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Turtle
But not just any turtle... a Spanish turtle :) Firstly, my number of Spanish words for the day is at... I don't know. I've said random "perdón's", but other than that I'm pretty much a loser. And again, I haven't eaten today because of the Spanish. BUT, I did go out last night with a friend and got some food and some alcohol (ok, a significant amount). We ate Italian food and it was SOOOO good. I had lobster for the first time in my life. Yeah, actual, fresh seafood... not frozen and shipped to Nebraska seafood. I also had pasta with truffles and some black pasta that is black because somehow they mix it with squid ink. It all felt very Iron Chef. So it hasn't really been so long since my last meal. I'd say I'm good to go for another day and a half. In reality I should really just get over it and go out and about... but we'll see. Today I met some of the people who are staying in the same room as me. There's a girl from San Diego (or San Francisco.. I don't remember which) who was going to take me out for tapas tonight, but then her friend called, so
Fountain by el Palacio de Cristal
This is in el Parque del Buen Retiro. The park itself looks a lot like a jungle, and then on a little hill the the building and in front of the building is this little lake. that's a no go. Then there are two girls from Quebec City who seem really nice. They look just as disoriented as me, so that could prove to be beneficial for me 😊 They speak only a little English, but it's understandable and that's all I need. I'm not the best at making friends because I can't bring myself to go up to people and just go up to people and strike up a conversation... especially in Spanish... ick! I'm beginning to think that the whole Spanish thing just isn't going to happen. If I could just get over my fear here, that in and of itself would make this trip tremendously profitable. There's a vending machine here that has cans of beer by the way... that is the craziest thing ever! There was also graffiti on the side of a McDonalds that said "Fuck Bush" 😊 I know those were two really random thoughts.
So today I walked up and down Calle de Atocha about 800 more times. I now know this street REALLY well. I also went back to el Parque del Buen Retiro. This is seriously the biggest park I've ever seen. It almost looks like
Palacio de Cristal
Here's a good shot from across the lake. a jungle in some places with just little pathways with benches. There are a lot of people who just sit on the benches and read or people watch or make out or whatever. I even saw people riding horses today through the park. All of these things bring me to two more observations of Spanish people. 1) Men run in shorts that are entirely too short. Pretty much every guy that I saw running (and there were a lot) had on really, really short shorts. I honestly got embarrassed looking at them. We're talking Speedo-esque shorts. Blah! 2) This isn't solely in the park, but also on the metro, on the streets... wherever... they are very, very affectionate people. Lots of kissing, touching, etc. Whereas in the US you would get stares of disgust or kicked out of say... an Alco... in Spain it seems very, very common. I'm not sure if that means they're overly affectionate, or we're not enough... but I kind of like my personal bubble. Like Wednesday when I went to el parque for the first time and that crazy old man came up to me. He seemed really offended that I really didn't want him
Palacio de Cristal
And a close-up of the front. to kiss my hand. I just don't necessarily like people (especially strange men, old or otherwise) touching me... call me crazy 😉
So anyway, today I went back to the park. This time I went to el Palacio de Cristal. Yep, it's exactly what it sounds like... Crystal Palace. If you wikipedia it, they show some cool pictures... but of course I have some too 😊 It's just a big building that's almost all glass (and really neat artwork). From what I understand they sometimes bring in some artwork from one of the art museums around here... and there are lots... I think I'll go this weekend because apparently on the weekends they're free. Although, the whole not eating thing is doing wonders for my budget 😉 Anyway, in front of el palacio there is a big fountain and a waterfall, and the whole thing is just really gorgeous.
Esta noche, I think they're having some sort of a band and music and stuff here at the hostel. I think I'm going to venture down there and see if I can't actually meet some people... yeah, that's what this Madrid experience needs... some people to talk to! I
Palacio de Cristal
And a close-up of the back ;) can do it though. If I can make it here all by myself, I surely can meet people, right? Well, let's hope so!
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