Last weekend was a really great time. Tuesday was a holiday, so Spain decided it was a good idea to give everyone Monday off as well! The Spanish call this long break a puente, or bridge, I just say 5 day weekend and smile (woohoo).
Friday night one of my roommates had friends in town, so a group of us had a long overdue girls night out. It had been a while since I did the whole getting dressed up with my lady friends thing. We all had a great time.
Saturday was equally as awesome.
Why, you ask? Well, because I spent the entire day eating. It started out like this...
Believe your eyes ladies and gentlemen, this is not an illusion, this is in fact a good old fashioned American breakfast! Big breakfasts don't happen here in Spain, and they are definitely something I miss about the states. But, I had heard about a bar called Carmencita that served brunch on Saturdays and finally got to check it out. My friend and I ordered huevos rancheros, french toast, and more than a few 1 euro mimosas (gotta take advantage of a deal like that, right?). To say I was a happy camper would be an understatement...I considered hugging the American girl who owns the place, but settled for telling her thank-you 37 times instead.
The day only got better! Later that night, I got to tag along on a Spanish tapas tour, for free, because my friend is friends with a tour guide. Tapas originated in Spain, and are small portions of food commonly ordered with drinks. Tapa dishes can be any type of food ranging from bread, to meat, to potatoes or seafood. In Spain, it is common to tapear, or hop from one bar to the next, having a drink and a tapa at each. The tour group consisted of 3 Germans, 2 Australians, 1 Irish woman, and my friend and I, the Americans! It was a unique opportunity to socialize with people from other countries. I got to try some new things, and I really enjoyed talking to the other people and hearing about their time spent in Madrid.
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| chorizo wrapped in bacon and empanadas |
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| olives and chips with sardine fillets |
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| fried peppers with a little salt |
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| snails |
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| And of course I had to, when in Rome right? |
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| everyone sharing money from their countries, or ones they had visited |
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| madroño berry liqueur shots, the berry tree is a symbol of the community of Madrid |
After the tour, we decided to continue the night and stop by a few other bars. The Australian couple, Brett and Chantelle, tagged along for the ride. Because the people we ended up hanging out with are familiar with Madrid, it was a great opportunity. I got to visit some places I had never been, and the night ended up being a really awesome time. Here we are just after the tour...photo opp before hitting the town!
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| Irish lady, Will, Jeremiah, Paula, Brett, Me, Chantelle |
One of the places we stopped by is known for it's Spanish cider. The cider is less carbonated than what we are used to in the states, in order to increase the carbonation it is poured from very high. Traditionally, a small amount is poured and the cider is drank as a shot. While some in our group made poor attempts to pour with grace and accuracy, the real experts were the waiters. I am a cider fan and this was my first time trying this type of cider, I must say, it was delicious.
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| the perfect pour |
We ended our night with crying, and a group embrace.
Just kidding. Our last stop was a bar/venue called Rock and Roll Radio. Not sure if the band playing was Spanish, but all of their songs were covers of American classics. We had an absolute blast singing along to hits like Walking on Sunshine and Shout. You can see from the photo above how heartfelt our karaoke-ing attempts were, oh so much fun!
My biggest accomplishment on Sunday was going to watch a Japanese film with Spanish subtitles followed by eating fish ball soup for the first time! I understood the movie for the most part, and the soup was delicious. Yay for new experiences!
On Halloween, two of my roommates and I set out to explore the biggest park in Madrid, Casa de Campo. We walked around and ended up following signs to the aerial tram! For just 3 euros the tram took us over the park and on the way down we saw a great view of the city. I want to do it again!
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| Etonde and I |
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| Helen and Etonde Helen and Etonde are two of the four roommates I live with. The three of us get along well and we have a blast when we're hanging around the apartment. All of the girls I live with are good people, and I think we have a pretty good living situation. Each week I meet more great people and everything falls a little more into place. Halloween night was a good one. I dressed up as a pirate simply because I own a bunch of stripey clothes and didn't feel like spending extra cash. A few of us party hopped, then walked around Madrid checking out all of the people and excitement. It was a nice, low key, no drama, impromptu Halloween. |
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| Como se dice ahoy? |
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| Every good night ends with a photo with the cab driver right? |
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