The rain in Spain!

So, last weekend we had no field trip on Friday. My room-mate Moira and I decided to go to Madrid.

Friday: We took the train to Rome. Then the Leonardo Express to the Rome airport. Then Veuling airlines to Madrid. Then the metro to downtown Madrid near our hotel. [Arrived around 530 pm] We stayed at the Victoria 4, near the Puerta del Sol. It was very swanky. The room had a stand-up shower, unlike our apartment. Very exciting. We decided to head out to hopefully find some Tapas. The man at the front desk (who was very helpful for boarding passes, museum tickets etc) told us about the Plaza Santa Ana, where there are many restaurants with Tapas. We thanked him and headed up the street following his directions. We did not get two store fronts down before we saw a Tapas bar. We had to try it. It was delicious! We ordered some Sangria, which came with an appetizer. SO delicious. Toast with some sort of seasoned potato spread and olive oil. We next some garlic shrimp.. which came also on toast with aioli sauce. We left this place to go to Santa Ana. We got there and it was a big square with many restaurants around it. We were not impressed by any of them, so we continued wandering around the neighborhood. It started to rain, so we went into the next place we found with Tapas and ordered their specialty: Patatas Bravas. Basically gourmet french fries: potato quarters deep friend and served with Bravas sauce- spicy, orange, not exactly sure. Delicious though. We continued on our journey and stopped in one more restaurant where we tried almond, brie and chicken croquettes. They were pretty good. Our favorite place was definitely the one next to the hotel. Later, we met with Moira's Spanish friend Fernando. He and his friend showed us around a bit and brought us to a club called MOMA. It was pretty empty. They explained that no one in Spain goes out before 2am. They could not remember the last time that they were out so early. We asked to head home, and Fernando and friend went on with their night.

Saturday.. complimentary breakfast in our hotel. The bread in Spain is the best! Coffee is not as good as Italian coffee. We went to the Prado Museum for our 930 reservation. They gave us a guide to the museum which included mini pictures of all the masterpieces. It was a treasure hunt to find these, especially since the images were in no particular order. Very fun. We saw Goya, El Greco, Velasquez. After the museum, we went to the Botanical Gardens next door. More rain. Very green and beautiful. Madrid is having a photography festival, so we saw two photo exhibits- one about landscapes and taking pictures at the same place at different times to show geological/seasons changes. The other I did not understand.. very bad pictures that were pointed mostly at the ground with some of a building etc. There was a greenhouse in the gardens that housed desert, subtropical and tropical plants (all separated). Very fun to see such different climates so close together. Next we went to the Plaza Mayor. As we walked, we were rained on the whole way- a good excuse to go into shops along the way. Plaza Mayor was beautiful. Luckily, the outside is covered, so we could walk around the edges and not be in the rain. We had lunch and ordered paella and 'escalopines,' which we thought were scallops but were actually slices of meat. Didn't see that coming! But it was still tasty. Still raining. We left out a different exit and found an awesome indoor market. It was incredibly, like what I see on the Food Network. I was looking for Bobby Flay haha. They had fruits, meats, breads, sweets, seafood and take-away restaurants with tables dispersed throughout. Since we just ate, I got some fruit squares, a dulce de lece truffle and some nut/chocolate clusters. All were fantastic! And it all came in an adorable box. Next, we tried to go to the Palazo Real. It was closed. But, we went into the Cathedral next door. Very different- seemed to be ancient architecture with modern frescoes and paintings. We headed over to the Plaza d'Espagna. It seemed to be more of a business park than a traditional plaza, but there was a massive fountain which was cool. We walked back on the Gran Via (big street with shops and theaters). Continued shopping in this area. [Katia this next part is for you] then we found a giant candy store with every type of delicious Spanish gummy imaginable. We laughed, thinking about this candy as the new type of Tapas. We took the metro back to our hotel. Took a power nap and headed out for dinner. Of course we went to our favorite Tapas place from the night before. This time, they gave us a different appetizer- more toast with salame and salmon on top, also green olives. We ordered a different type of garlic shrimp- that came out steaming and sizzling. Yum! We also ordered guacamole with anchovies. It was very spicy and lemony. Delish. We bonded with the waitor by telling him that everything was the best (looking up how to say it online). Then we met a random group of Sevillians. My favorite was Jesus, an English teacher, also my new pen pal. Went back to the hotel for some rest because we had an early start to the airport the next morning.

Great weekend, despite the rain!