Welcome to Madrid, may I have your wallet please and, oh yes, your passport as well? Cheers. Enjoy your five hours, once again on American soil, at the Embassy. Thank you.
That, unfortunately, was Sea's introduction to Spain. We hadn't even been to our pension yet after arriving from NYC to Madrid when Sea realised someone had reached into her backpack and taken everything- probably on the metro.
But 95 dollars and five hours later, Sea was in possession of another passport and all her credit cards had been cancelled. We went back to our pension, where we briefly had dropped our stuff after going to the police to report the theft on our way to the embassy, washed up and went out for some food, finally. Two bocadillas, two slices of tortilla and two drinks later, at a Cuban themed bar around the corner from our Huertas located pension, we regained our humanity just a little.
At first I thought this was some great government building, which I guess it still technically is but really, it is just the Post Office
I really liked Madrid. Despite having my dear friend pick-pocketed only moments after she arrived, I found the city enchanting. Travellers often comment that Madrid is sketchy and over crowded. I think any seasoned traveller, or war torn New Yorker, won't find this to be true however. As the capital of Spain, Madrid is a fast-paced place but with a distinct lingering air of early 20th century haut. The city is defined by high fashion and high art. While meandering around the maze that is Reina Sofia last year, I found the line from T.S. Elliot's 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' running through my head that reads: "In the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo." All around me were perfectly dressed, older Spanish women, walking to and fro idly chatting about Picasso and Hirst. I think that image of fashion, art and wealth still sums up exactly how I will always remember Madrid.
After our drinks that first night, we wandered a bit around the city. We came upon the above piece of moving art with musicians playing gyspy type music. It was beautiful and very strange.
September 13th
For breakfast in Madrid, Sea and I would head to Bar Roda across the street from our pension's window. We would order cafe con leche's and bocadilla's. It was tasty, cheap and comfortable to sit there at the counter with the kind, smiling bartender.
Plaza Mayor, picture taken by an Argentine I befriended in order to steal a glance at her map.
You know how lots of the convience stores are owned by Pakistani's and Indian's in America and Britain? In Madrid, the Chinese own them. We bought this bottle of water after a long walk around the city but I didn't want to take a sip until I could realy enjoy it on a park bench. Sea decided to document the moment in front of the Prado. There are lots of pictures featuring me drinking things this trip.
Causing havoc at the Prado. This picture distinctly reminded us of a certain friend (shhh, it's Debbie).
Because Sea lost her wallet, I had to pay for everything. I had my student id for the museums but when it came to paying for Sea, I had to try and convey in broken Spanish that her wallet was stolen and she no longer had an id (actually, she never did have student id- don't tell the Prado). Believe it or not, most of the time it worked. Who would have thought Sea and I would be so good at miming (please picture me pretending to steal Sea's wallet out of her bag)?
I've said it before on here and I'll say it again, hurrah for Spain leaving their museums open so late. It was still light when we left the Prado on our second day in Madrid, so we went to walk around El Retiro parque. Here we are at the top of this small hill shaped like a minature Glastonbury tor in the middle of the park, taking silly pictures of course.
For dinner, we went down the the Chinese store on the corner and bought orange, chocolate cake and a cervesa. I think we probably ate something bigger earlier, but knowing us- nah.
Cake and beer for dinner? Siiiiiii
September 14th
On our third and last day in Madrid, Sea and I headed to the Palace. Isn't Sea a fox in this picture?
The palace was started in 1738 by Philip V and first occupied by Carlos III in 1764. It is the largest in Western Europe and even though it is fabulous and right in the middle of downtown, the royal family actually live in a smaller local on the outskirts of the city.
The palace is modelled after Versailles, which Sea and I visited in 2002. We wanted to score a picture in front of it, so we worked the Asian connection and asked a mom and daughter from Japan to snap the above for us. We did the tourist exchange and took a picture for them as well.
Outside the palace, there is a park filled with huge statues of old dead noblemen. I don't know who this big guy is, but he looks important.
After the palace, Sea and I walked into the hustle of the city for some food. We found our friend, the department store El Corte Ingles where we bought some bread, cheese and orange juice. To eat, we went back to the palace grounds and sat under a tree where weird Japanese male tourists took pictures of us and we froze our ass off in the strong winds.
For dinner, we went back to the Cuban bar for tortilla and a beer.
Labels: art, madrid, sea, spain
