I arrived in the capital city of Spain at 8:30am Monday. I met my couchsurfing host, Macarena – born and raised in Madrid - at her house in the city center just before she left for work. I dropped off my luggage and left to explore for the day. Some couchsurfers leave you the keys and others don’t. Macarena did not. I walked off my airplane and bus rides (first I had been on a night bus from Flores to Guatemala city to catch my plane out of that country, then I was on an overnight plane to Spain). That’s hard on your body, but at least with all the sitting down and dozing, I had no jetlag whatsoever.
Since most of the museums were closed on monday, I simply wandered from one district to another going to points of interest on the map. I think I must have walked 5 hours – about the length of a typical day hike in Santa Fe.
One of the most expensive streets in the world exists in Madrid, Gran Via. Expensive looking things in store fronts and perfect women on billboards. Imperial buildings imposing authoritative presence. Palaces and promendades. Water ways and fountains. Statues and sculptures. Clean and composed, this city.
When I tired of walking, I rested in El Retiro park, one of the city’s largest, complete with a small pond and paddle boats. Later, I would see this pond and other Madrid scenes in paintings in the Prado Museum. The park was extremely restful, that is, until the attempt of a Spanish man to converse with me for one sole purpose in mind. At first I was nice and interested in practicing my Spanish, until it became clear I was better off alone. I need to go meet my friend, I told him, and left my nap.
Back at Macarena’s place that first night, we talked and exchanged stories of Guatemala. My recent trip and hers a few years ago. She showed me how to make a Spanish omelette: 3 extra-large potatoes and 2 small onions cooked in a frying pan until soft. Then mash the potatoes/onions and pour the mixture into a bowl of two beaten eggs and wisk everything together. Then pour everything back into the frying pan and cook until firm on one side. Flip, using the pan top, and cook until firm on the other side. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve. Other spices or vegetables can be added as desired. Macarena left ours simple and we ate it with some of the most delicious green olives and cheese I have tasted, accompanied with white wine. The evening ended pleasantly indeed.
My 2nd and last day in Madrid, I left the casa at 9am with Macarena and returned at 7pm, before departing again for the train station at 9pm. I walked around two neighborhoods Macarena recommended, one where well-known writers used to live and one where young people collect today. I read Isabelle Allende in the park. I took a free ride to the top of a bank/historic building that Macarena told me about. Panoramic views of Madrid in all directions. I visited only one museum in Madrid, The national Museo del Prado art museum because I will be in Barcelona on free museum day tomorrow. I am sitting on the night train headed to that city as I recount the time in Madrid. Museo del Prado called me to see it with its title and acclaim, so I did, even though the work displayed within: royal portraiture, religious scenes, baroque, is not really my taste. I did enjoy the building and the history recounted in the works of art. I enjoyed Goya’s comic/illustration paintings most.
When I returned home, Macarena and I had just enough time to exchange music. She posseses good taste in addition to a lot of music from her film director, music-savey brother who lives in Norway/Amsterdam. Now I have new music including Spanish lyric music I am currently listening to on my i-pod as I move away from Madrid and towards the city everyone tells me I will love more: Barcelona.
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