Dispatches - 6 July 2025 - Return to Spain

It has been quite the week with a lot of moving pieces.

I started the week by checking off a series of "lasts." My last church service, my last tae kwon do class, my last double espresso at the coffee shop, my last dinner with family. In the midst of all of the "lasts," I prepared for the journey ahead, packing and repacking my gear, filming videos for the YouTube channel, and organising thoughts and goals for my writing projects (I have A TON of them running simultaneously, at least for someone at my level). Even with the busy schedule, the first few days didn't pass very fast. I had time for naps, movies, and even a load of laundry before making the three-hour drive to the airport. Even at the airport, I felt like I had a ton of time, because the flight was delayed for reasons they never conveyed to us (the plane was sitting right there for over an hour before they allowed us to board!).

The flight was my first long-haul, international flight since returning from the Aficionado tour back in October. I thought I was used to these, and maybe I was at one point, but this one seemed longer than the others. Maybe that was because my screen was the only one on the plane that didn't work. The flight attendants tried to fix and reset it, but to no avail. I was left entertainment-less on a nine-hour, transatlantic flight. Oh, joy. I tried to sleep some on the way, but didn't do a great job of that. I arrived in Madrid exhausted and jet-lagged as a result. I miss the days when jetlag didn't affect me. It is a terrible thing when you're excited to be in a new city. The people on the plane were irritating, as well, as they outright ignored the "fasten seatbelt" sign the entire time. Maybe that's just the skydiving coach / security consultant in me, but I know that those signs are there for a reason, and I found their ignoring it to be disrespectful to the captain and the crew. Or maybe I'm just uptight about certain things.

I had forgotten that it would be Pride Week in Madrid when I arrived. The Puerta del Sol was covered in scaffolding and concert gear as the city prepared for the festivities. Truth be told, I don't really mind Pride Week in Madrid. The festivities aren't full of a bunch of kink or indecent clothing like the Pride activities back home. Here in Madrid, Pride Week is a celebration of a community's identity, culture, and businesses, at least as far as I have ever been able to tell. I don't feel like I'm having Spain's culture attacked or an "alternative lifestyle" forced down my throat like I do back in the United States. Jo even commented as much last time we were in the city for Pride Week. She put it best: "It just goes to show the difference in values."

I've been to Madrid many times, so I didn't go around to all of the tourist sites wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. Instead, I took my GoPro to document and provide some insight into them for the folks back home via the YouTube channel. I really love this city, I that shines through in the videos. I did the same for the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, the heart of Spanish bullfighting. Touring the plaza, I was thrust back into the Aficonado tour and the Feria de Otoño from last year. I think I may finally cave to Sarah's insistence and try to learn to work the cape one day.

Unfortunately, Torre de Oro, the bullfighting bar in Plaza Mayor, was closed both times I tried to visit. I guess I will have to wait until I am done with the Camino de Santiago before I try again.

The bus to Pamplona was uneventful as usual, although I have to admit I wish Jo was here to take the trip with me. She is back home in real life for a bit, so she's missing out on San Fermin this year. Luckily, our friend Andy and his girlfriend, Katie, bought her season tickets, so they aren't going to waste. Andy, his girlfriend, and I met up at the hostel last night, reunited after a year apart. It as an awesome reunion over tapas, beer, and the first bullfight of the Pamplonan season, the novillada picada.

The novillada was good, at least as far as novilladas go. No major missteps, no real troubles with the estocada, just inexperience from the novilleros that even the bullfighting news outlets were willing to accept. The atmosphere wasn't a typical bullfight in Pamplona, either, as the party scene hadn't arrived with the fiesta (which started the next day). It was a typical bullfight atmosphere, and I was glad Andy and Katie could experience it before the insanity that would follow for the rest of the season.

Shockingly, Katie said that she liked the bullfight, and her reasoning was solid. She said that the first faena was hard to watch, because it was so much to take in, especially with the violent parts, like the varas, banderillas, and estocadas. After, though, when she considered the performance, she appreciated it as a cultural item that has meaning behind nearly aspect, even if only historical. She also said what so many aficionados have said: we eat animals that are treated far worse, so it was morally unfair to side against the bullfight. All this without hearing my views on it from the beginning. I was appreciative of her critically evaluating it rather than making a summary judgement while also acknowledging that there is a violent aspect that can be hard to watch.

The Fiesta kicks off with the opening ceremonies. Cue the single craziest, most-intense, amazing day and party of the year!