Día Uno con Las Amigas

(La Biblioteca Nacional de España in Madrid, Spain)

Sorry I haven't written in so long! This is the last week of classes and next week is finals. Therefore, I actually have work that needs to be done. This has become a somewhat foreign concept while in Spain, so I've been a little pressed for time recently. So anyway, I'll start with last week. . .

Friday: Lauren and Melinda's plane landed at 11 am, so after explaining to Julia and Paquita (I've finally asked her how to spell her name) that I wouldn't be around much for meals during the weekend, I headed off to the airport to meet las chicas. I got ripped out of a euro when a man I thought was asking for directions was really begging, and I couldn't get him to go away without giving him money. I was peeved. But the girls got in right on time and after successfully buying them metro cards (which involved conversations in Spanish) we took the metro to their hostel.

After they checked in and got situated, (and after Lauren gave me presents - two bracelets from Florence and a box of chocolates from Parma - the girl knows the way to my heart) we walked around the Sol and Plaza Mayor areas. We saw a lot of Christmas lights being put up and also walked through a chic accessories shop with more sales people than customers. We then went to La Casa Labra for lunch, a small tapas bar which is where the Socialist party is rumored to have secretly started in 1879. They really have only 3ish things on the menu, so we tried them all: tuna and tomato skewers, bacalao (or cod) croquettes, and bacalao fritas (fried cod). It was all really good and it was warm enough to eat outside, where we could watch all the people that were shuffling in and out of the tiny room where you place your orders. We then headed on over to La Chocolateria where we got an order of chocolate con churros and an order of chocolate con porras. We planned out the rest of our trip using my student guide book, Lauren's sisters' recommendations, and a map I took from a tourist booth at the airport (probably should have invested in one of those about 3 months ago).

Then it was off to the National Library, but since we found out that the library is closed to the public (I know, right?), we took the metro back to El Corte Inglés, where after some shopping, we went to see Tommy Hilfiger. He was at the store for a book signing and his new line's promotion, so we stood around and watched the presentation. We also met Mrs. Hilfiger, who looks to be about 30 to Tommy's 60 or 70. Bit of an age difference there.

Since we were planning on going to a flamenco show that night, I wanted to change, so we all walked from El Corte Inglés to Julia's. Julia had her sister, nephew, and sister's nanny over. The nanny, Ines, just had a knee surgery and will be staying with Julia and I for a while, so I got to meet some of Julia's family again. The sister, Marta, (mother of the Princess of Sicily) speaks a little Italian, so Lauren and Melinda were able to show off their Italian mastery for everyone. I was impressed. They said that they didn't remember any Spanish from what they learned in school, but I think their Italian far makes up for that.

After I got changed, we headed back out to Chueca, where we were planning to have dinner. We were going to go to tapas bar recommended by Lauren's sister, but we ended up at a different place, Bazaar, which her sister had also recommended. We got mushroom croquettes, roasted tuna with mango salsa, a potato, ham, and egg dish, and a chicken and pesto crepe to share. For dessert, we got fruit skewers, a fruit and ricotta lasagna, and a chocolate cake-like thing. It was all quite tasty and the restaurant itself was really cool. It was all white and decorated as a high-end pantry. I liked it a lot.

Then we headed to La Latina, where we went to La Soleá for flamenco (after my getting lost about 3 times - maps seem to worsen my sense of direction). The flamenco was free, which was great, but there wasn't any dancing; only a guitarist and some singers. The restaurant pays only the guitarist for the night and the singers are gypsies who meander in off the streets and perform. It was really crowded but an authentic atmosphere. We also sat next to some characters who seemed quite smitten with Melinda. At about 1 am, we left so that I could catch the last metro back to Cuzco, and the girls walked back to their hostel. Day one complete!