My First Bullfight

Las Ventas Bullring, Madrid



One of the most symbolic yet controversial aspects of Spanish culture is the Corrida de Toros (Bullfight).  When I moved to Madrid a year ago, I debated whether I wanted to attend one or not.  Even in Spain this honored tradition had become a point of contention, with several provinces actually banning the public killing of bulls. Madrid though is not like these other provinces.  This is the heart of Spain and the center of bullfighting.

Interior of Las Ventas Bullring

 Las Ventas, Madrid’s bull ring is the second largest in the world.  It seats 25,000 spectators and is filled pretty regularly on Sunday afternoons.  The fights are also shown on television locally.  Despite this obvious enthusiasm all around me, I still felt I needed something more before I could go.  What I found invaluable and what allowed me to understand the bullfight was a relatively unrecognized work of Ernest Hemmingway.

Hemmingway’s Death in the Afternoon, was published in 1932, and is as much a contemplation of courage and cowardice as it is about bullfighting.  According to Hemmingway, the bullfight is about the courage of both the bull and the matador.  Without both components, you cannot have a great fight.  To me this book made all the difference.  It helped me to understand what I was seeing, and it gave the spectacle a deeper meaning.  Bullfighting is not about torturing and killing a defenseless animal.  To believe this is to not fully understand the ritual and its lessons about bravery in the face of death, for both the bull and the man.

Before I get into more on the meaning of the bullfight, I think it’s helpful to understand the ritual and the different parts or thirds of the fight.  The fight begins with a parade of all those who will participate.  This includes the three matadors, two picadors on horseback, and three Bandilleros for each matador.  Each also has a sword page that passes the sword to the matador when it is time for the bull to be killed.  The bullfight itself usually last about two hours, and is not one single fight, but six fights with each matador killing two bulls.  The average fight lasts only twenty minutes for all three stages.

The parade of the matadors, picadors, and bandilleros.

The first stage of a bullfight involves the matador and the two picadors on horseback.  With the ring empty, a horn sounds and the bull comes charging into the ring.  When you picture this, remember that this is not any ordinary bull.  Spanish fighting bulls are bred specifically for their size, muscular build and above all, aggressiveness.  These animals are more childhood monsters then friendly cows. They range from a little over 1000 pounds, to over 1300 pounds and are between 4 1/2 and 6 years of age.  More impressive, their horns looked to be at least 18 inches long with a sharp point at the end. 

The moment the bull enters the ring, he is looking to gore and kill anything that moves.  This is without being provoked or weakened/injured in any way.   As he runs through the ring, he is distracted by the matador and other toreros (bullfighters) with capes.  This is incredibly important for the bullfighter as he begins to gauge the bull and its tendencies.  Does he favor one horn?  How easily does he charge?  Does he prefer to hook with one of his horns over the other?

Once the bull has been quickly assessed, the picadors are brought into the ring.  These men sit atop horses that are almost completely covered in a thick padding made resistant to punctures.  As the bull charges the horses, the picador uses a long spear to stab the muscle at the back of the bull’s neck.  This is not done to anger the bull or to torture him, it’s done to weaken the muscle.  Coincidentally, this is the same muscle that the bull uses to raise and lower his head.  If the bull is to be killed at the end of the fight humanely and quickly, this muscle must be weakened so that the bull drops his head and his horns.

The stage of the fight with the picadors is the one part of the bullfight that made me uncomfortable initially.  The reason for my uneasiness was not the stabbing of the bull, but a worry over the safety of the horses.  Although the horse’s eyes are completely covered and they are well padded, some horses are occasionally injured by the sheer power of the bulls.  I had no desire to see an injured horse, thus my uneasiness.  In regards to this, I’m not alone.  Many people over the years objected to the punishment the horses took, which is why they began using the protective padding in the 1930’s.  Prior to this period, it was not uncommon for more unprotected horses to be killed than bulls during a typical bullfight. 

After the picador is twice charged by the bull and twice uses the spear to weaken the bull, the horn sounds and the second phase of the bullfight begins.  The second of the three phases of the bullfight is for the Bandilleros.  The job of the bandillero is to place the bandera.  These are the pointed spears that stick in the bull’s neck.  The hang from the bull and remain in place until after the bull is killed.  The men that place these (bandilleros) move like gymnasts.  After getting the bull’s attention, he charges them.  They run simultaneously at the bull, turning off at the last minute as they jump and place the banderas.  This is not a job for the faint of heart, and one mistake could mean death for the bandillero.  There are usually a total of three bandilleros, which means six banderas are placed in the bull. 

The beginning of the final stage of the bullfight.

The final of the three phases of the bullfight, is the death of the bull.  This is the moment that you think of, when you think of a bullfight.  The matador is alone in the ring with the bull.  During the first part of this stage, the bull makes a series of passes at the matador.  His performance is based on the aggressiveness and willingness of the bull to charge, and the proximity of the matador to the bull.  There are also other tricks used by matadors, maneuvers in which they make multiple quick passes, turn their backs on the bull, or even reach out and touch the bull as he passes.  This point in the fight is the most beautiful, and where a great fight is made.  Cowardice on the part of either the bull or the matador during this stage ruins the fight.  This is also the most dangerous part of the fight, and where most of the gorings occur.  Unlike early on, where the bull charges mindlessly, the bull has learned from previous passes and is much more calculating.  He isn’t wasting energy any more.  Now each pass is a precise attempt to destroy the matador.

The end of the bullfight comes when the matador decides to kill the bull.  Before doing this, he walks to the side of the ring where he is handed a sword by his sword page.  Once he has the sword, he will carry out a few more passes before raising the sword above his head and pointing it down towards the bull.  Once the bull charges, the sword is placed between the shoulder blades.  If done properly, the sword severs the aorta or enters the heart.  The bull then staggers for a few moments before collapsing and dying.  If the matador is unsuccessful in killing the bull after two or three tries, the bull is put down quickly.  The whole fight lasts only twenty minutes.

As I said when I began this piece, I wasn’t sure before attending my first bullfight how I felt about it.  I questioned whether the bulls were being tortured, taunted, and killed without purpose.  After witnessing a fight firsthand, I have no problem with the corrida de toros.  Bullfights are not about the things above, they are about courage and honor for both the matadors and the bulls.  If it weren’t for the bullfights, Spanish fighting bulls as a breed would have become extinct long ago.  During the years they live prior to entering the ring, they live an existence that is comfortable, even luxurious, when compared with the standards that most animals live by.  I would argue that anyone who eats beef or wears leather has no right to complain about the corridas.  The animals that provide them with these products are treated in a far harsher manner than fighting bulls.  After all which is more humane, fattening pens, antibiotics, and death by electrocution, or a comfortable life and an honorable death in a bullring.

Whether you agree or not, and I’m sure some of you won’t, the corrida de toros is an interesting and often misunderstood part of Spanish culture.  It is beautiful and tragic, violent and honorable.  It’s a living relic of a bygone era, and one of the keys to understanding Spain and its people.

My ticket to the corrida de toros.          

Chinchon

Castillo de Los Condes located just outside of Chinchon

Located only a short ride just outside of Madrid the small community of Chinchon is a step back in time to the 16^th century. The village is ideally located near the Tajuna River and the fertile valley that surrounds it.  Even today a variety of crops are grown here including corn, wheat, and the crop that has brought them their notoriety, anise. 

                It is impossible to visit Chinchon today and not feel the sense of pride its people feel in their famous Chinchon liquor.  Chinchon is anis flavored liquor available in three varieties.  Dulce, which is sweetened, Seco which is dry, and Seco Especial which is used to catch things on fire (at 74% alcohol this isn’t hard to accomplish).  In addition to their famous alcohol, they use anise in baking, cooking etc…  Although the use of Anise to flavor alcohol is pretty common in the Mediterranean (think ouzo in Greece) the stuff coming out of Chinchon is believed to be some of the best in the world.

Chinchon's most famous product.

                Out visit on Saturday December 3^rd, was actually my second to the sleepy little village.  The boys and I had made the trip back in August on a scorching 90+ degree day.  It goes without saying that this one was much more pleasant with temps in the mid 50’s and with Kelly coming along.  We began our visit in the most famous part of Chinchon, the Plaza Mayor.  The main or old Square, as it would be called in English, is considered one of the most interesting in all of Spain.  It features four story balconied buildings surrounding a circular plaza.  The square itself was first laid out and construction was begun in 1499 and completed in the 1500’s.  During the summertime the plaza comes alive as a bullring is constructed at the center and for three months bullfights are held.  This culminates with a celebration in mid-August that brings Spain’s most famous matadors to town.

Chinchon's famous Plaza Mayor with the Iglesia de la Asuncion above it on the hill.

                Our visit began in the Plaza Mayor where we visited some of the shops and a small museum dedicated to Chinchon’s role in the production of wine, olive oil, and of course Chinchon liquor.  After the visit to the museum, we headed up one of the city’s narrow streets to the Iglesia de la Asuncion (Church of the Ascension).  The church is from the 16^th century with a painting by Goya above the altar.  Unfortunately, the church is only open just before mass so we were unable to see the painting in person.  One thing we didn’t miss though was the view from the hill that the church rests on.  It overlooks the Plaza Mayor and, on an opposite hill, the ruined Castillo de los Condes (Castle of the Counts) which is not open to the public.

View from the church with the castle in the background.

                After our hike to the church, we headed to the Meson Quinones and the Cuevas del Murcielagos (Caves of the bats).  The caves themselves were actually free of bats, but were a wonderful atmospheric place to get a glass of wine.  Essentially the caves are the wine cellar of the restaurant.   They are carved out of the rock that that building sits on.  They are complete with giant clay pots that the wine was aged in before it was served.  For only one euro, you got a small pottery glass of wine (about 2 oz.), that you could keep, and the chance to explore the wine cellar.

The caves (wine cellar) at Meson Quinones

                After exploring the wine cellar, we headed back to the Plaza Mayor for lunch at one of the many village Mesons.  Mesons are restaurants that specialize in all varieties of roasted meats.  Those in Chinchon are especially famous for their roast lamb.  Although I love lamb, I decided instead to have a roast loin of Iberian pig.  This is a special semi-wild pig that is only native to Spain.  Its diet is made up almost entirely of acorns which gives the meat a wonderful nutty flavor.  Iberico (as it’s called in Spain) is also incredibly popular either cured or made into chorizo.  In addition to the Iberian pork loin, I had Sopa de Chinchon (Chinchon soup) that was made with pork, bread, onions, sweet paprika, and a whole poached egg.  For dessert I ordered leche frito or fried milk.  It was a dessert made with boiled milk, egg, flour, bread and sugar.  This is then made into slices of custard that are breaded and fried, not exactly a healthy choice, but certainly a delicious one.  To top it off, the server poured Chinchon Seco Especial over the top and caught the whole dessert on fire.  Just the look on the kid’s face made it worth the price of the dessert.     

The kitchen at La Virreina restaurant.

                After lunch we had one last surprise as there was a man standing at the center of the Plaza Mayor offering carriage rides through the city.  In all honesty I thought they would be too expense for the four of us, but Kelly and I were shocked as he only wanted three Euros per person for the ride.  So that’s how our day out ended, flying through the streets of an old Spanish town in a horse drawn carriage with only the sounds of the horses hoofs clopping through the ancient narrow streets.  It was an amazing day out and one that we will carry memories of long after we’ve returned from Spain.                   

Douglas and Benjamin in front of the carriage.

Culinary Adventures - Restaurante Malacatin

Wearing my bib at restaurante Malacatin.  .

            As we age, we learn to appreciate what makes a good restaurant.  The interesting thing about this is that each person develops their own criteria.

To me a great restaurant must have three things.  The first of these is, of course, great food.  This is a given and without great food we can all agree that you can’t have a great restaurant.  The second factor that makes a great restaurant to me is character.  Your experience there should be memorable.  Character can come in many forms whether it is the setting, the staff, the presentation, or the locale.  Any one or all of these things contribute.  If you leave a restaurant and a week later can’t remember what the place looked like, it wasn’t a memorable experience and that restaurant probably lacked character.  The final factor I use to define a great restaurant is a personal preference.  To me, a great restaurant has to have history.  Whether it’s a traditional dish, a historic setting, or a family history with a restaurant, to me this is the icing on the cake.  After all, bad restaurants don’t last long enough to develop a history, especially in a city like Madrid.

Exterior of Restaurante Malacatin.

With all of these criteria in mind, I headed to Restaurante Malacatín on Saturday September 24^th.  Restaurante Malacatín is a Madrid institution known for the city’s best Cocido Madrileño.  It is located in the gritty neighborhood of La Latina. La Latina is in an older section of Madrid known for its great restaurants and tapas bars.  It’s also the site of Madrid’s ancient Moorish quarter of Mayrit.  Malacatín though is not set among the trendy restaurants on Cava Baja.  Instead it lies just off the Plaza de Cascorro.  Located on Calle de Ruda, a small side street, Malacatín is surrounded by shuttered stores, flats, and Asian clothing stores.  The difference between Malacatín and all of these neighbors is that this tiny little restaurant has operated out of this spot for over 100 years.

Restaurante Malacatín was founded in 1895 by Julian Diaz Horcajo de Santiago.  Originally the restaurant was operated as a wine bar.  It was often frequented by locals including a guitar playing beggar who would sing, “tin tin tin Malacatín tin tin”.  The name stuck. 

Julian and his wife Maria had twelve children.  They passed on the restaurant to their youngest daughter Florita beginning a tradition that continues to this day.  Malacatín is now run granddaughter Dona Conchi and her son Jose Alberto. It was under the management of Florita that the restaurant expanded to add a kitchen and came to be known as Malacatín after the beggar’s song.  It was also around this time that they started specializing in the most sacred of Madrid’s culinary traditions, Cocido Madrileño.

The origins of Cocido are believed to go all the way back to the Middle Ages and a Jewish dish called, adafina.  Adafina was a slow cooked meal that catered to the Jewish Shabbat or Sabbath.  At the time of the Inquisition in Spain during the 15^th and 16^th centuries, Adafina was changed greatly and pork was added to the dish producing a more recognizable version of Cocido.  As time passed and the city of Madrid grew in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, the dish gained popularity for its simple ingredients, heartiness, and fairly low cost to produce.  Today this dish, above all others, has come to represent true Madrid cuisine.

Cocido Madrileno

The first thing you need to know about Cocido Madrileño is that although the dish is prepared in one big pot, it is served as three courses.  The first of these is the soup course.  For this, the broth that everything is cooked in is separated and then small noodles are added.  In addition to the soup, you are also served a small platter of pickled gherkins, pearl onions, and guindillas.  Guindillas are small picked hot peppers.  They also serve a plate of whole raw onions alongside the soup. 

The second course of Cocido is the vegetable course.  The stars of this course are the chick peas.  These are slow cooked and take on the saltiness of all the various meats.  They also give the soup its heartiness.  In addition to the chick peas, there is cabbage, and potatoes.  It is also with this course that the pork belly appears.  This is the one part of the dish that simply didn’t agree with me.  Pork belly is the layer of fat between the skin and the meat of the pig.  Although it adds a great deal of richness and flavor to the dish, the texture was simply something I couldn’t stomach.

The final course of Cocido Madrileño is the meat course.  This is by far the richest and most filling course.  It’s like salty meat heaven.  The meat course consists of chicken, pork ham bone, roast beef, pork knuckle, fresh chorizo, and morcilla (blood sausage).  The result of all these bended flavors is magical.  It is also incredibly filling. 

Interior of Restaurante Malacatin.

After our meal we paid our bill we were met by one of the restaurant’s owners.  Because the place is so tiny (only ten tables) he shakes everyone’s hand and asks them what they thought of their meal.  He also thanks you for coming to Malacatín.  Although much has changed in the restaurant’s 116 years of operation, the hospitality hasn’t.  If you are looking for an authentic culinary experience in Madrid, Malacatín can’t be beat.  Just make sure to book ahead.

El Ratón Pérez – The Spanish Tooth Fairy

El Raton Perez

One of the most interesting aspects of living in another country is the subtle differences.  Whether it’s the way people greet each other, or the flavor of potato chips, these are the things that make each culture unique and different from our own.  One of these small differences in Spain is the story of El Ratóncito Pérez. 

            The origins of the Spanish tooth fairy go back to the 1890’s and a sickly young prince, Alfonso XIII.  Alfonso was born after his father’s death in 1886 and thus was crown King of Spain upon his birth.  Because a young child cannot rule, his mother Queen Maria Christina was appointed Regent and ruled in place of her son.  In 1902, when Alfonso reached his sixteenth year, he assumed the crown and full control of the state.  He remained King of Spain until April 14^th, 1931 when the Second Spanish Republic was formed.  He then fled the country.  He lived out his remaining days exiled in France and eventually Rome, where he died in 1941.

            According to the story behind the creation of Ratóncito Pérez, young Prince Alfonso was a frail child and somewhat sickly.  He was also deeply bothered when he began to lose his teeth.  To assuage his fears the Queen called upon Father Luis Coloma, a popular writer of the era.  Coloma was an important figure in the Spanish Realist movement of the second half of the 19^th century.  He wrote several novels and two well regarded histories later in life.  In 1894, Coloma was contacted by the Queen and asked to write a story for the eight year-old Prince.

            Coloma set to work producing the tale of Ratón Pérez.  In the story young Prince Buby (Alfonso XIII’s nickname) loses his tooth and is visited by a small mouse.  The mouse carries a red satchel that he uses to collect all the teeth.  In their place he leaves a small amount of money.  When Buby catches the mouse in the act, Ratón Pérez agrees to take him along on his evening’s work.  During the course of the story, Pérez takes the prince to his home to meet his family (they live in a Huntley Biscuit box) and on an errand too collect a tooth in one of the poorer areas of town.  Here the story takes on a moral message as the prince sees the miseries of the poor and understands that he must do more for the people of his country.  Coloma’s decidedly political slant shouldn’t have come as a surprise to the Queen as one of his most successful novels, titled Pequeñeces (Trivialities), is a critique of high Madrid Society in the years before the Bourbon Restoration.

            Regardless of its political slant, what really stuck with children was the image of the small mouse collecting their teeth and the details of his life.  In the story, Pérez is described as living in his biscuit box at Calle Arenal #8, just off of Puerta del Sol in Madrid.  Sol is Madrid’s Times Square, and Calle Arenal a busy pedestrian only shopping street. Further details tell us that the mouse’s residence was in the back of Prast’s Confectionary store.  For many years there was indeed a confectionery store located at this site.

            Today, the confectionery store is gone, and #8 is a small shopping arcade with a DVD store, a video game store, and a travel agency.  Although the arcade no longer holds the sweet smell of a confectioner, it does commemorate Spain’s tooth collecting little mouse with a plaque, a small statue, several story boards.  In the upper level  there is also a small museum and gift shop.

Douglas and Benjamin at Calle Arenal #8

            After hearing the story of Ratón Pérez, the boys were both very excited to make a trip to Calle Arenal.  Pérez had already come to our house once for one of Benjamin’s lost teeth.  We arrived and began our visit with some pictures near Ratóncito’s statue before heading up to the museum.  Located in suite 14 and 15, you enter first through the gift shop and browse before moving into the next room where the exhibits are found.  The museum is very small only one tiny room.  After being given a diagram of the room explaining what all the exhibits were, we were joined by one of the museum’s staff.  She told us the story of Pérez and even pointed out two small mouse holes in the room where Pérez was known to make appearances from time to time.  Included in the exhibit was a dollhouse fashioned as a biscuit box, and a mailbox where children can deposit letters with their lost teeth.  The latter featured a small lit mouse hole in the bottom that had Benjamin kneeling down to take a peak.

Front of the Gift Shop on the second floor of Calle Arenal #8.

            The only setback to the museum was that the staff didn’t speak any English and therefore, the boys were left to my spotty translation to understand what she was saying.  Even so, you could see the magic come through in the boy’s eyes as they anxiously listened and followed her hand motions as she told the story and pointed out the exhibits in the room.  Overall, even with the language barrier, it was a great way for the boys and I to spend a morning.  It was also relatively inexpensive as admission to the museum was only 1 euro per person.

Close-up of statue honoring Ratoncito Perez.



Art and Potatoes

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

            One of the greatest attributes of the city of Madrid and of Spain in general, is its deep love of the arts.  Located within the city in a fairly small area are three of the best art museums in all of Europe.  Of course, the shining star of these three is the Prado which is regarded as one of the three greatest art museums in the world.  Although the Prado may get the most attention, the other two are no slouches.  The Reina Sofia is a top notch modern art museum.  Although a little avant-garde for my tastes, it is a wonderful repository of works by twentieth century artists like Picasso, Dalí, and Georges Braque. It is also home to one of the greatest Spanish paintings of all time, La Guernica.  La Guernica represents Picasso’s twisted view of the Spanish Civil War.

            The third museum in this holy trinity of art is the relatively new Thyssen-Bornemisza.  The Thyssen was formed in the early 1990’s to display one of the greatest private collections of art in the world.  Over the course of two generations, the Thyssen-Bornemisza family has collected art.  In many cases they were responsible for bringing master works back to Europe that had been relocated to the United States at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century.  Using the Great Depression in the United States, Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon was able to raid the collections of many an American millionaire, amassing the second largest private collection in the world. The only larger collection of privately held art was owned by the British Royal family. 

            After the death of the first Baron Thyssen Bornemisza his son, also known as Baron Thyssen Bornmisza, continued to collect art and to add to the collection.  In 1981 the younger Baron married Carmen Cervera, a former Miss Spain.  Although her husband passed away in 2002, Carmen Bornemisza continues to support the museum and add to the collection.  Recently an addition was added on to the original museum in order to house over 200 paintings from Carmen Thyssen’s personal collection.  She started collecting in the mid 1980’s under the guidance of her husband. 

            To me the Thyssen-Bornemisza is the art museum to visit in Madrid if you are short on time or can only get to one of the three.  Although the Prado has the most impressive collection, it sheer immensity makes it difficult to see in one day.  In many cases the Prado holds quite a few works by each artist while the Thyssen usually has only one or two. With the Thyssen-Bornemisza, it’s kind of like ordering the captain’s platter at Red Lobster.  You don’t get a lot of any one thing, but each tasty fried morsel brings something to the meal. To put it best, it’s an art museum for people who aren’t quite sure what type of art they like.  Every room brings a new artist, a different style, or a different type of work.

            Entering the Thyssen, you begin at the reception counter where they collect your admission and have information, maps etc…   Like any larger museum in the city, maps are available in multiple languages.  Admission to the Thyssen for an adult is 8 euro, which includes the entire permanent collection and the new wing with the collection of Carmen Thyssen.  In addition they do run special exhibits which can cost more.  When I visited, they were running a special exhibition called Heroinas.  More on this later.

            Because it would be impossible to tell you about all the works in the Thyssen, I’ve decided to choose three of my favorites to share with you in this format.  The first of these is by Hans Holbein the younger.  Born in 1497 in Augsburg, Holbein is known as one of the greatest portrait artists of the 16^th century.  In 1526 he went to England, at the recommendation of Erasmus, where he was quickly brought into the humanist movement.  It was in England where he earned his great reputation.  Beginning in 1535, he became the officially portrait artist of the king.  It was in this capacity that he produced the work below.

Hans Holbein the younger Portrait of Henry VIII of England, 1534-1536

            The second picture that I saw that really stuck out to me was by the Dutch Master, Rembrandt.  Born in 1606 Rembrandt achieved early success as a portrait artist.  Throughout his life as an artist, one of Rembrandt’s favorite projects was the self portrait.  Between 1652 and 1699 alone he painted fifteen different self portraits.  The self portrait on display at the Thyssen comes prior to this period, but is no less impressive.

Rembrandt Self-Portrait, 1643

            The final painting I’d like to mention is by the artist, Thomas Gainsborough.  Gainsborough is not as well known as the other two.  Personally I had never heard of him until I read a book penned by an art dealer with a love of Gainsborough’s work.  After seeing the painting below, in person, I can understand his appreciation.  Some paintings have a way of conveying the emotions of their subjects.  You feel the pain, the happiness, the frustration.  These are the images that stand out as you enter a room.  No matter what company they are displayed alongside, they stick out.  Gainsborough’s Portrait of Sarah Buxton is one of these images.

Thomas Gainsborough Portrait of Sarah Buxton, 1776-1777

            My only complaint about the Thyssen is a personal one.  Their lone image by my favorite artist, the Italian Master, Caravaggio was being shown as part of the Heroinas special exhibit, meaning I’ll have to wait until my next visit to lay eyes upon it.  I guess this will teach me in the future to splurge on the extra admission for the special exhibit.

            After finishing my visit with modern artists like Georgia O’Keefe and Thomas Hopper I decided to head out for a considerably less sophisticated lunch at local chain restaurant, Patatas Bravas.  As you might of guessed, Patatas Bravas specializes in potatoes, not just any potatoes though.  They specialize in perfectly fried potato chunks served with a spicy red brava sauce.  Their sauce has become so popular in Madrid that they have actually begun bottling it for sale. They do for potatoes what BW3 and Quaker Steak and Lube do for chicken wings in the United States.  The branch of Patatas Bravas I went to was located just off Puerta del Sol, a ten minute walk from the Thyssen Bornemizsa, and an excellent spot to hop onto the metro for the ride home. 

Patatas Bravas

La Fiesta de San Isidro

San Isidro de Labrador

The Patron Saint of Madrid

            One of the more interesting differences between living in Europe and the United States is the public expression of religious belief.  Unlike in the United States where some churches seem almost desperate to share their message, the Catholic Church here takes a much more laid back approach.  The Church in Spain is an institution that has been around for nearly two thousand years. They don’t feel a need to prove themselves. Unlike in the United States, there is no separation of church and state and Catholicism is supported by the state.  Here there are no worries about public funded religious symbolism, “one nation under God”, or the Ten Commandments being displayed in public.  Religion, society, and government are intertwined for better or worse.

            All in all, ninety-four percent of Spaniards identify themselves as Catholic.  Despite this, fifty-four percent only admit to attending mass for weddings and funerals.  Even with their failure to attend mass on a regular basis, most Spaniards still take a great deal of pride in their traditional celebrations.  Events like Saint’s days and religious processions.  In Madrid, one of the most important days of the year is May 15^th, the celebration of Saint Isadore the Laborer.

            Isadore, or Isidro as he was known in Spain, was born in the small village of Madrid in 1070.  San Isidro spent his days working as a day laborer for Juan De Vargas, with most of his time spent behind a plow in his master’s fields.  Like all Saints, Isidro is credited with many miracles during his sixty years on Earth.  Among other things, he is said to have attended mass every morning before going out to work.  In one instance several of the other day laborers complained that Isidro was always the last to the field.  When his master went to check on Isidro one morning, instead of the laborer, he found an angel doing his plowing.  The angel was there so that Isidro could attend mass and not anger his master.  In another story, Isidro is said to have done the work of three men as he was assisted by two angels in all he did.

            Among his many credited miracles, San Isidro’s sainthood is tied to several spots in Madrid.  The first of these is San Isidro’s well, which is located on the spot of his former master’s home.  Just off the Plaza de San Andrés, the site is today the Museo de Origenes.  Originally known as the Museo de San Isidro, today’s Museo de Origenes houses a number of archaeological finds including Roman tile flooring, ancient pottery, and other items related to Madrid’s early history.  While the Museum has sought to become more than just a site to honor Isidro, the vast majority of those who visit are still looking to learn more about the Saint.

            Tucked away in the lower level of the Museum is the site of one of Isidro’s most famous miracles.  To reach San Isidro’s well, you descend a set of stairs into a small cylinder shaped room.  The walls are adorned with images of the Saint, and set directly in the center of the floor is a plain well.  The well is certainly nothing spectacular to look at.  It is somewhat deteriorated and today has been covered with plexi-glass to prevent further decay.  Descending fairly deep, the well is the site of one of Isidro’s greatest miracles.  According to the story, San Isidro’s infant son fell down the well and was drowning.  In an effort to save the young man, both Isidro and his wife Maria prayed to God for a miracle.  Before the child drowned, the laborer’s prayers were answered as the water in the well rose and Isidro was able to save his young sons life.

San Isidro's Well

            Another important site to the history of Madrid and San Isidro is the meadow named in his honor.  Today San Isidro’s meadow has been renamed El Parque De San Isidro.  It sits just outside the city near the banks of the Manzanares River.   Legend has it that during his lifetime, San Isidro spent his days here tending to his master’s fields.  Passing many a dusty day in the hot Madrid sun Isidro was often visited by his master.  One day while his master was speaking with Isidro, he complained of the lack of water to drink in the meadow.  San Isidro’s answer to his master was to ask for God’s help in satisfying his master’s thirst.  Isidro prayed to God and struck the ground with his staff.  Flowing forth from where he struck the ground was a crystal clear spring.

La Ermita de San Isidro (The Hermitage)

            Today that spring still flows at San Isidro’s meadow.  On the very site where Isidro quenched his master’s thirst there is now a hermitage, la Ermita de San isidro.  At the side of the hermitage, in an enclosed courtyard, is a pipe that flows with water from San Isidro’s spring.  This water is said to have curative powers, and several monarchs and other important figures have come to the hermitage looking for a cure to what ails them.

Entrance to the courtyard at La Ermita de San Isidro

San Isidro's Spring

            In celebration of San Isidro’s day, May 15^th, my family made the pilgrimage to San Isidro’s meadow.  This is a tradition held by many generations of Madrileños.  One of Francisco Goya’s most famous paintings depicts the meadow during the fiesta de San Isidro.

Goya's painting of San Isidro's Meadow on the Saint's Day

            Today, the fiesta resembles more of a party or county fair than it does a religious celebration.  There are booths with food, sweets, and breads.  You can buy souvenirs, t-shirts, or even pottery.  Despite the modern twist on the celebration, there are still elements that hark back to an earlier time.  Many Madrileños still come to the fiesta in traditional dress. 

Traditional Dress

            Another carryover from past times are rosaquillas.  Almost every booth has these, which are a tasty sweet shaped to resemble an American donut.  Instead of the consistency of a donut, they have a dry, flaky texture and are usually covered with sugar, meringue, or  chocolate.  Some other flavors we saw at this year’s festival were cherry, orange, and lemon.   In addition to the icing, Rosequillos are made with anis giving them a distinct flavor. 

Merigue Rosaquillas

            Although many today travel to San Isidro’s meadow more for the party than for the Saint, there are still those who wish to remember the real meaning of the day.  To these individuals a visit to the meadow on May 15^th would be incomplete without drinking from the famous spring that makes the spot special.  Our family sought out the genuine experience as we joined the line that formed, winding from the courtyard and into the street, well away from the hermitage.  Despite the length of the line, we soon found ourselves in the courtyard and looking at the spring.  Arranged in front of the pipe flowing from San Isidro’s miracle spring were men with pitchers who filled the bottles of the faithful.  For our part, we gave our offering and joined in with the locals to sip from glasses of water arranged on the table.  Afterwards we took our pictures and headed back out into the sea of people.

            Although we expect no miracles to come from sipping from San Isidro’s spring, it is experiences like this one that my family will remember long after we have left Spain and headed back to the United States. However brief, these moments open a window into the rich culture and heritage of Spain.            

            

Ben and Doug showing off their traditional Spanish caps.