Spanish Pipedream: Kapital . . . This is Madrid

Thursday, April 7.

I rushed home from school and quickly typed up my Amsterdam blog. Had to get it down before another adventure. Typed and type and ... crap, I have less than an hour.
RAN to get food (Walk to Wok... quick stir fry take out). People look at you funny when you run through Valencia, especially in sandals. Ran all the way back and up to my room to get my bags. Lillie, Matt and I were headed to Madrid.

The entire time I have been here people have asked me, "Are you going to Madrid?" And I'd have to answer, "I don't know." Because I didn't. And I was ashamed at the thought of leaving Spain and not seeing its capital. Not seeing Madrid! So when it worked out that my roommate Matt was going to visit his grandpa again and wanted Lillie and me to come too... I was ecstatic!

We got on a bus at 8:30 p.m. after a 20 minute walk to the station.

We had front row seats, plenty of leg room, and a lame movie to keep us occupied for 4 hours.

I was so relieved to not be in an airplane. To be able to pack whatever I wanted in my suitcase and not deal with security.

Check out Matt's haircut.
Matt: "Uh my side burns are so Spanish."
Me: "Huh? What do you mean?"
Matt: "They are pointy. That's how they cut'em here."
It's all I can notice about dudes now.

The last leg of the trip we surrendered and realized we could not sleep on this bus. We played a time-passing game (name a movie, an actor in the movie, another movie that actor was in, another actor in the movie and so forth).
Our driver wheeled into the Madrid bus station (almost on 2 wheels...he was a speed demon) around 12:30. Metro metro metro aaannnd we got to Abuelo's apartment closer to 2:00.

Abuelo Manolo was waiting up for us. He said a brief hello, Lillie and I fell in love with him immediately, he showed us our rooms, then we all passed out.

Friday

Matt's aunt and cousin also live in the apartment. We woke up to his Aunt Celia preparing breakfast: Toast, jam, butter, coffee, and juice. So Spanish we are in Madrid.
We ate really fast and metro'd over to meet our roommate Chris, who was coming to meet his parents for the weekend but they wouldn't arrive until later Friday afternoon.

We all four walked to the Parque del Buen Retiro (Park of a good rest)

and Buen it was. . .

Lillie, Matt, Chris. . . Matt wanted us to walk and see some of the park. Lillie and Chris just wanted a retiro.

Bella que bella

Wedding pictures in the gardens

Everywhere we went: Lillie, "When I marry Jason Segel (actor) this is where we're getting married." She's going to have to marry him at least 14 times.

Spiral tree

Black swan... ok goose.

Squatting to make Chris look tall

Fun trees

Lille and a pot

Probably the prettiest part of the park. Matt told us something about it (he really was such a good tour guide...but now I don't remember things)...maybe this part of the park was once the king's hunting ground?

But now it is another wedding site for Lillie and Jason Segel.

Starting to think Spain, or at least Madrid, is like MS. You have a few nice spring days and then BAM...summer. It was so hot in Madrid this weekend.

Fruit lady. Only to photograph. She wasn't selling things. So I took her photo and ran before she could approach me for money.

Jazz Band... also why this was my favorite place in the park.

But this was a close second... cute old men playing chess in the park.

Bobby Fischer?

Playing cards

We sat in the grass for almost an hour... reading books, listening to music, decorating my hair with flowers, and Lillie got bird-pooped on.
Then we headed towards the hotel where Chris needed to meet his folks. Matt wasn't entirely sure how to get to the hotel, so we stopped in a souvenir shop and took a picture of a Madrid map... so cheap we are in Madrid.

Church next to the Prado museum... Matt may have said some royal people get married here...?

Hello Goya... we'll see some of your stuff later.

Which one isn't real?
I actually dropped a coin for this shot. It was impressive and otherwise his eyes were closed.

Big plaza called Puerta del Sol (Door of the Sun)

Symbol of Madrid: Bear eating a strawberry tree. And me too.

Fountain

We dropped Chris off and continued to wander. We went in stores...but either Spanish people don't sweat or they just aren't prepared for the weather to be this hot yet because there was NO AC on in any store. And people were walking around in jackets, pants, and boots.
I would've still been hot if I'd been walking around in my bathing suit.

Stopped to rest and have a drink in this plaza

Next we have....
daa da da daaaaa....The Spanish Royal Palace

La Guardia Civil...the most prestigious of Spanish police.
First the English guards' hats and now this?
Silly silly hats are the theme for European guards I guess.

Palace plaza... Matt later told us this is where the 2nd of May took place, when Spanish citizens rebelled against the French occupation (under Napoleon.)

We headed back towards the Prado because it is free after 6:00.

Picture on our way back through the Sol plaza.
Don't ask me why Spain is so obsessed with Sponge Bob (Bob Esponja)...
I'll never know... and I love the sponge, but they are obsessed.

I saw Sponge Bob and Patrick Star undressing... so I started to photograph.

They pack up their costumes in those bags on the ground.

I snapped this picture below then looked over at Lillie. She was gazing upon the de-robing couple and said, "Oh that is so sad." I looked down at the picture I had just taken and only then did I realize that yes, it was indeed "so sad." This was their job; Sponge Bob and Patrick Star- their position titles. And even sadder... I was photographing it. Documenting the end of their long, hot, sad work day for my amusement. For my blog.
Oh lord who am I? A heartless blogger...that's who. At least one of us in the group has a soul. I didn't take any more pictures of them, but I didn't delete these either.

Metropolis

Pretty view... I was already liking Madrid better than Barcelona.

Communication building I think.

Bank

Flag

Still going to the Prado... walking always walking

Had a snack show for the low blood sugar girls (this is why Lillie and I travel well together. We also both get motion sick easy)

Prado!
Made it!

Tried to sneak some photos but then decided it wasn't worth it.

We sat in this room and Matt told us the history of Henry the VIII, his wives, Spain, and Bloody Mary.... killing Spaniards who weren't Catholic and stuff. Bloody Mary...more like Ugly Mary.

We looked at a few more paintings and luckily got to see the 2nd and 3rd of May paintings by Goya because we looked down at our watches and realized we had not managed our time well. It was 8. The museum was closing and we hadn't seen Velazquez's Las Meninas!
But they were kicking us out. Dang. We left saying, "Maybe we'll stop in tomorrow before our 7:00 appointment with flamenco." Yeah, maybe. But we knew better.

It was cool to walk by this memorial after seeing the 2nd of May painting and location. This was a memorial to those who fought for Spain.

More pretty Madrid

We went back to Abuelo's to get ready for the evening... Which entailed a Hawaiian bar to meet Chris and then club Kapital. My main problem (as usual) was wardrobe. For the first time on any of the trips I had brought cute clothes. Despite the scorching daytime highs, weather.com said the nights were supposed to get down into the 50's or 60's. So, I brought cute but warm clothes. Ha. 50's my foot. It was the same hot with the sun down. So I did my best with a tank top, jeans, and boots....ok for outside but burning up in the club.

Burger King for dinner. Yeah, I know. But it was RIGHT next door to Abuelo's and it took our 7 euro cheques. And look! Burger King in Spain has beer.
So pathetic we are in Madrid.

Salad dressing in Spain is strictly limited to oil and vinegar ...even at BK.

Hawaiian bar. We got there and saw no sign of Chris and his parents. We got a place for 4 just in case he showed up and ordered ourselves a 3 person volcano.

Ooo dry ice.
Me: "I love dry ice. When we were little, Dad used to bring it home and we'd play with it in the yard." (said this like it was a normal childhood past time)
Lillie: Laughter..."Oh is that what they do in Mississippi."
You can take the girl outta the south but...

This place was also hot

The girls got a lei, umbrella, and flower

Tryin not to look too sweaty

Chris never showed up. We left a message at his hotel and then went to Kapital, a club we'd heard about that had 7 floors...each with its own theme.

Bartender 70's night

So glad I got to make my final Spain trip with these guys

First floor... techno music, smoke, and these girls dancing up above...not in a scandalous way really...more like awkwardly swiveling around.

Some floors had couches to chill on.

2nd floor was Karaoke (we left it quickly).
3rd floor was the rap floor (which was more like Reggae)

5th or 6th floor was where all the dance was happening... Get ready.
I love taking candid dancing photos...especially of Lillie.

Lillie likes taking candids too.

They make me laugh so much

So into it

The rest of the dance floor. Not as fun as...

This GIRL!

Two amazing things:
Lillie can breathe green fire
That couple can breathe in each others' mouths.

The top floor. Cool. Calm. Colorful.

The lights faded from blue to red

to yellow

to green

to purple

and back to blue again

Matt: "Get a picture of us in every color"

Looking down at the first floor

Awkward dancing girls

Then this couple on a ring descended from the ceiling on a hoola hoop....Cirque du Soleil style.

Where are we?

I have never liked a club this much. It was more like a playground. But 3 a.m. hit and we were beat. Lillie was struggling with these huge blisters on her feet. It was time to go... especially since we wouldn't get home until 4 at the earliest.

One last picture in this club attraction