Sunday Walk

Hola!

Sunday, Sunday, a day to get out and look at new foreign pretty sights. You see, I was still rather jovial walking around before witnessing the Bullfighting so this will be a happy entry unlike the previous.

I suppose this is one of the more touristy walks the few of us made to date. We paid the flea market a visit, had lunch like the Spanish at a typical sidewalk eatery and beers at another one, set foot in Zaragoza’s Cathedrals, and finally ended the day with the Bullfighting.

In this city, the hustle bustle is similar to our PJ on weekdays, with the working class, university students, housewives, as well as the wanderlust people on the streets. Come Sunday, nobody works...I exaggerate but it says a lot when outlets such as Carrefour close on Sunday, I mean it ACTUALLY opens only HALF day and closes on Sunday! Tis a blasphemy in Malaysia and Asia in fact but here in Spain, Sunday, the day of Worship and of God, screw the capitalism! Give us our freedom and joy of life anytime!

Well, that’s exactly what I admire, respect and would like to achieve; A Balanced Life. You would be hard-pressed to actually find many Asians to lead that kind of lifestyle. It is unfortunate to know that so many placed absolute pride within their occupations as if it is the only identity and achievement they are capable to relate to in their lives, and that there is nothing else meaningful outside the working environment. It’s a shame and realizing as such, I strive for a meaningful life while maintaining balance between what I’ll do for a living and what I’ll do for leisure, and amongst other things, time for family and loved ones.

Haha! I digressed. And while I journey on to achieve what I desire to, I share some of the visuals caught on camera on this wonderful Sunday, beautiful Sunday. Let the session begin then…

Sights & Sounds

Walkers

Asians on a Sunday morning in Spain

Photo Sessions

I shoot you shoot me

Harley Dave

Just classy

Urban Parks

Something I cannot stress enough my liking for them

Ladies

The statuettes and their perpetual conversation

Familiar Pedestrians

Hey, I think I know them!

Thumbs Up

For the delicious burger and chocolate milk

Sunday Traffic

Non-Existent

Foreigner

A Japanese who walks everywhere with her luggage (serious!)

Statue

They are everywhere

Innocence

The one barrier between reality and children, once broken, they begin to lose it

Goya

An Aragonese Spanish painter and printmaker

“The subversive and subjective element in his art, as well as his bold handling of paint, provided a model for the work of later generations of artists, notably Manet and Picasso” - Wikipedia

Stout

Are the lions guarding this end of the bridge

Attention to Details

Even statue lions need balls

POTD Silence is Copper

Side by side, I also sat quietly and stared into the azure blue skies, silently pondering what is being pondered in the mind of this queer little copper fellow

And here we are again, the end of another one of those multi-pronged entries and the last one for this particular series. Yes, I do realize I left out photos of them Cathedrals and perhaps I shall post them up soon. However, I find myself capable of only posting the photos without much description when it comes to Cathedrals. Should it still be that way when time to post it up, then a photo entry it is then!

Until I have the pleasure to address you again, I bid you a good day or sweet dreams should it prove to be near bed time. Have a good one, be bold to dream and achieve all that your heart desires. Adios!

WaY

The Bull's Final Fight

Dearest friends,

This is the entry on Bull Fighting. I admit that I was quite excited about witnessing it live for the first time in Spain itself instead of looking at photos or video of the event from various media. It is in fact, a hallmark and tradition, perhaps the ultimate pride of the Spanish if anything else.

Yes, we all know it, the glorious matador in the most suave and graceful stance waving and jerking the Red at the creature and with a swift dodge, he avoids the massive yet quick charging albeit somewhat clumsy bull. Yes, we all have seen it, be it from the Idiot Box or documentary magazines. And then with the successful dodge, the matador turns around in a movement ever so nimble like a ballerina, facing the bull while enraging it with the Red in his hands in anticipation of yet another fatal charge.

This, as you may know it, takes place six times consecutively with loud cheers of “OLE!” from the crowd, every time he successfully performs the dodge in close proximity to the animal. And here comes the finale, facing the severely wounded bull, which is taking its final charge towards its own demise and with the Long Sword in the matador’s hand, he plunges it hard and deep into the bull’s heart, again with the crowd cheering in succession. By now, only the Death God awaits patiently with welcoming arms before the creature draws its last breathe lying on the sandy ground, but not before the matador strikes hard to plant a dagger into its brain, the quick hard dagger plunging through its thick skull triggers a final nervous signal from its gray matter to its limbs, jerking all four of them before its body finally thumps softly on the ground, breathless and dead.

My dear friend, what is shown in your conventional media channel is how glorious and graceful bullfighting is. However, as I sit high up in the stadium witnessing the aftermath, all that ever takes place other than the proud matador parading with his prize, the bull’s ear in his hand being showered with cheers and salutes, is the dead bull being dragged behind the scenes like a ragdoll by three colorfully decorated and blindfolded stallions. I sympathize the three “dead-meat-dragging-machines”, though. With a heavy heart and a sense of dreadfulness, let the Sights & Sounds of this gruesome tradition roll…

Sights & Sounds

Outside the Ring

A.k.a. Bull slaughtering house

It Has a Name

Plaza De Toros De La Misericordia

The Ring

Where souls of bulls are reaped in the name of entertainment

Programme

The illustration that was under moody lighting

The People

Enthusiastic group before it began

Gates Heaven and Hell

From this gate, the spiritual creature emerges

Into this gate, it is dragged within…soul-less

The Almighty

The Charging Dead

The Charge

This is done repeatedly to tire out the bull

Lure & Poke

The bull is being enraged to attack the horse and at that exact moment, the bull will be stabbed and ultimately resulting in a handicap

Hook & Bleed

After the above, this matador will stab 6 hooks onto the bull while facing the death defying charge

Heavily Handicapped

And this is called Bullfighting?

This ain’t no fighting. It is the brutal murdering of bulls under the veil of entertainment/tradition

Enrage

With the Red

The Matador I

The Graceful Stance

The Matador II

The Glorious Dodge

In close proximity

The Matador III

The Piercing

Signals that the end is near for the bull

Succumbing

To Death

Death

Befalls the device of entertainment

End of Misery

With the ultimate stab

The Prize

Bull’s Ear - Symbol of "Victory”

Used

And disposed

Parade

Of the “proud” and “victorious”

POTD: REMEMBER

Again, REMEMBER this image every and each time they showcase the glorious moments of the matadors. In my humble opinion, I feel sorry that it is nothing more than glorified murdering of bulls.

Okay, consider this something I find difficult to swallow in the name of tradition/culture or at all. Nonetheless, I accept that it is part and parcel of this civilization. However, being human’s culture; I hope it can be something to be left behind us for it is as vile and cruel as Gladiator Combats amongst many blissfully ignored cruelties.

So much for the initial excitement.

WaY

The REAL flea market

Hola people! Now that the 3 spronged entry has ended, allow me to start another multi-pronged one…hehe. Sorry lah, I have to break down one outing into many entries mar. Or else I’ll have to load up too many pictures at one go, run out of things to blog, and also to keep you coming back for more bit by bit mar…hehe.

Today, we went and began our lovely Sunday at a flea market. Before I begin the session on the flea market, the whole day was an absolute walkathon from 10am to 10 pm. Yeah, walked from sun rise to sun down up until after the bus ride back to the apartment sweet apartment.

To give you some insight, we walked around the city and into some amazing cathedrals and ultimately witnessed Bull Fighting, how about that for something genuinely Spanish? Well, catch all those in the upcoming entries. Now let’s roll the session on the flea market. Peel your eyes open because you ain’t seeing typical Malaysian flea markets here in Spain…

Sights & Sounds

Cattle Bells

Things that make cows go “ding ding dong dong” when they come home

(They should tie some of these to cats back home, so you’d know to poach and kill em’ when they flee into your garden to leave a stinking lump of poopoo as souvenir. Bastard cats.)

Antique Clocks

Turn back the olden times with these. Ya think?

Machine from The Past

Sew back the past times for bittersweet memories

(Inside joke for photographers: It’s a sewing Sigma! Haha!)

Grandpa Radio

Like they say, let the oldies play

Old Pocket Watches

The passage of time passes us by, but these passed through every second of it

Head Mistress

Told ya ALL head mistresses are scary, including this one

Dead Soldiers

Due to lack of funds, the Spanish government has commissioned the Association of Flea Marketeers to market these dead soldiers’ uniforms.

(NOT! Haha! Its either funny or creepy when my friend commented that these uniforms were from dead soldiers…hmm, go figure)

Cool Things

These are some of the cool stuff I found and that I may consider buying as collection/wall décor

Best Duo

Can’t you see that the two of the best things in the world are side by side…hmm?

For me

A classic Minolta

(Info: Minolta camera division was bought over by Sony)

For me Dear

To create sinful temptations

Dear God

Would be what the Father of Laptops mutter upon his last breathe at the sight of this

Massive

And you’d thought that markets with such “merchandise” would be scarce of visitors?

POTD: Nostalgic

“They ask me how I knew,

my true love was true…”

How wonderfully nostalgic it is a couple dancing to that tune from this player from down the memory lane

So there you go! An account of a walk amongst the crowd into the Spanish flea market. A definite eye opener to the real deal or so I thought. Nonetheless, we called it a morning and walked on for lunch. Along the whole journey, I also managed to photograph some street shots just like how I desired since day one in Spain and I’d like to share it soon. But before that, remember to tune back in for Sights & Sounds of Cathedrals and….the Bull Fight! They say, good things come to those who wait…very patiently, hehe.

Till I see you again, drink lots of water and consume your vitamin C as it is hot and humid over there in Malaysia. Take care LaH!!

WaY