Guadalajara

I'm fairly sure that yesterday was the strangest day of my life. It was certainly the strangest day I've had in Spain.

On a whim, I decided to go to Guadalajara, a nearby town (and the namesake of Guadalajara, Mexico). No one else wanted to go with me, so I walked to the train station and took a twenty-minute train ride over to the town. Unfortunately, as soon as I got off, I realized that I was nowhere near the main part of the city. So, after wandering around for a while, some nice people told me I needed to get on the number two bus, so I found a bus stop and got on.

Here's where the adventure begins.

I asked a little old couple next to me where I should get off if I wanted to see the main part of town. "Oh!" they said (in Spanish), "We're going there too! You can just get off with us." This sounded fine to me, so I did. I didn't realize that I had just signed up to spend the entire day with them.

When we got off the bus, the little old lady (whose name is Victoria) asked me to carry her suitcase. Figuring it was the least I could do after they showed me where to go, I carried it for her for a few blocks. Getting suspicious, I asked where we were going. "To lunch!" they said, "You must go to lunch with us!" It was 15:00 (oh, Spain) and I hadn't eaten yet, so I followed them to a restaurant where I ate a delicious tortilla sandwich. They insisted quite adamantly that I was not allowed to pay for lunch, and also bid me to order dessert (I may not have been too hard to convince) and share a glass of white wine with them, since they had ordered a whole bottle. “We Spaniards are very generous,” explained Victoria. “Besides, we each have two pensions.” I learned that this couple was just dating; they were both married once but were now widowers.

After lunch, they informed me that we were going to a bull fight (yes, we). Apparently, I had lucked out and come to Guadalajara on the day of their biggest annual festival. There were bands playing music in the streets (including Be My Girl, which is apparently a worldwide pep band phenomenon) and colorful decorations everywhere, but the main attraction was the bull fight. I honestly didn’t know if I even wanted to see a bull fight, but Victoria handed me the suitcase again and away we went.

The bull fight was not as bad as I thought it would be, and parts of it were actually quite beautiful. Yes, the killing of the bulls was gruesome, but truthfully not that much worse than what I imagine they go through in the meat industry, and at least here they have a good life before the fight. The horses were absolutely gorgeous, too, and they seemed to do a kind of dance with the bulls. The matadors were dramatic and over-the-top. But I think the most interesting part was watching the audience. The Spaniards (and there were almost no tourists present) loved it! They were cheering, clapping, and singing along with the wonderful band. It really is a tradition and a favorite spectacle for them.

After the bull fight, I told my kidnappers/hosts/Spanish grandparents that I really did have to go so that I would make it to the train on time. They insisted on walking me there and hugged me goodbye. Victoria told me I reminded her of her daughter. It was kind of odd, but sweet in a way.

So, all in all, it was a most interesting day. It wasn't at all like I had expected, and I'll have to go back to Guadalajara if I want to see the churches and castles I had originally intended to see, but I had a lot of fun! Every day is a surprise here.