Estoy perdida!

(Chocolate con Churros at La Chocolateria in Madrid, Spain)

I almost went to Toledo this morning.  On accident, of course.

I take the C-4 Parla train to get to Carlos III.  The C-4 leaves from platform 8 at the Nuevos Ministerios train station.  I have done this several times in the past and have never have had a problem.  So today I was sitting on the train and realized that it was taking much longer than usual.  I looked up from my Spanish notes, (yes, I study on the train) and didn't recognize any of the scenery.  Of course, all the screens that show where the train is going were shut-off, so I figured I was probably just being paranoid, and waited to see something I remembered from my past trips.  After a few minutes, I still recognized nothing, and when we pulled into a station with a name I'd never heard before, I decided I better get off.  I scurried myself on over to a map (considering my class was starting in about 30 minutes) and tried to figure out where I was.  Well on my way to Toledo, I discovered.  Apparently, C-3 Toledo trains leave from platform 8, as well.  Good to know.  So I was going to have to backtrack about 3 stops, find the C-4 line, and catch a train to Carlos III.  I was pretty proud of myself for getting to class only 15 minutes late, but I don't think the Professora was impressed.  Does that count as exploring?

But don't fear - I impressed my Spanish teacher with my intelligence and humor, (after I arrived from my near vacation).  As soon as I sat down, she asked me to read this paragraph on the handout we had.  Everyone else had been stumbling through their readings, so of course, I read to impress, and impress I did!  Then we all had to write horoscopes for each other and then read our favorites aloud to the class.  Mine were read the most, and were pretty witty, I might add. 

I had thought my conversation with Julia about bringing my lunches to school had finally been understood, but apparently not.  I told her that I would take my lunch to school with me today, (or so I thought) but when I went to grab it from the kitchen, the table was all set for me to eat.  I figured I could eat faster than try to explain that I needed to pack my lunch, so I gulped my food down and ran out the door.  This tardy start did not help my lengthy train trip.

I've already finished most of my homework for the weekend, so Lizzie and I wanted to go to a flamenco restaurant tonight.  I spent about an hour and a half trying to find one cheap enough for us to afford, and when I did (at about 9:30 pm), I made reservations for the 10:30 pm show.  Although we thought this would be enough time to get there, we were wrong, and we didn't get off the metro until after 10:30 pm.  We also couldn't find La Plaza de España, but that's because we had kind of given up by that point (or at least that's what I'm going to tell you - I won't admit to being lost twice in one day. . .)

We ended up walking along La Gran Villa, a major street in the theatre district of Madrid.  There seemed to be a few premieres happening, and lots of fans were taking pictures of Spanish celebrities that Lizzie and I didn't recognize.  We then walked back towards La Plaza del Sol, in search of a chocolateria Ana had told me about.  We found it, (after asking for directions twice - both times in Spanish, though, so we were proud of ourselves) and got Madrid's famous chocolate con churros.  Very good, but different than I expected.  Not as sweet as one would think - evidence of why all these Spaniards are so skinny!

The editor of globalpost.com sent me an e-mail saying she really liked my article, and she wants a picture to go with it.  She suggested a picture of some madrileños eyeing Americans in a café.  That seems awfully specific, but if it involves me sitting at a café all tomorrow, I guess I'll manage.