Lots of Updates Days 2 and 3

So up to now I haven’t taken the time to find out where or how to upload from the laptop. Funny enough I’m finding wireless signals everywhere but for some reason I can’t connect too many of them, with one exception. Problem being it was on a busy street corner by a metro stop! Oh well, so on to the up dates! So far I have walked around all of the Historical Center, and I have the blisters to prove it! Basically this is what happened, the first night I was here after a short nap Gab came home to pick me up and we went downtown to have a nice dinner together. A friend had mentioned a restaurant for Paella and so off we went in search of it. This led us to a busy place and when asked if we had a reservation, Gab, without noticing that he was pointing to the reservation book, told him “Si, Si”, fortunately I wasn’t totally wasted from the flight and I figured out what he wanted and promptly let him know we didn’t. This led to a short wait before being ushered into a very empty back dining room; we’re not quite sure what they had a wait for, maybe to flip a coin to see who would have to wait on the crazy foreigners! Anyways, to the dinner, we started with some small treats, anchovies, and manchego, along with a Rose by Torres, which was crisp with a fleshy berry quality that was very refreshing. We did order the Paella, but when the bill arrived we learned one of our first lessons, Paella is not that cheap, and they charge the price on the menu per person eating it. Oh well, it was our “special” meal together after a long 6 weeks apart, by the way it was delicious even if we didn’t finish it all. Eating with Gab then always leads to the inevitable desert plate and some coffee…Cream puffs? Eh, I think I’ll pass, but Gab seemed to like them. After this and with Jet lag slowly creeping up on me we decided to go for a walk so as to orient myself a bit with where I would most likely be walking around on the following day while Gab is in class. Beautiful town, we went to the main square where the Bear and the Strawberry tree are, Madrid’s national symbol? Don’t ask I’m still trying to find something to help explain it to me. Anyways, then on to a main square, “Plaza de Mayor”, a big square with the obligatory Famous person on a Horse and lots of murals! I did have one goal on my first night in Spain and that was to have a Sherry, so after practicing the correct way to say Sherry we headed into a bar that Gab had been to on her first night. Fortunately my total lack of Spanish paid off and wouldn’t you know it my first words of Spanish were both alcohol related and correct: Un Jerez (pronounced he-rethz) por favor! It worked and well the Sherry was just what the doctor ordered, dry, vibrant, and delicious. So we headed out and back to our new home (room) to sleep off some Jet lag. I finally did meet Txopo and Janelle that night at different times, both seem to be great future roommates.

Day two, Gab was able to put off a couple of classes so that we could have a morning together. This consisted of sleeping in as long as possible with walls of paper and city that wakes up at 7 or so, followed by a breakfast of Chorizo stuffed frittatas. Small kitchen, dishes that need up grading but you need to work with what you got, so I guess I’ll make do. Anyways this was a great way to start my first day in a new home, relaxed and with my honey. Gab had class around noon or so and left me alone to find my way downtown to do some exploring, and exploring I did do. To be on the safe side and to orient my self fully I headed back to the square we were at last night, with the goal of heading out from there to discover all that I ran into. I didn’t do too badly either, I was able to get there in about the time a local native might, and without consulting a map save the metro layout. It was a chilly day with some sun and on and off sprinkles, but nice overall. In short the day was a blur as I went out from the Plaza de Mayor in various directions to get lost and the would try to find my way back without getting further lost, at times a bit of a challenge as no road is straight and quite often you would find yourself back where you started after going a what was thought to be a straight line! To summarize this is what I saw: Lots of churches, Lots of fountains, a “confería de sardine” parade (Imagine lots of men and women in black capes with tall top hats marching a whistling whilst carrying a large stuffed sardine on a pole! Not sure what it all stood for), Lots of Moroccans who seemed hell bent on selling me some “Pot, man!”, Lot’s of “fashion” both the good and the bad side of it, Lot’s and lots of bars (it is said that given an infinite amount of time and an extra liver one would never be able to visit all of them), Lot’s of speeding vehicles, A few prostitutes (actually surprisingly they were some of the better fashion out there, not sure what that says for anything). Things I didn’t see: Bathrooms!!! No public bathrooms…No wonder the parks smell like piss!
I did stop for a beer at one place, a supposed Belgium beer bar, it took some courage to figure out just what to say to get the beer I wanted, the following is the dialogue that commenced:
Me: “Uh, Una Cerveza bel-gium-i-ca, por-favor”J
Barkeep: “Una cerveza Belgico?”
Me: “Si”
Barkeep: “Sabe Erdinger(a German beer)?”
Me: “Si….”
Barkeep disappears…returns with tall Erdinger!
Me: “Gracias”L
Oh well I almost did it, and hell who cares Erdinger is not to shabby anyways, it was even followed by a couple of free Tapas…So who am I to complain!

Anyways later that night I headed back to the place that me and Gab were at the first night for sherry, just to see if familiarity bred patience, my plan to have a coffee, sherry and some tapas before meeting up with Gab. Well it went well, and with very little in the way of words I got a coffee and set about reading some of the Lonely Planets(a travel guide) guide to the food of Spain. So time goes by and I’m getting hungry so I decide to syke myself up and get ready to order tapas, well with a few questions and some finger pointing I have delivered to my table a nice palate of warm Octopus, and Cured ham, along with a glass of Manzanilla (dry sherry)! Wooo HOOO…Proud be me and so tasty be the food, I quickly gobbled away when Gab calls to see if I want to head home, nope! So I talked her into stopping by on her way home from work to have a nibble which she did and a little vino tinto. All was good, that is until I found out that ham in a tourist local and octopus too tend to cost a lot! So glad that Gab and her wallet showed up and I learned to be a bit more careful next time not to mention remembering that “Cuanto costo”(how much is that), may pay off in more than one way!

On our way home Gab and I decided we would try to cook something for the roommates for the usual late night feast. Lesson number, aw f*!#@ it, too many to count and more every minute; don’t shop for fish at the local grocery store, nor produce or well edibles in general. In a culture so rich in food history and tradition you wonder why they would have groceries that are so lacking in quality! Oh well, we ended up with some “Halibut” my derrière, and some assorted veggies, what we made ended up a nice mushy fish with crisp wilted vegetables dressed with a nice (the best part) roasted garlic vinaigrette! Oh well all the roommates thought is was amazing and I guess in the end if they liked this the bar has been set low enough that the next round should make us a shoe in for free rent! Once again to bed by 1 or so, it seems weird right now but when I think back on it, when Gab was waiting tables our lives were very similar, so I guess in time it will start to make sense to me again! Hasta Mañana!
I know I’m being a bit over done for now, writing about every single thing for the most part, but having gone through this in Brasil, I found it not only a good way to get out some frustrations but also to have a nice log to look at and laugh at down the road. So for now: DAY 3
Starts out like any other day, just kidding, but seriously got up early as Gab had an early class. Made coffee, ate something and headed out to walk some more. Me and Gab were to meet up for lunch near where she had to teach, and I thought it would be fun to get lost and then try to find this place that I had never been before. Did I mention that the roads aren’t straight? Oh and that the maps none the less make the roads look straight? Oh and that the maps don’t bother with many of the small roads that you might wander down? Well who needs ‘em, I’ve got a compass in my head, and while this seemed to work ok I think luck might have had something to do with it as I ended up where I needed to be a hour and half early! Oh well, wander on…problem…remember the walking I did the other day? Well, I feel better for it, but my feet seem to be organizing strike talks and there opening offer was a blister the size of Texas that decided to make itself known about the time I got to the bottom of a big hill that looked interesting! Ugh, so I sat for a bit, and then a bit more, while getting up the energy to go back up the hill (did I mention that it was BIG?) to meet Gab. Moving on I made it and we sat down to a mellow lunch at a good price, a glass of wine is included with every sandwich, my kind of thinking. One thing though on a deeper note, during lunch we both began to see in each other the problems inherent in packing up everything, leaving all that you know and moving to a place you’ve never been and know nothing about. Gab started to confess that it was harder than she thought it would be, and I confessed that it’s scarier that I thought also. By no means was this a talk of throwing in the towel, but rather a moment where we saw that we still were sitting at the bottom of that hill, wondering where we’ll find the strength to start up it. In my heart I know we will, but I think these little moments of doubt help us in the end to focus in on what we need to do a little better.
Anyways, off I go again, blister and all, but this time either jet-lag or walking was starting to get to me as I noticed an unusually high yawn index settling in upon me. But that won’t stop Ryan, especially when there is an Egyptian temple to explore down the road! No the Egyptians were not in Madrid, at least as far as anyone I’ve spoken to knows, but rather this was some kind of gift to the Archeological society of Madrid from Cairo as thanks for helping them in saving some other old stones, that must have been a bit more important that these. Though impressive, I will say, they did seem to not quite fit into the surroundings and I quickly moved on blister and all to the nearest Metro stop to get home just in time to take part in one of my favorite Spanish traditions-SIESTA!!! Ah a nap in the middle of the day, what joy oh joy! Not to mention the eye shade and earplugs I had for the plane where sleep evaded me, helped substantially in keeping out the rumblings of neighbor’s goings on which stop at no walls, at least in our apartment.
Now to put this in perspective, I probably got to bed later than the average Spaniard but I awoke around 6 and there was nothing to do so I went for a walk. Gab doesn’t get home till 8 or so and dinner will not even be thought of until 10 or so, with this in mind I ventured out to see what our neighborhood held. The answer: Not much, oh wait about 52 bars, 5 supermarkets, throw in a few banks, mattress store, internet access points and maybe a car dealer or two and that’s what you have in the 6 or so block radius I walked that night, if only I could find a drink!;) Gab did get home around 8 and the roommates decided later on to make some Burrito like concoctions, that turned out quite good, and then we sat about and shot the shit, while explaining some of our language frustrations, and social miscues. All in all a good 3rd day…

Stay tuned for Day four, when I meet a friend of a friend. I drink more sherry. I finally cook something edible, at least in my opinion. Oh and we prepare for our trip south to Toledo (not Ohio, much more perrrrty!). Till soon, Ryan