We’ve heard many reports from Americans returning from Spain that are appalled by the blood and violence of bullfighting. To be honest, this didn’t turn me off. In fact, I was originally excited that our stay in Sevilla, arguably the bullfighting capital of Spain, straddled a Sunday night when bullfights traditionally occur. It was our misfortune that this fall’s Novillos (amateur bullfighters with young bulls) were rescheduled for the first time from Sunday to Thursday nights. Still anxious to get a taste of this facet of Spanish culture, we decided to spend an hour at the museum at Sevilla’s Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza. Bilingual tours are offered 3 times per hour for €6.50.
The tour offers a glimpse at the inside of Sevilla’s Plaza de Toros, which is still a great photo op, even when empty.
We thought the tour was well worth the time and investment, and certainly gave us a good introduction to bullfighting history, as well as some “basics”. In fact, we both discussed that we would recommend a visit to the museum to even those planning on attending a bullfight. The material covered in the tour would no doubt give spectators a better appreciation of the sport.
Traveling within Europe via air can be very affordable, often even cheaper than train travel. On our recent trip to Spain and Portugal, we travelled between Lisbon and Barcelona on Vueling Airlines, Spain’s leading discount air carrier. Our basic fare was much cheaper on Vueling than other carriers, at €18 per person. Like all European discount carriers, the actual price we paid was significantly higher due to extra fees. After €4 per person to book our seats ahead of time, €12 per suitcase (x2), a €10 credit card fee and €44 in taxes, we ended-up paying €61 per person for the flight. Although it’s always difficult to stomach unadvertised fees, our total cost for the flight was far less than other options, and very affordable in comparison to flights of similar lengths in the United States.