Sports Nutrition and the Mediterranean Diet / May 27th

Hanna and I slept in today, as most Spaniards do on Sundays. We got up and watched some cartoons with the kids who are getting cuter each day! We then got breakfast at a café. I got a chocolate croissant and a Cappuccino con coco! So delicious! I’m definitely going to miss these Spanish pastries when I go home! After breakfast Hanna and went to the Sevilla cathedral to see if we could attend a mass. I had heard that mass at the cathedral was free and all we had to do was show up when it was about to start. But when we got to the cathedral entrance, there was quite a crowd. Just inside the cathedral there was a metal gate and a security guard. I asked if we could go in for mass and he said yes and let us through the gate. He didn’t speak much English, but I think his job was to prevent tourists from getting in the cathedral only for sightseeing, and he was only letting those in who wanted to attend mass. The service was beautiful, it was in Spanish so unfortunately, I could only understand a few words, but there was something thrilling about being in that huge cathedral for the exact purpose it was meant for. Attending mass was different that touring the cathedral because it reminded me that this was still a functional place of worship. In so many parts of the world, old chapels and cathedrals are pretty much only used for museums or sightseeing. I know most of the old churches I saw when I was in Sweden are no longer in use due to the decreasing Christian population. This was by far the most impressive church service I have ever been to: I sat with Christopher Columbus’s grave on my right, a giant catholic painting to my left, a huge double organ behind me, and the breathtaking golden alter mayor in front of me. I’m not even catholic and yet, this was an experience I will never forget. For anyone who has not been inside the cathedral, it is hard to comprehend how large it is. To help paint a picture: during mass I saw 3 birds flying around inside the cathedral and they didn’t even look cramped, they had plenty of room to fly. They even started singing along when the organ started playing! The organ played hymns by Bach, the service was very traditional and lasted about 50 minutes. After mass, Hanna and I walked around and got lunch at 2:30. I had Paella and it tasted much better than the paella I had in Granada! After lunch, we headed home to change and get ready for the bull fight. I was very nervous because I knew going to a bullfight would be very hard for me to watch. As much as I respect Spanish culture, bullfighting difficult for me to understand because I have not grown up with it. Yesterday, did my best to prepare myself by watching videos, reading about the history, and learning about the 3 main parts of each fight so I knew exactly what to expect. I learned that the bullfight starts with an El Paseillo, which is a march of the matadors, picadors on horseback, banderillas, and team of mules. There are 3 matadors with two fights each for a total of six bulls. Each bullfight has 3 parts the first: Torcio de Varas where the matador and his assistance test the bull to see how he moves and acts. Then the picadors enter for the initial stabbing of the bull with a lance so it’s harder for him to lift his head. The second part: Tercio de Banderillas is when bandarillas plant 6 barbed sticks into the bull. The final stage of the bullfight is Tercio de Muerte where the matador finally kills the bull and it is dragged away by a team of mule. I learned that the matador only has 20 minutes to kill the bull or he could go to jail. I felt that because I was in Spain, I should do my best to appreciate all aspects of Spanish culture that I had the opportunity to be a part of. Unfortunately, there are some things in life that are just impossible to prepare for. As soon as the first bull entered the ring I became very upset and knew I would have to leave. Before the fight, I was told that no one can enter or leave the stadium while a bull is in the ring, so I had to wait 20 minutes until the end of that first fight until I could leave. Sean walked me away from the stadium and sat by the river with me. He explained how when he took his friend Sandra to a bullfight, she had the same reaction. Its hard for someone who hasn’t grow up with bullfighting to see anything more than the killing of a bull. I still believe that many people find beauty and art in bullfighting, especially if they grew up around the tradition, but I was unable to see it. Once the fight was over, I rejoined the group, Hanna and headed home for dinner with our family! We had fish and rice. I told our roommates Sarah and Lauren about the fight. Their school is taking them to see one as well and Sarah does not think she will be able to watch it either. We talked a little bit about ethics and tradition around bullfighting. Both girls seem very knowledgeable and like me, have put a lot of thought into the matter. Sean says he believes that all bullfighting will be banned within our lifetime, I would have to agree, even at the fight today the stadium wasn’t full and there were a lot more tourists there than I expected. Still, Spain is an extremely vibrant and passionate country and bullfighting is very important to Spanish culture.