Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza in Seville

The Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza is a very large bullfighting ring in Seville, Spain. Seating 12,000 spectators, it is one of the oldest and most famous bullfighting rings in Spain as well as in the world. Construction began on the stadium in 1749 and the highlight of the bullring is the “prince’s box”, which has ornate arches and columns and was exclusively reserved for the Spanish Royal Family. It is still an active bullfighting ring that has bullfights from March/April until September. Certainly there are passionate feelings about bullfighting, its cruelty as well as its cultural significance. The history and architectural design of the bullring make it worthwhile to visit regardless of your opinion of bullfighting.

The Prince’s Box for the Royal Family
Inside of the Bullfighting Ring
Painting of a Famous Matador
Walking Inside of the Bullring

We were in Spain in November, so we did not have an opportunity to go to an actual bullfight, but the bullring offers daily tours that allow you to see the inside of the ring as well as visit the bullfighting museum. The museum is very interesting as it contains paintings of bullfighting, famous matadors or bullfighters, as well as matador costumes, and even the heads of a couple of very special bulls that fought in bullfights. The bullfighting ring is actually one of the most visited attractions in the city of Seville. If you decide to take the tour, you should plan on about an hour at the Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza.

Inside of the Museum
Spectator Entrance Below the Royal Box
Plaque Inside of the Ring
Painting Depicting a Bullfight
Colorful Arches

Seeing Demonstrations When Traveling

There have been several instances where we have come across demonstrations during our travels. Fortunately none of them have been violent in any way, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be unnerving at times. Especially when in a country that we don’t speak the language, hear people chanting and yelling things that you don’t understand can make you quite anxious. For the most part, whenever we do see a demonstration, we pretty much head the other direction and avoid it as much as possible. There are times when that isn’t always possible to stay away from the protest or demonstration, so when that happens it is important not to do anything that might draw too much attention to yourself.

Police in Rome as Crowds Gathered
People for Peace – Couldn’t Be More Friendly
Police Lining Up in Quito, Ecuador

The first time that we came across a demonstration when traveling was during our trip to Chennai in India. Elections had just concluded and when we got off of the plane from our 24 hours worth of flying it was late in the evening. As we found our driver that was taking us from the airport to the hotel, he hustled us through the crowds and we could see fires lit in several locations. We were exhausted, disoriented, and not completely aware of exactly what was going on. It wasn’t violent at all, but in the dark of night it certainly wasn’t the most comfortable feeling.

People Marching Through Frankfurt
Police in Riot Gear in Lima, Peru
Crowds Gathering in Rome as We Walked Away

Seeing the posture of the police is usually a good way to gauge the volatility of the demonstration or protest. Many demonstrations are actually positive and if the police are present, they are simply there to control the crowds. Other times, though, you will see the police in their riot gear and that is certainly a sign that you don’t want to stick around. We have come across different types of demonstrations and protests in Rome, Lima, Budapest, Frankfurt, and Quito in addition to the one that we saw in Chennai. We certainly don’t seek them out, but it is interesting to see the passion of the people in the places that we visit. Have you ever come across a demonstration during your travels?

Banners and Flags in Budapest
People Gathering in Quito
Definitely Not Threatening

The Effect of Lighting on Your Environment

Whenever you are traveling, one of the things that you can rarely control is what lighting you will have for your photography. Whether it is the lighting inside of building that was never meant to have electrical lighting or the direction of the sun from where you are viewing an area. Obviously, we all try to take advantage of good lighting when it exists and minimize the impact of poor lighting when we can’t control it. We rarely have the time during a trip to try and plan to visit a place when the lighting is at its best, so we fall into the camp of people who take pictures of their trips versus trying to create the perfect photograph. That doesn’t mean that using the “point and click” approach doesn’t sometimes produce wonderful photographs and it is also why we take so many pictures during a trip in the hopes that a percentage of them turn out the way we wanted them to.

Eiffel Tower from the Seine
Fountain Lights in Piazza Navona in Rome
Lights on the Streets of Vienna
Light and Shadows in Cochabamba, Bolivia
Inadvertently Capturing Our Shadow in Iceland
Shadows Across a Trail in Colorado