7 can't-miss adventures
Season 4 of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" starts in the fall. In the meantime, here are seven ideas drawn from some of his best adventures. Brave a bullfight in Spain Bourdain paid a visit to La Marquesas Ranch, the private bullring of star matador David Fandila -- who is professionally known as El Fandi. El Fandi, one of the world's top bullfighters, is as known for his courage as he is for his flashy antics in the ring. You probably won't get personal pointers from El Fandi, but just witnessing this spectacle can be breathtaking, CNN reports. Although many consider bullfighting an art, the sport is not without controversy. Many are morally opposed to what they consider taunting and brutally slaughtering an animal in a very public arena. The ethical debate is a hot-button issue frequently debated in Spanish Parliament "To see Spain, to see it straight, to understand it at all, you should probably peek -- if only through spread fingers -- at that most Spanish of traditions, bull fighting," said Bourdain. "There is no denying the terrible beauty of a very complex tradition. The matadors were the original rock stars, the very ideal of masculinity, male beauty and grace." You may never set foot in a bullring, but you can shout "¡Olé!" from the sidelines if you find yourself in Spain. The bullrings in Granada,Ronda and Madrid will get you started. Sing the blues in Mississippi Before he started traveling around the world, Anthony Bourdain admits that he never would have considered visiting Mississippi. But his dim view of the very Deep South soon widened into a love for a very special part of his own country. Especially what he considers the United States' "most powerful and persuasive export and gift to the world": The blues. Mississippi's poverty means regular renovations generally aren't a top priority. But the rustic atmosphere is part of the Delta's charm. Many places where the blues are performed look exactly the same today as they did more than a half-century ago. "The blues, rock 'n' roll, R&B, soul and funk, all came out of this place. One state. Mississippi," said Bourdain. If you feel like venturing to the Delta this summer, check out Po' Monkey's and other spots along the Mississippi Blues Trail and stop at The Senator's Place for soul food nibbles. Take a gamble in Sin City If you're willing to peek behind the facade, you can experience Bourdain's Las Vegas -- a Sin City remarkably void of Elvis impersonators, migraine-inducing bright lights and spinning reels of slot machine fruit. When Bourdain visited Las Vegas in Season 3, he experienced a city that few people see. He saw the polar opposites of the spectrum: From the ultra-exclusive Villa at Caesars Palace and a nightclub whose patrons drop thousands of dollars on drinks in a single evening, to a local tavern and an eatery dripping with old Vegas charm far, far off the beaten path of the Strip. "Sinatra and the mob are gone, but there remains, still, a certain sentimental attachment to the way things used to be. There were rules then. A way that things were done. And when they weren't done, there was always the desert and a hole in the ground," Bourdain said. If you want to roll the dice on a different kind of experience, try local favorites like the Huntridge Tavern, the Bootlegger Bistro, Lotus of Siam and Raku.
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