Good company.
I spent the entire weekend surrounded by old friends and really fun new friends. My friend from Barrington, Lindsay, is studying in Madrid for the semester. My friend Erin, also from Barrington, was visiting her for the week. We met up with them on Thursday after we settled into our hostel and it was so good to see faces from home. Two of Lindsay's friends were particularly fun: Ethan and Jake. They showed us around Madrid, taking us to all the major spots. We also met up with one of Courtney's friends from her freshman year at American University, also named Lindsay. She was spending the year in Madrid teaching English and her near perfect Spanish was helpful while getting around the city.
Good Weather.
It was beautiful both days we were there, making it very easy to want to explore. On the first day we did some light shopping near our hostel (Equity Point Centric...great location near Puerta de Sol), saw the Eqyptian temple, and just walked and walked. It was in the high 60s, maybe even 70s, and the sun just would not stop shining. It made for really great views of Madrid from the Eqyption temple. At night we made our way to Mercato San Miguel for a tapas dinner. It was a unique experience but certainly delish. (I'm rather disappointed in myself for not really celebrating my first legal St. Patrick´s day but the pubs were smokey and packed, an experience I get at Scholars in Rome on a weekly basis.)
On Friday we shopped around Puerta de Sol for a little and sat by the fountains, taking in the rays. I was really hungry and got a small gelato to hold me over. Not as good as Italy; sorry, Madrid. After that we walked to Plaza Mayor where bull fights used to be held. There were all sorts of gypsy attractions trying to lure in tourists including a Disney princess shell that just sat there and a man who looked as though he stepped out of Lord of the Rings who would periodically hop down from his pedestal to scare the plaza's visitors, including my roommate. After Plaza Mayor we took a long stroll to Park Retiro where the good weather really manifested itself. At the center of the park is a large pond where you can rent rowboats. It was so beautiful that we spent most of the day in the park working on our tans. Literally, we lounged for several hours. Lindsay, Erin, Jake and I rented a rowboat and cruised around the pond for a little.
Good food and drink.
Our first Spanish meal was at a restaurant called Lateral. We ordered several tapas, the best being sirloin on bread with melted brie. To die for. We also enjoyed avocado with shrimp, goat cheese salads, and little hamburgers with sherry sauce. This meal was also great because, when divided by seven people, it came out to be just ten euros each and we were all satisfyingly full. Later that day was when we ate at San Miguel. It wasn't the best food I have ever had but the experience was certainly worth it.
On Friday morning my roommates got Dunkin Donuts (of all the places in the world? Guess your marketing reach is pretty far, Caitlin) and I tried to order a churro at a local cafe that advertised it but apparently they were out, hence the gelato later in the day. When we got to retiro we stopped at a little cafe near the pond and I devoured green olives that were stuffed with something amazing (little did I know this would start my olive-marathon that would continue for the rest of spring break). When we met with Lindsay she had brought me four little sandwhiches from this shop we went to the day before called Mallorca. They were the best little sandwhiches I have ever had.
The last food stop of the day, which has been by far my favorite dining experience of spring break was at a tapas bar called El Tigre. I love this place so much and it might constitute a return trip to Madrid. You pay six euro for a drink (I chose Sangria) that is three times the average size and also receive a plate full of tapas. This was my first experiene with croquettes and I tried to recreate the magic in the Canary Islands but they just weren´t as good. We also got some kind of egg/potatoe combo as well as bread with some ham and cheese. All of it was so delicious and perfect after a day of lounging in the park. The place is crowded though. Had it been a sit-down scenario where they serve you I would have given it five stars, although the fact that is so packed is part of its ambiance.
Good Nightlife.
The first night we went to a club called Joy. It was big and different from the clubs I'd been to in Rome. The setup was similar to a theater with multiple levels. The bottles of champagne brought to our area wasn't bad either.
The second night we went to Kapital, a seven story club not far from our hostel. Each floor has a different theme and the atmosphere changes as the night progresses. There were many dancers dressed like pirates, an acrobatic performance, and a huge hole in the ceiling that would open occasionally, blasting the crowd with cold air. Very cool. From the club we went straight to the airport to hit our next stop in Spain.
