The first - After my class in El Prado on Tuesday, I decided to walk to the Sol and go to the famous pasteleria and buy a sweet treat. (They have great OJ as well.) So, I bough my chocolate napolitana, a chocolate croissant, and proceeded to the nearest metro station. I bought my ticket and headed toward the entrance. Just as I was passing a few of the ticket machines, I heard a clatter of coins. I stopped, looked around, but there was no one anyone near this particular machine that had suddenly released the coins. I waited a few moments just to make sure that no one had actually bought a ticket and had forgotten to collect the change. No one returned and with that realization, I swooped in, collected my prize, and quickly headed to the platform. In total, I had found 10 euros.
The second - After having eaten french fries nearly every day for two weeks, I finally told my señora that I would prefer something else. I was trying to explain to her that my family has had a history with heart problems; she continued to reassure me that she only uses olive oil. Something she says is good for the heart.
The third - I've started a tradition of going to an Indian restaurant every wednesday after my class that get out at 8. My friends and I go to this relatively cheap, moderately hippie section of town where there is more or less an oasis of Eastern delights. Next week, we are going to a hookah bar after dinner.
The fourth - I'd like to hunt in Spain. Not having class today, I decided I wanted to find a hunting store in Madrid. I figured that this being the largest city, there would have to be some pretty good places. (As a confirmation, there are indeed some pretty good places to spend loads of money on hunting related items.) The name of the store I went to is called the Diani Viaji, which sounds more Italian than Spanish. Anyway, the store was great - a refreshing breath of conservative, old, aristocratic Europe. The walls were lined with shotguns or escopetas from all over the world. I was more interested in the Spanish makes, like Ugartechea, which rung up around 1500 euros. Not a bad buy considering that it is a local, custom-made gun. This seemed to be about the best buy in the store, as hunting garb ranged from 800 euro hunting jackets to 150 euro hunting pants. I did smile to myself a little when I saw my African hunting boots priced at 300 euros. (We paid something far far cheaper. I want to say they were something around 80 bucks.) I ended up buying a Spanish cook book for wild game. It's in Spanish, so some deciphering via dictionary may be required, but I figured I could use it on our game from the States.
The fifth - I'm happy to say that I have read my first 626 page book in Spanish. (Harry Potter 7) Nonetheless, is is somewhat of an accomplishment and I have decided to read the entire series before I return home.
The sixth - I went to another palacio today. I have a monthly metro/bus/tram pass now, so I can literally go anywhere the metropolitan area with ease. So, I decided to go to el Palacio de el Pardo, which was a royal hunting palace of the Bourbons and more recently was Franco's place of residence. The trip was fun and it was additionally nice to have my own adventure in Madrid by myself.
The seventh - I believe I have found the cheapest tapas bar in Madrid. Tonight my friends and I went to El Tigre for tapas. You could not ask for anything more authentic than this. The bar was packed when we got there and we had to push our way in. The atmosphere was lively, but relaxed at the same time. For 1.80 euros I had a grand old vaso of vino tinto and a heaping plate of varios tapas. I will likely be returning there within the week. I figure if I go there with frequency, I'm bound to make more Spanish friends than I could want.
The eighth - Tonight, I have also found the prostitutes. As I was walking to my metro station, a number of Hispano-Caribbeans of African descent tried marketing themselves to me with phrases like "Eh, Chico." It was sort of like the time when we were propositioned by a prostitute in Cape Town. This time, however, there were something like 7 women lurking on the doorstep of an old building.
Again, if any of you feel the need to visit Madrid between now and December, feel free to request my services. I would be more than happy to give you a tour of all the above mentioned sites and then some.
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