Bulls and horses race through the city – Entrada de toros y Caballos in Segorbe

Spanish language students participate in an extraordinary event

Valencia. Segorbe is an idyllic, medieval little town of the province Castellón which is located close to Valencia. In the second week of September the town blossoms with its old traditions: because the “Entrada de toroy y caballos” or the entrance of the bulls and horses takes place. Language students of a Spanish language school from Valencia were able to experience the meaning of this spectacle.

They took a day trip to Segorbe to join the last day of the Fiesta. They visited the Spanish town and went into the museum which should prepare them for the following happenings. At noon the group gathered to eat and drink a little bit, get to know new people and improve their Spanish skills before they went to save the best place for the event. The streets filled quickly because everyone wanted to see the hustle of the bulls and horses: surrounded by horsemen 6 bulls would chase down the path accompanied by the cheering of the crowd.

On ladders and benches the Spanish language students prepared themselves and had cameras on hand because such a unique spectacle can only been seen in Spain – a special opportunity.

However many people stayed on the streets to get an adrenalin rush. Nervous they started to jump, faster up to the point when the animals were in sight and everyone jumped to the side to make room for the race. Fortunately no one was hurt and the picture which was presented to the language students was breathtaking.

After 5 seconds the whole spectacle was over and the students had time to profit from the Fiesta of the village. Spaniards gathered on the little squares, where little huts were established to sell food and drinks. There was no time to get bored and in a good atmosphere the language students enjoyed the afternoon and used the time to get to know new people in Spanish and have fun together.

Following they went to a square with a well where a large audience already awaited the next event. Here a bull was brought into the improvised arena where the bull runners already were ready.  Provocatively they ran past the bull and lured him in different directions. It was a fast back and forth with the goal to touch the bull as often as possible without hurting oneself.  For the Spanish language students of Valencia this situation was very unusual but for many Spaniards, who grew up with it, this happening represented a fascinating event.

Afterwards the students of the Spanish language school Costa de Valencia went back to Valencia where they could recover from a day filled with new impressions which they will not forget for a long time.