When I Am a Mom, I Will NOT Let My Son Be a Matador

I say this with the utmost of conviction. Nor will I let any of my grandchildren be matadors. My reasons for this are three-fold:

1. It is extremely dangerous. In Spanish, we would say, "Es muy peligroso."
2. Those poor bulls. I am not a huge animal rights activist or anything, but it is so sad to watch those poor animals die.
3. It's kind of boring. While we were only at an amateur event, I felt that the entire ordeal was not nearly entertaining enough to justify killing six, yes I said SIX, toros (bulls). I actually read a book while it was happening because I couldn't watch anymore.

Anyway, at least I can say that I saw a bullfight in Spain, right?

Saturday, we went to Córdoba which is a 1.5 hour train ride from Sevilla. This was the primero vez I can remember being a passenger of a train and it was a lot of fun. I rode backwards both times which was extremely exhiliarating. About 20 people or more went to Córdoba that day, but we broke into groups based on the trains we took. There were six girls in our group and I hadn't really hung out with three of them before and it was a blast! We began the trip by taking a jumping photo shoot by the fountains and then by climbing on THE COOLEST jungle gym I have ever seen before! Honestly. I think the 15 euros we paid to get there would have been worth it just for that jungle gym. We proceeded to peruse the tiendas at a street fair and all purchased tight friendship bracelets. They unfortunately do not say BFF on them, but we can see the letters there in our hearts.

Next, we walked through the gorgeous streets of the town and finally stumbled upon the Mezquita, a beautiful, centuries-old mosque that has been converted into a church. Full of reverence, we ate our lunch (bocadillos) on the steps of the Mezquita and then wandered into the courtyard to decide what our next move would be. Since the Feria was in town (I'll explain shortly) and, along with it, a bunch of tourists, there were no student discounts to enter the Mezquita as there usually are. And in classic Ashleigh fashion, I was able to avoid paying the 8 euros they were demanding for entry. Instead, we followed some ladies in beautiful flamenco dresses to the local fair. I am not joking, I spent my Saturday in Córdoba, Spain attending a carnival.

It's called the Feria and is basically a celebration of the city. Most cities in Spain have one from what I can tell (Sevilla's is in April) and in Córdoba, lots of the attendees dress up. The women and girls wear beautiful, custom-made Flamenco dresses - each with their own special patterns and with a flower in their hair to top it off. And the men and boys wear caballero outfits and a few of them ride horses. In a few rare cases, you can find a cross-dresser, such as the one we encountered upon entering.

We rode the ferris wheel, watched ladies dance the Flamenco and basked in the Spanish culture that we are so privileged to be learning about. I cannot express how happy I am that we spent the day at the Feria instead of in some stinky old building. While that history is beautiful and special, actually participating in the culture was incredible. Meeting several citizens and taking part in their lives for a day was beyond amazing.

We finished the day by reading in the park and hopping back on the train. Drained and content, we returned to our house, ate dinner and called it a night.

Ohhh life.