The Bullfight
Nimes, France 2018
The bullfight was held in a forum built by the Romans. And the forum (it looks like a small coliseum) is in perfect condition. That impressed me more than the bullfight. How wonderful to still be able to use a structure built 2000 years ago.
We did enjoy the bullfight but couldn’t help but feel sorry for the bull. He was outnumbered. Whenever it looked as if he were getting the upper hand, the lesser bull fighters would come in to distract him. He seemed puzzled by it all. Once when he snatched the matador’s cape from him and trampled it, the bull looked up as if to ask, “Did I win???” Sad to say, he didn’t.
The local people appreciated the art of the bullfight. We could have been in Spain. There had been an earlier bullfight that took place with the matador on horseback. We wished we had arrived in time to see that. Maybe next time if there is a next time.
I left my hotel with only a wide-angle lens. I was thinking ‘architecture’. Of course, I kicked myself when we found ourselves at the bullfight.
But here the wide angle came in handy.
They danced on the steps of the Catholic Church. A crowd surrounded them, clapping in that special way that people do who know about flamenco music. I held my camera above the heads of the crowd and shot with my wide-angle lens. I did have to work on this in Photoshop, but I was able to get a shot!