Blogs from District of Madrid, Spain, Europe - page 163

Today was a very productive day. I woke up and ventured back to the hair salon place. Funniest thing…when I was on the metro there was this old guy. When I say old, I mean like gray hair and mad wrinkles. The door to the metro was still open and there was a commercial on the t.v. with music. This guy started jamming out! He was boppin his head like it was the best song in the world! I wanted to die laughing. How ridiculous! The salon was just opening when I got there. I worked my Spanish and made a hair appointment for 11a.m. on Saturday. Brandy’s hair looked good, so let’s pray that this lady really knows what she’s doing. I came home, ate, and then left for school. After school I went to ... read more

I have only two weeks until I come home!! How crazy. Where has the time gone? My parents arrived here yesterday. We´re doing a bit of traveling together before I head back to North Carolina. Yesterday and today were Madrid. We were really fortunate to have excellent weather. Its about 70 degrees at the moment. A few of the places we hit were the Royal Palace, the main Madrid Cathedral, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, and Parque Retiro. They are the fifth group of visitors I have had since I´ve been here so I´ve pretty much got the Madrid tour down pat :) Tonight I´m bringing my parents our for a bit of Madrid nightlife - tapas and a few goodbye glasses of vino tinto with my friends. More on that later... ... read more

Thank dios for onomatopoeia! Necessity is not only the mother of invention but also of discovery. Out of psychological necessity, I had to flee the house last night, and found refuge in a flamenco dive. Not really a dive. It was less divey than a dive. And it was fabulous. Imagine... small tables crowding around a small stage. Candles casting a warm glow through the tintos on every face. People close. Dark. Intimate. Clap cla cla cla clap. Stomp. Stomp. .(a heartbeat, an unpredictable pause)..STOMP. Now enter two guitars. Subtle. Elegant. Unpredictable. The guitars and the manual percussion respect each other´s space. Now a voice. Deep and masculine, but wailing with pain and strength. Arabic moorish trills that remind me of honey and almonds and prayer. Singing of the pain in his corazón (the last syllable ... read more

I´m getting into the swing of things now, and (so far) staying out of trouble. Sorry the photos are a few days behind. My camera has taken my photos hostage, and it will be a few more days before I pay the ransom to have them released. Thanks for being patient. Good news... I made some new friends. First, I met a tall, dark Spaniard, and I´m in love. I had captured glimpses of him on the streets all around town, but I finally met him face to face. I met Cervantes at the Plaza de España. He, Quijote and Sancho were waiting for me there. The statue really captured my imagination, and with all of the MadridQuijote signs that I had seen sprinkled about the city, I, of course, had to go buy myself a ... read more

Today was a horrible day. I don’t know why, but I felt especially bad. I couldn’t taste anything, but I had the flavor of medicine in my mouth all day. I knew it was bad when I didn’t feel like eating. You know me and food! We’re best friends for life! So after school I went to buy my ticket for Aviles and then came straight home and took a nap. I am so stressed. My classes are getting difficult and they are supposed to be easy. I miss my friends and family a lot and I need a hug! I have so much to do and I don’t know how to do any of it. I can’t find my “to do” list and I’m sick of getting lectured by Concha! I’m so upset! I hate ... read more