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It is liked as well as disapproves by others but for a Spanish person a Madrid Bullfight is essential part of its culture and tradition and according to some their journey to Madrid is incomplete without visiting famous bull fight ring in the city Madrid Plaza de Toros. Bullfighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, southern France, Latin and American countries where a bull or more bulls are ritually killed in a bullring as a public spectacle.

Historically, bullfighting has its roots into the prehistoric bull worship and sacrifice. The killing of the sacred bull was considered as an iconic act of Mithras, which was commemorated in the mithraeum wherever Roman soldiers were stationed. The oldest evidence of bull fight has been witnessed at celtiberian tombstone from Clunia and the cave painting “El toro de hachos”, both of the places are situated in Spain. It has also been said that Bull fighting was been introduced by Hispania by the Emperor Claudius as a substitute for gladiators when he imposed a ban over gladiatorial combat. Bullfighting spread from Spain to its Central and South American colonies and in the 19th century to France, where it developed into a distinctive form in its own right. During religious festivities and royal weddings bullfighting used to be organized at local plaza where local men used to compete for royal favor and masses used to enjoy entire excitement over there. The Spanish fighters introduced habit of fighting on foot around   1726. Francisco Romero is considered first to fight a bull on feet.

Madrid Bullfight

Bullfights occur at the Madrid Plaza de toros (Madrid bullring) every Sunday afternoon from March to October at 1900hrs and daily during the Fiesta San Isidro. In the east of the central district and located on one of Madrids main thoroughfares, Calle Alcala, the Madrid bullring is served by its own Metro station Ventas, regular bus services and is only a 5€ taxi ride from downtown Madrid. The Madrid transport authority provides extra services during the fight calendar having 23,000 people leaving an event centre at the same time can mean these are close to full and you may have to wait a while. This is also true when the bullring is being used for concerts of shows such as the motorcross in September of every year. Tickets for a Madrid bullfight from the ticket booths that are called “Taquillas” and are situated at the plazas, though these may be sell out in advance if a famous Torero is performing.

Bullfighting Explained

A Madrid bullfight is consisted of about six bulls & three matadors and each matador provided with two assistants to carry out the bull fight. Over a period of two hours the matadors will each kill two bulls or “toros” as they are known in Spain. The fight starts with when matadors and their assistants enter into the bullring and parade in front of the crowd in order of stature. After it, matadors and their assistants go into to their respective areas behind the Madrid bullring safety boards and their wait for 1st bull. Before the release the master of the ceremonies announces with a handcaried billboard details of the farmer, origin and weight of the bull. This further starts bullfight in an attractive and radical manner.

In start two assistants enters the bullring and provoke bull into making a number of passes. This is exactly done to judge the health and agression of the bull while the matador keeps on watching things. After provoking the bull quite enough the Matador enters into the ring. Now using his cape the matador lets bull to charge him. When bull charges matador he maintains a rigid pose and guides the bull around his body. Skilled matadors do the thing in a manner so that the cape does not leave the ground. After bull being exhausted the bull is being killed.   The crowd after the killing cheers upon the merit of fight. A successful matador is rewarded with an ear, two ears and two ears and the tail.

In poll conducted in 2002 about 68.8% of Spaniards express “no interest” in bullfighting while 20.6% expressed “some interest” and 10.4% “a lot of interest. The poll also showed variation in opinion according to generation wise. 51% of at around age of 65 and older expressed interest by young expressed their desire into around 23%. Its popularity even region wise varies in Spain as Galicia and Catalonia with 81% and 79% of those polled expressing no interest. Interest is greatest in the areas of north, centre, east and south. On 18 December 2009, the parliament of Catalonia, one of Spain’s seventeen Autonomous Communities, approved by majority the preparation of a law to ban bullfighting in Catalonia.

Shopping in Madrid can be done in variety of ways and by multiple means and attitudes, but a common mean to shop in and around Madrid it to shop by mean of being around small, specialized stores and even at busy food markets.  For persons who prefer shopping at the boutiques and specialty shops to department stores and supermarkets, then they should roam around different areas in Madrid to get into touch with huge array of shops to make it as the best shopping extravaganza while on a tour of Madrid. To have a better idea about How to Shop in Madrid one can visit entire Madrid by Zones for touring as well as doing shopping.  There are around six different shopping zones as existing in Madrid being like as:

•    Goya & Salamanca area: Located at the area known to be as Barrio de   Salamanca, Calle Goya is prominent shopping streets of Madrid. This street is filled with a good number of shops with exclusive ambience, and unique luxury for a person who can afford it. Boutiques, jewellers and elite shopping centers and the high street fashion outlets respectively for younger shoppers is a real wonder of this place.  The Goya Serrano area is the most significant fashion center as to be found at Madrid. In this area you can enjoy the most designers like Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Lacoste, Donna Karan, Channel, Gianni Versace, Gucci and more. The majority of shops at Serrano Street are located between Maria de Molino and Puerta de Alcala. Other than boutique more you can have their large departmental stores like El Corte Ingles. The shops on Goya Street start at the intersection of Goya and Alcala and extend to Plaza de Colon.

This place too is filled with unique number of boutiques and commodities in the region.  The most famous boutiques in the region are at the street like Serrano, Castelló, Goya, Velázquez, Jorge Juan, Príncipe de Vergara and Ortega y Gasset which indeed are a real treat for some one to watch and look around. Jeweler shops too are there in abundance in this reason are like Carrera y Carrera, Wempe, Suárez, Brooking, Cartier or the exclusive Bulgari show diamonds and other gems in superb shop windows.

•    Castellana Area: This region situated as all along to north of city is located next to the Azca complex and is closer to Paseo de la Castellana, the Palacio de Congresos (Conference Centre) and the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. There street  Calle Orense lies is filled with shops, galleries and businesses as well as food establishments and various cafes where a person can relax after having an hectic schedule after continuous shopping.

•    Argüelles & Princesa: The Street that is there at Calle de la Princesa is better known to be one of the famous shopping areas in Madrid. The street runs across from Plaza España to Plaza de la Moncloa and is situated on   both sides by a large number of businesses and shops, added with many cafés, ideal for a relaxing and deserving break. Department stores, shoe shops, Spanish fashion outlets and accessory stores are available at the street along with restaurants, cinemas, clubs, pubs and discos which even can found there. Other than shopping, is good for sightseeing the Madrid’s most famous buildings like Liria Palace is home to the Duchess of Alba on her visits to the capital, and the Cerralbo Museum, situated in nearby Calle Ventura Rodríguez.

•    Chueca & Fuencarral: The Chueca district has reputation of being city of ultimate reputation and prestige and one of the cosmopolitan areas at the center of the city. The Almirante area there is prestigious for its Spanish fashion shops that are mostly appealing to contemporary buyers in the region. Shops in the region has successful has made the place to be backbone of the Modern Madrid.  The shop windows in the Chueca mixes up both and are unique in originality and the avant garde. The streets perpendicular to Fuencarral and Hortaleza definitely are the shoppers’ paradise.

Fuencarral market has emerged as an alternative to the traditional and typical department stores. Its interior is colourful and psychedelic, metal combines with soft furry fabrics and the shops form labyrinthine corridors. The market is full of craftsmen and women, designers and small traders from all over and around the Spain and even from outside the Spain. Here shoppers can buy glamorous fashion items, Jewels, belts, feather gowns, shoes and boots on most affordable costs and resolution.

•    El Rastro: The flea market that is popular at El Rastro can be found at Madrid on Sunday mornings. The market starting from Plaza de Cascorro and running down the section of road is being known as the ‘Ribera de Curtidores’. At the markets at El Rastro vendors sale their items and wares on tables and booth. Despite being the Sunday markets do not expect El Rastro market to be an antiques market, rather it is a market filled with imported items, leather purses, textiles and other items of daily use to be employed at home.

Madrid as a city claims a unique spot for landmarks existing in the city, mostly of them as gateways. These landmarks disclose rich historical culture and background of the city and shows up some glimpses of architectural excellence that exits in these landmarks. Some of rich landmarks culturally have been briefed as below:

•    Prado Museum: It is a museum as well as an art gallery situated in Madrid, the capital of Spain. It is a collection of one of the finest European art as collected from 12th century to early 19th century. It is themed upon Spanish Royal collections. It has nearly more than 5,000 drawings, 2,000 prints, 1,000 coins and meals and around 2,000 decorative works of art and sculpture. El Prado is the most visited and admired sites in Madrid and counted among the greatest museums of art in the world. It has best collection of Spanish painting including finest works of Diego Velázquez, Francisco Goya, El Greco, Bartolomé Estéban Murillo, Jusepe de Ribera, Francisco de Zurbarán, and other leading Spanish masters of painting.

•    Plaza Mayor: It is a central square in Madrid Spain is it situated away from another popular plaza Puerta del Sol close to it. It is rectangular in shape and measures 129 meters by 94 meters. The Casa de la Panadería, serving municipal and cultural functions is the prominent activity at Plaza Mayor. Variety of activities gets organized over here like markets, bullfights, soccer games, public executions. It also has ring of old and traditional shops and cafes under its porticoes. It is now a center of major tourist attraction and is visited by thousands tourists in a year.

•    Royal Pantheon, Palace & Monastery of El Escorial: It is a historical residence of king of Spain. It is one of the notable Spanish royal sites which work as a monastery, royal palace, museum and school. It is situated around 45 kilometers northwest of the Spanish capital in the Town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. It comprises two architectural complexes of huge historical and cultural importance El Real Monasterio de El Escorial itself and La Granjilla de La Fresneda, a royal hunting lodge and monastic retreat nearly five kilometres away from there.

•    Reina Sofía Museum: The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS) this is given official name to Spain’s national museum of 20th century art.  The museum was officially inaugurated on September 10th 1992 and was named after the name of Queen Sofia of Spain. It is situated close to Atocha train and metor stations close to Madrid near the Atocha train and metro stations. This museum is primarily is dedicated to Spanish and has collection of the two greatest 20th century Master of Arts, Pablo Picass and Salvador Dali. The museum has collection of art works of   Juan Gris, Joan Miró, Julio González, Eduardo Chillida, Antoni Tàpies, Pablo Gargallo, Pablo Serrano, Lucio Muñoz, Luis Gordillo, Jorge Oteiza, José Gutiérrez Solana and many other significant artists.

•    Royal Palace of Madrid: The Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid) is understood to be the Palacio de Oriente and is official residence of the King of Spain in the city of Madrid and come in use for public use even only in the case of state Ceremonies. Palace is there situated under the Spanish State and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional that is a public agency of the Ministry of the Presidency. It is situated on Bailén Street, in the Western part of downtown Madrid, East of the Manzanares River and one can easily access it from the Opera metro station.

•    Retiro Park: Also named as Park of the Pleasant Retreat or rather El Retiro, the “Lungs of Madrid” it is the main park of the city of Madrid and is situated at the edge of the city center in a close precinct to Puerta de Alcalá and not far from the Prado Museum. It is a magnificent park decorated with aesthetically sculptured monuments and galleries, a peaceful lake and lot of other events and is premier attractions.

•    Carrión Building in the Gran Vía: It is a well decorated and world class shopping street situated in central Madrid. It runs from Calle de Alcala and is near to Plaza de Espana. The market place is also known for its grand architecture as prevailing around its building along with large hotels and big movie theatres. Now most of its theatres are replaced by shopping malls. It exhibits early 20th century architecture with forms like Vienna Secession style, Plateresque, Neo-Mudéjar, Art Deco and others.

•    Thyssen Museum: The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, or in Spanish Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, is an art museum situated close to the Prado Museum in Madrid and known to be “Golden Triangle of Art”, having Prado and the Reina Sofia galleries its parts with exhibits like Impressionists, Expressionists, and European and American paintings from the second half of the 20th century, which counts around to 1,600 paintings.

•    Goya’s Pantheon at San Antonio de la Florida:  At this place remains of the renowned Spanish artist Francisco de Goya are buried in a tomb within a hermitage dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua named as “La Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida”. Goya died in exile in Bordeaux in 1828, and his mortal remains were finally put to rest in this small chapel. Bur to one’s curiosity the Goya’s head was missing though stolen in last century for phrenological studies

•    Royal Fine Arts Academy Museum: It is one of the oldest museums in Europe and it is one of its types in entire Europe. It was discovered in 1663 by David Teniers, the Younger, painter to the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm and Don Juan of Austria. He was an authoritative agency and master of the Guild of St Luke that embraced arts and some handicrafts and petitioned Philip IV of Spain.