Ellie and I just got back from a quick weekend trip to California. We had a great time and it was jam-packed with some pretty exciting activities.

Bullfights? California?
Yup, bullfights are actually a fairly common occurrence throughout Portuguese communities in California. My grandpa was very excited about the prospect of taking me to my first bullfight in years and Ellie to her first one ever. It’s a big social event, and we saw lots of old friends and family (“Hey, the Texas Tycoon!”), the food is great (bifanas, which are pork loin sandwiches were my favorite) and the drinks are cheap.

The bullfight itself is bloodless, and the best part is the finale of each bull. A team of 8 men, called forcados, enters the arena and they line up single file and take steps towards the bull. The man in front is basically taunting the bull to charge him. When the bull charges, the man in front grabs the bull by the head and each man in that line grabs on also, the object being to subdue the bull. It’s exciting to see, because it seems to be a fair and even match between bull and man.

We also watched some soccer and socialized at the Festa Da Bola, an annual soccer tournament held in Artesia for Portuguese communities throughout California (there were 12 teams this year).

Of course, the best part of the trip was seeing our family. It was really great to see everyone and we can’t wait to come back