Curiosa Alyssa va a Madrid

Plaza Mayor

     Earlier I mentioned I made a friend named Emily from Wisconsin with Nina at ferias. Luckily I kept in contact with her and she invited me to stay in her piso in Madrid for a night. I accepted the offer and together we went on a free walking tour of Madrid. I learned a lot more about spanish history, some funny stories about spaniards, and the reason Tapas are called Tapas. Our tour guide was from Israel and was small but had a large head of hair (see picture below). When he talked his hair bounced. Our guide came to Madrid to persue his passion of playing flamenco guitar! We walked from one of the oldest main plazas in the city, and through different neighborhoods learning about the conquistadores and the spanish civil war.

Palacio Real de Madrid

 

Palacio Real de Madrid 

    We walked by the Royal Palace but never went inside. I have heard it is spectacular inside so maybe I will come back and check it out. I hesitate because I think it may be overwhelming to see all 2,800 rooms. (Nope, that is not a typo!)

Calle de Vergara 

     We did some more walking, of course, and worked up an appetite. So mid-tour we stopped for a snack. The tour goers enjoyed some beer and I enjoyed a mini bocadillo made with four delicious cheeses. We had the fuel we needed to complete the rest of the tour. We learned about footballers, bullfighters, and other noteworthy people of spanish history. The statue below is of a poet, but I was distracted and didn´t catch his name. Some Belgians distrupted the tour with a dance. All the while I couldn´t help but think about how cool it was that Earnest Hemmingway frequently dined in the restaurant behind this statue. I came out of the tour knowing more about the life of a spaniard in Madrid and the recent history of the government in Spain.

Drunken tour crashers from Belgium

      Later, Emily and I shared some dinner and went to a bar with Nina and her amigo. I feel so lucky to have made Emily as a friend and contact in Madrid and I hope to visit her more. I would love to see more art in the city and visit more with someone so funny and girly and incredibly nice.