I spent most of this morning booking my next hostels. While I really wanted to stay at the Rising Cock in Lisbon, I settled for a more boring named hostel with the same rating but much cheaper.
I've decided that I think the reason why Madrid & Barcelona have had lots of bookings is because of Semana Santa leading up to the Easter holiday.
I returned back to the Malasana neighborhood today for lunch to a vegetarian restaurant highly rated in my guide book. It has a regular menu, but every day of the week they have a three course meal option of a different country. Today's menu was from Morocco. It was the best meal I've had in months. A chickpea appetizer with garlic and onions. A delicious salad with dates, nuts, and oranges. Followed by tasty couscous with pumpkin and other veggies, and a little pastry for dessert. It was so good & filling that I'm in no need for dinner tonight. I tried to go to this restaurant yesterday for lunch but it's so popular that they require reservations. It was worth the wait.
Then I headed over to the Plaza de Espana - a very nice plaza with trees, sculptures, fountains, and a bunch of benches. Read a bit on a park bench.
Next I decided to sit and read for a bit in the Sabatini gardens.
Followed by some more outdoor fun at Casa de Campo. I took the little gondola across the park mainly to check out the views. It's the largest park in Madrid with lots of bike and running paths, picnic tables, a huge lake, playgrounds, a zoo and aquarium, an amusement park etc. I took the gondola over to the middle, read my book for a bit, and then took it back.
Then I laid down in the grass near the Templo de Debod on the Parque de la Montana with lots of local teenage kissy couples and read my book. Ah to be that age and in love. Once my legs started getting itchy from the grass I wandered back towards the Palacio Real and read a bit more and people watched on a park bench.
I decided before returning to the hostel I should go to the Corral de la Moreria, which claims to be the best flamenco show in the world, and see if I could get a ticket for this weekend. I think this was my best Spanish conversation yet! Unfortunately bad news though - they are sold out until after I leave. SO I just tried to make a reservation online with another flamenco spot, Casa Patas, which is actually rated higher in my guidebook. We'll see what they say.
A few random thoughts/observations/anecdotes:
1) I've decided that I have globalization double standards. I love the fact that I can shop at Zara, Mango, and Desigual in San Francisco. But I don't love the fact that there are American stores and fast food joints here - most notably McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Starbucks.
2) I find it amusing that there is a Dunkin Coffee chain here. Same typeset and coloring as Dunkin Donuts, and they do sell donuts, but it's not part of the legit chain.
3) Wandering around earlier today I stopped in the shade to reference my map. Two little old ladies veered out of their way to come over to me and ask what calle (street) I was looking for. So sweet.
4) Most people probably think I'm married cause I wear a simple band on my right hand, which is how the Spanish roll.
5) There is an Irishman in his mid-60s in my room that likes to corner people into a conversation. I managed to stay out of his way until last night. Turns out he lives in Morocco and comes to Madrid and stays at this same hostel every few months for a few weeks. Why? Simply because he says he doesn't get to have stimulating conversation there like he does here. I then asked him why he doesn't travel to other places. He seemed pretty closed minded that nowhere is as cool as Madrid. And then he told me that he hated the Toni Morrison book I just started reading. I thanked him for sharing and managed to get myself out of that situation.
6) While the shops have been very tempting, I've managed to control myself!
No comments:
Post a Comment