Mariano's photos

 Thank you to Mariano for putting together a collection of his photos from the bullfights in Llorret and also La Masia nightclub, Mariano has wrote about his photos below...

 Hola Jackie,I don´t like "La fiesta de los Toros"but in my last two years in Lloret,in summer,I had to take pictures every Sundays into the bullring,it was my job,in the collage of the photos black and white,the pic below,it was one of the best sold that year,few weeks later, the bullfighter came to the shop asking for this  pic, we will give him for nothing,in the second collage,everybody can see the bullring full of foreing young people watching   the bulls perhaps as curiosity,I think it is good to see it in your blog now,that the bullring in Lloret is disappear,third pic,workers in foto Lloses and friends of mine in a wedding,next one,Conchita,secretary of Ramón Lloses ,last year, gave me the plate of photographer as souvenir,I was very glad about it and I keep it for ever, propaganda in the fourth pic,collage of La Masia night club

A Bullfight Story from David!

Thanks again to David our 'resident story teller' for another funny tale from his time in Lloret while working for Thomsons.....
Hi again Jackie, well as promised “worlds greatest bullfighter”.
Having worked 2 seasons in Lloret for Thomsons they decided I would be moved to Just outside Callela to the Massive complex of “Taurus Park”
This because I was being trained and showing signs of being suitable as a hotel entertainer, well the Taurus Park had its own nightclub and its own BULLRING and once a fortnight we were to host a bullfight!!.
So it was once every two weeks I would invite all the young men in the audience to come down to fight the “Baby bulls” now to sell the afternoon I told all the guests at the welcome meetings the bulls were no bigger than Alsatian dogs so there was no problem getting 40 or more guys to join me ringside. I showed them how to hold the plastic sword and red cape and told the 300 spectators watching to shout Olay when a good pass was made and Toro Toro if the bull didn’t move. I gave the sword and cape to the first guy placed him in the ring and took my place on the raised stand (outside) the ring, well there was a recorded round of bullfight music and the gate was opened, every single fortnight without fail when the bull charged out the guy in the ring dropped the sword and cape and ran so did at least 25 of the volunteers, back into the stand to their partners. It took a lot of coaching to get at least some of them back down (the bulls were just a bit bigger than an Alsatian!!! and got bigger as the season went on) the other hilarious bit was after the first couple of outings the bulls soon realised the big red cape always moved out their way but the silly bugger holding it didn’t, so by the second month the bulls just came charging out and straight into the Bullfighter, you could hear the laughter in Lloret?
After the bullfight we would have a game of football in the ring to say sorry with a bottle of champagne for the winners, boys versus girls but to make it fair everyone had to jump in a sack, so the game commenced (I was still on my high stand outside) until 5mins into the game there was ALWAYS a penalty!! Now the Spanish chap who looked after the bulls at the back didn’t speak any English but had been carefully trained that when he heard Penalty, Penalty he opened the gates and let out ALL the bulls, some inside the ring others outside. I have seen without a lie men and women still in their sacks JUMP the 4 foot fence
only to be looking at another bull charging their way outside.
Needless to say I was always escorted from the ring by the two massive owners of the complex as no one would have given me life insurance at that time, and Oh why only once a fortnight? ---- so the guests couldn’t warn the new arrivals as to the size of the bulls, we always had a full house , hundreds, and always the most hilarious afternoon people had ever had (perhaps not so all the bullfighters, but then shorts are easy to WASH?.)
More next month
David