New Madrileños

Madrid - Day 1

Greetings from España! I write to you from a bus station in Madrid, where Carmen and I are patiently waiting to continue our adventure into Logroño, a small city in La Rioja, the wine country of Spain. 

It's hard to believe we have only been here for 2 days - it feels like we have done so much in that short period of time. We arrived Sunday morning at 10:00 AM via an overnight flight, filled with a mix of excitement and exhaustion. Unable to check into our hostel until the afternoon, we dropped off our bags and headed into the heart of the city.

First stop was the Plaza Mayor for a cafe con leche and some desayuno. The Plaza Mayor is basically a huge , cobblestone square surrounded by elegant, historic architecture. It's filled with international tourists, such as ourselves, and the entrepreneurs they attract, like souvenir peddlers, costume clad business hopefuls, and numerous restaurants with outdoor seating and overpriced fare. While today people congregate at the Plaza Mayor to take a picture or get a snack, back in the day it was the place to be for bull fights and public executions. We didn't see either.

After recharging on coffee and breakfast sandwiches, we made our way to the Palacio Real, the old home to Spain's monarchs and their various entourages. We paid for admission and sleepily traversed numerous rooms, each uniquely decorated with abundant extravagance, oo-ing and ah-ing at the crystal chandeliers, hundred year old tapestries, banquet halls and frescoed walls. Slightly overstimulated and desensitized to grandeur, we exited the palace and took a power nap just outside in the shaded grass of the Plaza de Oriente, surrounded by sculptures, spaniards and the sound of classical music emanating from a nearby teatro. 

After resting for 20-minutes or so, we rallied and began walking east, passing through Madrid's many vibrant plazas before settling at the Plaza de Santa Ana for a glass of vino tinto. Like many of the plazas, Santa Ana is a large open space embedded in the city, bordered by restaurants, apartments, hotels and public buildings, and filled with people passing through or stopping to drink and relax. 

After a glass of wine (or two), we were finally able to check into our hostel, where we quickly crashed on bunk beds for a much needed 2-hour nap.

That evening, still a bit tired, but rejuvenated from our slumber, we freshened up and headed to a nearby, guidebook approved restaurant called Vi Cool for una botella de vino and a 5-course meal, sampling unfamiliar tapas dishes that included bread with a tomato and garlic spread, eggplant purée, thin sliced mushrooms coated in cheese, various meats, then a chocolate fondu with fruit for dessert. (So far, Spain has seriously impressed our taste buds.) 

Returning to the hostel, nearly ready to conclude our first day abroad, we were persuaded by the amiable staff to attend a flamenco show in the hostel's basement bar (Cat's Cave) starting at 11 PM. For 12 Euro, we received a ticket to the show, a crash course in flamenco dancing, a drink and even more tapas. It was incredible. The performance consisted of a Spanish guitarist, rhythmically strutting his fast-fingered chops, an ethereal singer clapping along belting other worldly verses like emotional prayers, and a slender Spanish-Japanese-Brazilian dancer rocking the room with the sounds of her tapping feet and power of her fierce movements. 

Following the show, we had a chance to learn more about flamenco through a Q and A session with the performers, who were more than willing to share their knowledge. We learned that a good portion of the performance is improvised, with each dancer-musician carrying the show at various points. Finally, the lead dancer did her best to teach a few flamenco steps to the crowd in line dance fashion. Despite the collective efforts of her mostly buzzed American, Australian audience, no one seemed to get a real firm handle on the complex sequence of movements. Still fun though.

With that, we concluded our first day in Madrid, headed back to our bunk beds in a communal room designed to house 10 travelers, and swiftly fell asleep.