Madrid!

Human Highlighter Suit Tally: 8

We started our morning with parent teacher conferences at the kids’ school—C.C.’s Spanish teacher, then her regular teachers, then Milo’s teachers.  Each meeting lasted a half hour, which is a lot different from the 10 minutes we get twice a year at PS 10.  I guess that’s what we get for paying the big bucks.   Both kids are doing super well, and we really like their teachers.  So that was all good. 

We then dashed home to have a snack, zip up our suitcases, and take a taxi to the train station, where we caught the 1 pm Ave—the high speed train—to Madrid.  The kids have off today and Monday, and Alec is giving a paper at a conference in Madrid on Tuesday, so we thought we’d make a weekend of it.  I’ve never been to Madrid, and it’s been 35 years since Alec’s last visit.  The train ride was smooth, fast, and easy.

We checked into the RoomMate Laura hotel (Roommate is a small, Spanish chain with modern rooms and reasonable prices).  Our room has a couch that makes up into two single beds, a kitchenette, 1 ½ baths, and a sleeping loft.  It’s very cool and very comfortable, and located right near the Plaza del Sol and the Plaza Mayor.  We all put our feet up for about an hour and then headed out for a stroll and some food.

Madrid has a good vibe—lots of energy, lots of history, beautiful architecture.  The streets were full of people.  We strolled through the Plaza del Sol and then, as we approached the Plaza Mayor, heard the sound of live mariachi music.  Which seemed a bit strange, but perhaps it started here and not in Mexico.  I really don’t know.

We then came upon a churreria—the Chocolateria San Gines.  The stream of people entering, the smell, and the old school trappings of marble counters and brass light fixtures drew us in.  We stood at the counter and ate our chocolate con churros y porras as if we had not been fed in weeks; I guess we all needed a sugar boost.  We have not kept up our Churro Chart—we haven’t had any since our last disappointing batch in Gracia, but I think it’s time to resurrect it.

The Mercado San Miguel was our next stop—an old iron building that has been completely retrofitted with modern glass and fixtures, and is more a place to eat prepared food than to buy raw ingredients, although you can buy fish and charcuterie and cheeses (see C.C.’s photo of the enormous octopus below).  We ate dinner as we wandered through, sampling olives stuffed with mussels, cheese-filled dates, sautéed mushrooms on toast, seafood salad, and tuna with roasted red peppers.  I washed mine down with some delicious rioja.  The kids were pretty cranky, though, and the market packed, so we retired to our comfy lodgings early and got them to bed.  Lots more to see tomorrow…