A Day in Madrid. 10/110

Hanging out in Parque del Oeste with the Royal Palace and Cathedral in the background.

Let me start out by saying that if ANYONE wants to send me a pair of Sperry's, Birkenstocks, or any other pair of comfortable shoe, I would be more than willing to receive your gesture of kindness. I am pretty sure that I have cankles right now. Madrid, (and come to think of it, any other place in Europe) is a city where walking is necessary. And not just short distances. Even a walk to the nearest metro station can take 10-15 minutes. I thought I was being logical when I chose to leave all my heels at home and opted for flats. I was wrong. Flats aren't doing my feet any better than my heels were. My shoes are as thin as a pancake and I have no support for my feet. They are numb right now. Now I know why women always wear a flat sandal that has some type of material that wraps around their heel. It's so your feet don't hurt like mine hurt!

You know the saying, "You don't know my until you've walked a mile in my shoes?" Well how about, "You don't know what I've been through until you've walked Madrid in my shoes?"  My day started out walking to the metro station, as usual. I observed a man trying to parallel park his car on the street. He drove a tiny sports car and squeezed his way into an illegal spot on the street. The back 25% of his car was fine, but the other 75% of his car was in the crosswalk. A police car drove by and didn't say a word to him. I guess the rule in Spain is, if any part of your car is parked legally, then you have nothing to worry about. Geez, I wish that rule would find it's way to the United States of America....Just saying.

Around noon, my friend Kelsey and I departed from Sol's house and set off on an adventure. We visited the Temple of Debod, a strange site in the middle of a park here. It was a gift from Egypt, to Spain, for their help in restoring structures back in the sixties. We then walked ten minutes to the Royal Palace. Thanks to my student ID, what would have been an eight euro ticket, only cost me 3.50! That was the one thing that I really wanted to do last time, and unfortunately ran out of time. The palace is absolutely stunning. Embroidered wallpaper, rock crystal chandeliers, and countless rooms. The use of cameras is banned inside the palace. I wish you could have seen what I saw there. I also got to see the Cathedral of Madrid, which is right across the plaza from the palace. It was not open, so I want to go back and visit. I was telling Kelsey that everytime I visit an old cathedral or church, I have a religious experience like I have never had before. Perhaps the most rewarding experience for me, was when I got to visit the Vatican and pray in the chapel.

We ate lunch at a quaint pizzeria that was just a few steps away from Plaza Oriente. We shared a pizza with jamon and mushrooms on it. Watermelon was for dessert :) After we spent an hour in gluttony, we proceeded to walk up to Gran Via (the grand way), one of the busiest streets in all of Madrid. We walked from one end, clear across to the other. I mean, I needed a way to burn off calories. We walked all the way to Retiro, a huge park in the middle of the city. Retiro is to Madrid as Central Park is to New York City. Although not nearly as big as Central Park, Retiro is a quiet oasis that seems so far from Madrid, yet is in the center of the bustling city. As soon as I got there, I bought an ice cream. To visit Retiro and not get an ice cream would be like to visit Paris, yet not see the Eiffel Tower. It would be that big of a shame.

I loved spending the afternoon in Madrid. It was nice to visit old and new places. But I loved walking, because I got to see everything in the light. Last time I was here, I always took the metro and never strayed far from where I had to go. It is refreshing to see Madrid above ground.

After our day of tourism, (yes, this is one of the few days that I will allow myself to be a tourist,) we headed back to Sol's. After dinner, we turned on the TV, thinking we were going to watch Pasapalabra (my favorite TV show in Spain,) but instead saw the pre-game show for Spain's friendly match against the Liechenstein football club in Germany. The other girls staying with Sol wanted to go out for a relaxing evening and I wanted to watch the game, so we walked down the street and around the corner to a restaurant/bar. My beloved Furia Roja won 4-0. A funny thing happened at the bar. Candace, has been saying that she wants to find a boyfriend while she is over here. She made the mistake of telling me that she thought one of the guys in the bar was cute. So, I marched right over to him and said, I want you to meet my friend, Candace! He is friends with the owner, so we all talked outside for a few minutes. He and his friend spoke English, but talked with me in Spanish, because according to them, I speak Spanish very well! Oh, how I love to hear those words!

I finally made it home around midnight. Never once did I feel unsafe in the metro. Back home, I would not feel comfortable walking out of the house so late, but here I have no issues. The streets are well-lit, people are out with friends, etc. On the way home, I was reminded about how lax Madrid is. I watched a man get inebriated off beer and a woman roll her own cigarettes. I guess this week has been long and rough on everybody, huh?

There are two main events that must occur in order for me to realize that I really am in Spain and that I'm legit as a Spaniard. 1. I forget words in English because I have been speaking in Spanish and 2. I get asked for directions. I started forgetting words in English on Tuesday, so that took 6 days. Today, on Day 10, I got asked for directions. I was almost home when I heard a car pull up next to me. The man inside asked me where Avenida Logrono was. I told him that he was on it. Either he was desperate to ask anyone where he was or I really looked like I knew where I was going. Regardless, I was excited to be asked for directions so soon, and more importantly, to be able to give out the correct response! The one thing I need to remember though, is when people ask you something and say thank you, instead of saying you're welcome, they say "Nada," meaning, it was nothing. I need to remember that. Because I do fine until I say, "De nada"....

I am really excited about this month and all of the things that will be going on in Madrid. On the 11th, Madrid is having it's fourth annual, "La noche es blanco" event. It's an event that goes on from sunset to sunrise. The museums are open at night and are free, and there are tons of other arts and culture things going on. It's a huge event and is expected to draw thousands upon thousands of people. Another event is next Thursday, the 9th. It's called Fashion Night Out Madrid, and is headed up by Vogue. Hundreds of stores stay open thorughout the night and many proceeds benefit charity. The last event coming up is Madrid Fashion Week. I am especially excited about this. Unlike NY Fashion Week, you don't have to have an invitation to attend the shows. They close portions of Paseo Castellana and the runways are put up in the middle of the street. I can't wait to go and see all of the new lines! Yes, I need to be saving money, and I'm not planning on buying anything. But a girl can window shop, right?

Quote of the Day: "Mom, everyday is a fashion show."- Lo Bosworth during her days on MTV's Laguna Beach