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Published: January 20th 2007
Picture this: Sage and I lounging on the lush, green grass of Retiro Park. Our blanket sprawled upon the grounds near the rowing pond. A nice bottle of bubbly calimocho (cheap wine mixed with soda) to refresh us in the afternoon sun. We were cozy on the blanket, completely absorbed by our books, stopping only to munch on a tortilla (Spanish omlette) sandwich. The leaves on the trees rustling in the breeze and basking us in cool shade.
Then...completely unexpectedly, a large glob of Spanish bird poo falls ever so silently from the trees above onto its unsuspecting victim- me. Ugh!! We left shortly thereafter so I could go shower and change.
Besides this unpleasant surprise, Madrid has been treating us very well. After 6 days, we've adjusted to the Spanish schedule, albeit with some effort. It wasn't difficult to eat late dinners, but our proportions were all wrong. We ate a salad one day for lunch and Sage nearly starved to death trying to make it to dinner at 10!
The food is good in Madrid. Ham is abundant (Sage thought I was joking about the Museo del Jamon!) and the tapas we've tried are delicious. I'm
hooked, as always, on my morning cafe con leche and trying not to over do it on the pastry shops. We've had a blast exploring the local markets, which are shockingly cheap and... fresh. Sage isn't quite accustomed to the entire pig's head being on display. 😊
Let's see...we toured the Royal Palace today. The tour was an hour long and we only managed to see about 25 of 2,800 rooms. It's incredible to think anyone would design such an enormous building! As for touring the city as a whole, it's much more walkable than the maps would imply. We use the metro only rarely as we prefer to stroll through the endless plazas and explore the tiny, winding streets. The neighborhood we are renting a room in is called La Latina, known for its cafes and bars. We read in our guide book that vermouth on tap is a barrio specialty. Having no idea that anyone drinks vermouth straight, we headed to a local bar to try it out. For anyone curious, it is yummy and sweet, kind of like coke without the bubbles, but with a hint of tanginess.
Other highlights of our tour include seeing
Picasso's Guernica at the Museo Reina Sofia, (Katie Macfee: The photo exhibit is no longer there. Sad.) and having "Mexican" food in Chueca. I love trying out supposed Mexican and Chinese food in other countries. You're always in for a surprise. I had a "Mexican" salad of spinach, fried mushrooms and bacon. Who knew?
So...now we've rented a SmartCar for two (about the size of a NYC bathroom) and we're driving to the Basque Country on Sunday. We're hoping to lie on the beach in San Sebastian and check out the famous Basque cuisine. Until then, hope you are all well. Thanks for all the e-mails!
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Nana
non-member comment
great blog!
What a great webisite. Not only does it have your update on living in Spain but also I finally know just where Malaga is! Even has recipes. Keep up the good work and pictures! Tell Sage her Dad left EARLY this AM (5AM) to catch the plane from Tampa to return to Va and on to work. At least I get a head start on the day at this hour! Love to you both, Nana