we could really take our time and be as snap-happy as we wanted. Within the bullring, there are signs telling you which way to go, and numbers corresponding to audio clips explaining different features. It was really amazing as we got to sit in the stands, but also go and stand in the actual ring! Well that's about it, but before I leave you, here's a few fun (!) facts about the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas:
- Only one bull has ever won a fight, and after his victory, he was allowed to go and live out the rest of his life in peace.
- There are 2 infirmaries within the building for when things go, er.. wrong. Oh, and there's also a chapel.
- Ticket prices vary depending on how close you are to the ring, and whether you are seated in the sun or the shade (the shade being the more expensive of the two)
- The bullring has 5 gates, all with different purposes. One of the gates - called 'toriles' - is where the bull enters the ring, another is where the matador enters, the 'cuadrillas' gate is the access to the horse yard, the 'dragging gate' is the exit through which the bull is removed, and the 'Puerta Grande' is the gate that every bull fighter dreams of exiting by after a great victory.
I know that bullfighting is a very controversial topic, and I myself wouldn't ever want to go and witness a real fight, but the tradition and history behind it is extremely interesting. If you are like me and don't want to watch an actual fight, but would like to see a bullring, I would definitely recommend taking a tour of la Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas (or any of the great bullrings in Spain) as they are truly fascinating to see for yourself.
Until next time,
Isobel x
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