We were clearing out with the marina office, and the manager asked if of course we were going to the tourada that night? Bulls and bullfights have a long history in the Azores, and it is said there’s a bullfight every day somewhere on the island from May to October. We had to check it out.
We wandered up some steep steps to the old fisherman’s neighborhood above the marina. There, on a random Saturday night, a few hundred locals had gathered, and the homes lining the streets barricaded their doors for protection. When the cannon fired, a bull would be released into the street, with a long rope around its neck. Pastores are the men responsible for the other end of the rope, making sure the bull strays no further than intended, and then guiding him back to his corral.
We stayed for three bull runs. What did I learn? I don’t have to run faster than the bull, just the other old and young men (yes, mostly men) strolling around in the streets to prove their manliness. Our last bull showed his dissatisfaction with the crowd by ripping up an old fire hydrant. I think it was time to go!
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