Tonight is New Year's Eve in Madrid, Spain and, of course, throughout the world.
How do people celebrate New Year's Eve in Madrid and throughout Spain? Unlike Christmas Eve, which is an important family-gathering holiday, New Year's Eve (called "Noche Vieja" in Spanish) is more for gatherings of friends, going to parties, going from house to house to have a drink and personally give well-wishes. Many Spaniards do stay at home with family - almost by default - but many young people will venture out into the night.
What is there to do on New Year's Eve in Madrid? LOTS! If you're young and energetic, you'll not only go to parties at people's houses but also to the small "bares de copas" (i.e. "drinking bars") and small clubs around the city. If you have some money, you may choose the 70+ Euro entry-fees for the BIG, organized parties at some of the large discotheques and restaurants. If you're young and poor, you may find yourself at a "botellón" with your friends in some public park, drinking cheap wine from a box mixed with coca-cola (called "calimochos"), peeing behind trees, vomiting in bushes, and generally having lots of "fun".
Still, year after year, hoards of people gather in Madrid's Puerta del Sol (the "Times Square of Madrid") in the hour before midnight, awaiting the 12-chimes from the square's bell tower. The chimes cannot be heard over the din of the crowd so chances are good that the ball will drop and they'll illuminate the "Feliz 2009" sign. The custom in Spain is to eat one olive with each of the twelve chimes of midnight - if you can - and then kiss your loved-ones and strangers around you, wishing them a Happy New Year. These years, very few people FROM Madrid actually go to the Puerta del Sol. Most people occupying the Puerta del Sol for New Year's Eve are Spaniards from other parts of Spain as well as foreigners & tourists visiting Madrid just for New Year's Eve.
Getting dinner reservations in Madrid on New Year's Eve is VERY difficult. Most are booked for at least one month in advance. Many smaller bars, restaurants, and shops will close by 6pm on December 31st as the proprietors spend time with their own family and friends. The downown tourist bars, which are mostly open late into the night, are usually too full to enter - let alone speak to anyone because the noise is so loud.
Shortly after midnight begins the millions of calls and text messages to friends and family, wishing them a Happy New Year, forwarding poems and well-worded well-wishes. Year after year the phone and mobile phone lines are choked with these calls, the system is overloaded and one cannot connect.
I've been to the Puerta del Sol only one time for New Year's Even in Madrid and enjoyed it. The night I was there it was blisteringly cold and we nearly froze to death waiting for midnight. But it was fun to be there and see how it was. Tonight, I'll enjoy a quiet night at home with the people I love - some of whom are too old to go out so I'll keep them company.
But regardless of where you find yourself in Spain, one thing is a near certainty; you'll bring in the new year eating those twelve grapes with the 12-chimes of midnight, either with family, friends, or total strangers.
2008 has been difficult for many reasons for many people, not only economically and professionally, but we've lost friends and family to disease or old age, broken relationships, and the list goes on. We must cheris the wonderful which have happened in 2008 and remember those whom are worse off than you. Take care of the older folk, lend a hand to those who can't, do good deeds as often as you can, and tell the people you love that you love them. Who knows, they may not be around for the next New Year's Eve - you never know. Cherish them.
1 January 2009 Update: MadridMan had an enjoyable New Year's Eve at "home" with the people he loves, danced a little in front of the TV with the musical performances (all lip-synced, of course), ate a good meal of embutidos, cheeses, and paté along with red wine, white wine, and champagne at midnight.
Earlier in the evening I was given the responsibility to "prepare" the 12 grapes for everyone in our group (5 people) for the 12-chimes of midnight. This is no easy task. (See photo at right) It took me about 1.5 hours to prepare the 60 grapes. Why so long? Because you have to carefully remove ALL the seeds with a sharp knife without cutting the grapes in half! Also, one person in our group requested "peeled grapes". Hmph! NOW, THAT IS A PAIN IN THE @SS!!! It takes about a minute to peel each grape, lots of concentration, and a sharp eye. After that's all done you have to carefully wrap them in aluminum foil (not sure why it has to be aluminum foil but it does).
Below, you'll find a couple videos someone posted on YouTube of the celebration in Puerta del Sol. Happy New Year, everyone!!
How do people celebrate New Year's Eve in Madrid and throughout Spain? Unlike Christmas Eve, which is an important family-gathering holiday, New Year's Eve (called "Noche Vieja" in Spanish) is more for gatherings of friends, going to parties, going from house to house to have a drink and personally give well-wishes. Many Spaniards do stay at home with family - almost by default - but many young people will venture out into the night.
What is there to do on New Year's Eve in Madrid? LOTS! If you're young and energetic, you'll not only go to parties at people's houses but also to the small "bares de copas" (i.e. "drinking bars") and small clubs around the city. If you have some money, you may choose the 70+ Euro entry-fees for the BIG, organized parties at some of the large discotheques and restaurants. If you're young and poor, you may find yourself at a "botellón" with your friends in some public park, drinking cheap wine from a box mixed with coca-cola (called "calimochos"), peeing behind trees, vomiting in bushes, and generally having lots of "fun".
Still, year after year, hoards of people gather in Madrid's Puerta del Sol (the "Times Square of Madrid") in the hour before midnight, awaiting the 12-chimes from the square's bell tower. The chimes cannot be heard over the din of the crowd so chances are good that the ball will drop and they'll illuminate the "Feliz 2009" sign. The custom in Spain is to eat one olive with each of the twelve chimes of midnight - if you can - and then kiss your loved-ones and strangers around you, wishing them a Happy New Year. These years, very few people FROM Madrid actually go to the Puerta del Sol. Most people occupying the Puerta del Sol for New Year's Eve are Spaniards from other parts of Spain as well as foreigners & tourists visiting Madrid just for New Year's Eve.
Getting dinner reservations in Madrid on New Year's Eve is VERY difficult. Most are booked for at least one month in advance. Many smaller bars, restaurants, and shops will close by 6pm on December 31st as the proprietors spend time with their own family and friends. The downown tourist bars, which are mostly open late into the night, are usually too full to enter - let alone speak to anyone because the noise is so loud.
Shortly after midnight begins the millions of calls and text messages to friends and family, wishing them a Happy New Year, forwarding poems and well-worded well-wishes. Year after year the phone and mobile phone lines are choked with these calls, the system is overloaded and one cannot connect.
I've been to the Puerta del Sol only one time for New Year's Even in Madrid and enjoyed it. The night I was there it was blisteringly cold and we nearly froze to death waiting for midnight. But it was fun to be there and see how it was. Tonight, I'll enjoy a quiet night at home with the people I love - some of whom are too old to go out so I'll keep them company.
But regardless of where you find yourself in Spain, one thing is a near certainty; you'll bring in the new year eating those twelve grapes with the 12-chimes of midnight, either with family, friends, or total strangers.
2008 has been difficult for many reasons for many people, not only economically and professionally, but we've lost friends and family to disease or old age, broken relationships, and the list goes on. We must cheris the wonderful which have happened in 2008 and remember those whom are worse off than you. Take care of the older folk, lend a hand to those who can't, do good deeds as often as you can, and tell the people you love that you love them. Who knows, they may not be around for the next New Year's Eve - you never know. Cherish them.
MadridMan wishes each and every one of you peace, love, and a wonderful 2009.
1 January 2009 Update: MadridMan had an enjoyable New Year's Eve at "home" with the people he loves, danced a little in front of the TV with the musical performances (all lip-synced, of course), ate a good meal of embutidos, cheeses, and paté along with red wine, white wine, and champagne at midnight.Earlier in the evening I was given the responsibility to "prepare" the 12 grapes for everyone in our group (5 people) for the 12-chimes of midnight. This is no easy task. (See photo at right) It took me about 1.5 hours to prepare the 60 grapes. Why so long? Because you have to carefully remove ALL the seeds with a sharp knife without cutting the grapes in half! Also, one person in our group requested "peeled grapes". Hmph! NOW, THAT IS A PAIN IN THE @SS!!! It takes about a minute to peel each grape, lots of concentration, and a sharp eye. After that's all done you have to carefully wrap them in aluminum foil (not sure why it has to be aluminum foil but it does).
Below, you'll find a couple videos someone posted on YouTube of the celebration in Puerta del Sol. Happy New Year, everyone!!
Every year for the past few years, the Madrid tourist office has organized a "Bus de la Navidad" or Christmas Lights Bus (website only in Spanish). It's a double-decker bus which, this year, only picks up passengers at its one stop at the Plaza de Colón. Tickets are bought on the bus for 1 Euro each. CHEAP! The one-stop idea was a good one. In past years the bus stopped throughout the city as long-suffering would-be passengers were constantly turned away as another full-bus passed them by. The only problem is... and it's a BIG problem.. the lines are SO LONG that you'll likely wait in line 2-4 hours for the 1-hour bus ride.We arrived at 7pm to find a line around 250 meters long, winding back and forth, much of it under surface level UNDER the tower of Christopher Columbus on Plaza de Colón. Children were running and playing everywhere while their parents stood solidly in line, moving when the next bus would come and fill ONLY the top deck of the double-decker bus. I estimate there are no more than 15 rows X 4 persons per row, that's 60 person total per bus.
I'm not sure how many buses run the tour but there are at least 4. And if each bus takes 1-hour to make the loop, that's roughly mean a new bus would come to re-load every 15 minutes. We waited in line for only about 10 minutes and decided not to pay-the-price with our backs, legs, feet, and patience.
So we left. Dejected. We walked down the Paseo de la Castellana and admired the lights on foot to the Plaza de la Cibeles. Down the Paseo del Prado there were pretty lights and at least 3 different Christmas trees. Very nice. We reached the Glorieta de Carlos V (a.k.a. "Plaza de Atocha") where we stopped in to a crowded El Brillante bar for bocadillos de calamares (fried squid sandwhiches), patatas bravas (diced, boiled potatoes in a spicy red sauce), and beers. That was nice. Possibly the highlight of the evening!So much for the Christmas Lights Bus. I doubt we'll even try next year.
Watch the below promotional video, created by the City Madrid, about Madrid's Christmas Lights for 2008.
"Use the Force, Luke."
Yesterday, I and two Spanish buddies went out on an "Excursión de Chicos" to the Star Wars Exhibition in Madrid. I'm not a SuperFan of the Star Wars movie series (particularly not the 3 modern episodes) bit did see the 3 first movies about 15 times cumulatively in the theater between the ages 12 and 18. I think I've only seen 2 of the 3 last 3 episodes and wasn't impressed with the stories.
Madrid is the last (listed) stop on a 6-City European Tour which started in November 2006 in Lisbon, Portugal. It has since passed through Porto, London, Brussels, Örnsköldsvik (Sweden) and now Madrid. No telling if there will be other, later-organized tour stops in Europe after Madrid, though.
The night before I'd bought the tickets online and thought it best to do so rather than wait in an extra line to buy them on the spot. Tickets were 10 Euros each (5 Euros for those under 12 or over 65 and for teachers and students) and had to choose an hour for entry. We chose the noontime entry because we were all going by metro from the opposite end of the city and knew it would take time to get there.
The Star Wars Exhibition in Madrid was ARRANGED in the "Fundación Canal" center, just below the tall water tower on the Plaza de Castilla in Madrid's northern end. Entry to the exhibition site itself is on the Paseo de la Castellana, just south of the "Plaza de Castilla" metro station, and about 150 meters from the two slanted offices buildings called the Torres Kio (a.k.a. "Puerta de Europa").
Upon arriving at about 11:45am, there was a long line and it was totally (and totally typical) unknown what line was for what. So one of our party went ahead to find out and waved us inside. The line we in which we were originally standing was to BUY tickets - not for those whom had already had tickets as we did. WE THOUGHT! So we finally get up to the door and the ticket-taker told us we had to go across the way to get actual paper tickets, not the bar-coded print-out I'd brought along. UGH! At least she let the two of us stay there while the third guy in our party went to retrieve the tickets at a kind of vending machine. 5 minutes later we were with tickets and inside the exhibition hall.
In my haste to get myself ready for the trip across town, I forgot my camera. I didn't worry about this much because I thought, maybe, visitors wouldn't be allowed to take photos of the exhibition itself due to copyright stuff. BUT I WAS WRONG! People were taking photos left-and-right, flashes going off everywhere, people having their photos taken standing next to the Darth Vader costume, and all the while the attendants were milling about, not saying anything. And there I was without my camera. (not that I would've taken many photos, I don't think). There's another blog (in Spanish), called "Pasion Pulp", detailing his visit last month to the same Star Wars Exhibition, and showing LOTS of photos of the Star Wars displays - including Darth Vader.
Yesterday, I and two Spanish buddies went out on an "Excursión de Chicos" to the Star Wars Exhibition in Madrid. I'm not a SuperFan of the Star Wars movie series (particularly not the 3 modern episodes) bit did see the 3 first movies about 15 times cumulatively in the theater between the ages 12 and 18. I think I've only seen 2 of the 3 last 3 episodes and wasn't impressed with the stories.Madrid is the last (listed) stop on a 6-City European Tour which started in November 2006 in Lisbon, Portugal. It has since passed through Porto, London, Brussels, Örnsköldsvik (Sweden) and now Madrid. No telling if there will be other, later-organized tour stops in Europe after Madrid, though.
The night before I'd bought the tickets online and thought it best to do so rather than wait in an extra line to buy them on the spot. Tickets were 10 Euros each (5 Euros for those under 12 or over 65 and for teachers and students) and had to choose an hour for entry. We chose the noontime entry because we were all going by metro from the opposite end of the city and knew it would take time to get there.
The Star Wars Exhibition in Madrid was ARRANGED in the "Fundación Canal" center, just below the tall water tower on the Plaza de Castilla in Madrid's northern end. Entry to the exhibition site itself is on the Paseo de la Castellana, just south of the "Plaza de Castilla" metro station, and about 150 meters from the two slanted offices buildings called the Torres Kio (a.k.a. "Puerta de Europa").
Upon arriving at about 11:45am, there was a long line and it was totally (and totally typical) unknown what line was for what. So one of our party went ahead to find out and waved us inside. The line we in which we were originally standing was to BUY tickets - not for those whom had already had tickets as we did. WE THOUGHT! So we finally get up to the door and the ticket-taker told us we had to go across the way to get actual paper tickets, not the bar-coded print-out I'd brought along. UGH! At least she let the two of us stay there while the third guy in our party went to retrieve the tickets at a kind of vending machine. 5 minutes later we were with tickets and inside the exhibition hall.
In my haste to get myself ready for the trip across town, I forgot my camera. I didn't worry about this much because I thought, maybe, visitors wouldn't be allowed to take photos of the exhibition itself due to copyright stuff. BUT I WAS WRONG! People were taking photos left-and-right, flashes going off everywhere, people having their photos taken standing next to the Darth Vader costume, and all the while the attendants were milling about, not saying anything. And there I was without my camera. (not that I would've taken many photos, I don't think). There's another blog (in Spanish), called "Pasion Pulp", detailing his visit last month to the same Star Wars Exhibition, and showing LOTS of photos of the Star Wars displays - including Darth Vader.
I was only somewhat surprised to see so many children at the exhibition. Probably half of those were under 12 years old (5 Euros each) and I assumed none of these children had seen any but maybe the last episode in the cinema. Probably most of these kids were the children of fan-or-semi-fan-parents. But no one came dressed up in Star Wars costumes, thank goodness.
The Darth Vader section of the exhibition was, by bar, the most popular section and packed with people, everyone wanting an UNobscured photo of themselves next to the display - which was nearly impossible with so many people positioning themselves for a better view.
There was also a large screening room which showed a 15 minute video on the making of the earlier Star Wars movies and this was interesting. Each of the other 7 or 8 rooms also had short videos playing in wall-embedded screens as well as larger, wall-projection movie scenes. The different rooms were mainly categorized by "Planet", containing "indigenous" characters and costumes, models and videos. Lots of descriptions were available on wall-spaces in both English and Spanish.
All in all, the Star Wars Exhibition was well-worth the 10 Euro ticket for entry. There was even a free "Jedi School" into which we considered enrolling ourselves for fun. But upon arriving we learned all "slots" were full and only accepting "applications" for later dates. Too bad. I guess I'll never become a full fledged Jedi Master - and will merely have to continue with my untrained mind-powers of closing doors or knocking over cans from a distance.
Saludos, MadridMan (staying far away from "The Dark Side")
The Darth Vader section of the exhibition was, by bar, the most popular section and packed with people, everyone wanting an UNobscured photo of themselves next to the display - which was nearly impossible with so many people positioning themselves for a better view.
There was also a large screening room which showed a 15 minute video on the making of the earlier Star Wars movies and this was interesting. Each of the other 7 or 8 rooms also had short videos playing in wall-embedded screens as well as larger, wall-projection movie scenes. The different rooms were mainly categorized by "Planet", containing "indigenous" characters and costumes, models and videos. Lots of descriptions were available on wall-spaces in both English and Spanish.
All in all, the Star Wars Exhibition was well-worth the 10 Euro ticket for entry. There was even a free "Jedi School" into which we considered enrolling ourselves for fun. But upon arriving we learned all "slots" were full and only accepting "applications" for later dates. Too bad. I guess I'll never become a full fledged Jedi Master - and will merely have to continue with my untrained mind-powers of closing doors or knocking over cans from a distance.
Saludos, MadridMan (staying far away from "The Dark Side")
It's time once again for "El Gordo", Spain's Christmas Lottery!
Just yesterday, Saturday, about 30 minutes before the lottery offices closed, I ran out to my local lottery ticket office to buy FIVE "décimos", which is a ticket worth one-tenth of one entire ticket series. One complete series, which is 10 tickets all carrying the same number, costs 200 Euros. So one ticket costs 20 Euros. I bought 5 tickets all ending with different numbers.
I was nervous approaching the lottery ticket office, half expecting a long line out the door and down the street. Luckily, it was nearly empty and only waited maybe 1 minute. Whoo! Mind you, this is a small lottery ticket office outside of the downtown. Those lines mentioned in last year's "Spain's Christmas Lottery" blog entry continue this year. I don't know why people would voluntarily wait in line so long but I guess they have superstitions about one lottery office being luckier than others.
The 5 tickets were "gifted" to 4 good friends as my Christmas gift to them. I scanned all the tickets, front and back, and added a holiday message to it. On the resulting graphic I included the 5 names (including mine), stating that if one or more tickets won that we would all 5 share in the winnings. Then I attached the graphic to an email and sent it to the 4 friends. I thought that was a good idea. Maybe people would've preferred a bottle of cologne.
This year's drawing is on Monday morning, 22 December. You can be sure I'll be awake early to watch "the big ball" tumbling around thousands of tiny, numbered, wooden balls. As the galls come out, nicely-dresses young school children sing out their numbers as they carry them over to the inspector, seated at the edge of the stage.
The televised event is carried by most channels and is really very entertaining to watch. Hopeful lottery ticket holders attend the Madrid-based event and many are interviewed, often wearing wild outfits to give them luck. People on the street are interviewed too, holding their tickets and telling what they'd do with their winnings. And then, of course, there are the interviews of the winners around Spain, small groups of people standing in the streets, dancing and singing and spraying champagne victoriously, telling what they'll do with their new found fortunes. It's fun to watch but is all over by noon. And the rest of us go back to our daily lives.
So wish us luck! And I wish you luck if you have a ticket in this year's "El Gordo". But even if you don't win, MadridMan hopes you have a very very Merry Christmas (on December 25th) and Reyes Magos (on January 6th), and, of course, a very positive year ahead. Economic crisis or not, we have much control over our own happiness.
See last year's entry, "Spain's Christmas Lottery", with photos and more information.
I was nervous approaching the lottery ticket office, half expecting a long line out the door and down the street. Luckily, it was nearly empty and only waited maybe 1 minute. Whoo! Mind you, this is a small lottery ticket office outside of the downtown. Those lines mentioned in last year's "Spain's Christmas Lottery" blog entry continue this year. I don't know why people would voluntarily wait in line so long but I guess they have superstitions about one lottery office being luckier than others.
The 5 tickets were "gifted" to 4 good friends as my Christmas gift to them. I scanned all the tickets, front and back, and added a holiday message to it. On the resulting graphic I included the 5 names (including mine), stating that if one or more tickets won that we would all 5 share in the winnings. Then I attached the graphic to an email and sent it to the 4 friends. I thought that was a good idea. Maybe people would've preferred a bottle of cologne.
This year's drawing is on Monday morning, 22 December. You can be sure I'll be awake early to watch "the big ball" tumbling around thousands of tiny, numbered, wooden balls. As the galls come out, nicely-dresses young school children sing out their numbers as they carry them over to the inspector, seated at the edge of the stage.
The televised event is carried by most channels and is really very entertaining to watch. Hopeful lottery ticket holders attend the Madrid-based event and many are interviewed, often wearing wild outfits to give them luck. People on the street are interviewed too, holding their tickets and telling what they'd do with their winnings. And then, of course, there are the interviews of the winners around Spain, small groups of people standing in the streets, dancing and singing and spraying champagne victoriously, telling what they'll do with their new found fortunes. It's fun to watch but is all over by noon. And the rest of us go back to our daily lives.
So wish us luck! And I wish you luck if you have a ticket in this year's "El Gordo". But even if you don't win, MadridMan hopes you have a very very Merry Christmas (on December 25th) and Reyes Magos (on January 6th), and, of course, a very positive year ahead. Economic crisis or not, we have much control over our own happiness.
UPDATE: 9:30am Monday morning of the Christmas lottery drawing, see MadridMan at right holding copies of his hopeful lottery tickets, crossing his fingers, and watching the Lotería de Navidad de España on the bedroom television. Nevermind the "bed head".
UPDATE: 3:15pm Monday afternoon, I've looked up all my/our numbers and none of them won. 2 of the 5 tickets did fall within 1 or 2 final digits which would have won 200 Euros though - so not close enough. One ticket was within 3 final digits which would been good for 1,000 Euros.
UPDATE: 3:15pm Monday afternoon, I've looked up all my/our numbers and none of them won. 2 of the 5 tickets did fall within 1 or 2 final digits which would have won 200 Euros though - so not close enough. One ticket was within 3 final digits which would been good for 1,000 Euros.
Video below of the winning El Gordo ticket:
Ismael Serrano is probably my all-time-favorite Spanish singer-songwriter. I'd say he's been considered a Spanish folk singer because his songs are mainly ballads, often about social issues, love, and humanity.According to the Wikipedia page on Ismael Serrano,:
He was born in the neighbourhood of Vallecas of Madrid (Spain) in March 9, 1974. After studying Physics in the Complutense University of Madrid, Ismael Serrano started his musical career in the early nineties in Madrid, singing folk based guitar music in a café circuit, at abashedly political venues like Libertad 8, Galileo and Nuevos Juglares. The movement proved to be very popular, inspired by the 20 year old 'Protest' song movement under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, as well as the Nueva canción movement of Latin America.
I first became a fan when I heard the song "Kilometer Cero", a song Serrano wrote and performed for the 2000 comedy movie of the same name, "Km.0". I haven't seen the movie yet - and heard it wasn't all that good - but the music video for the song shows scenes from the movie as well as Ismael Serrano himself walking the streets of Madrid, from a Madrid rooftop, and (presumably) from an large kitchen in a huge, old flat in downtown Madrid. Watch the "Kilometer Cero" music video below.
Since hearing the enchanting song "Kilometer Cero" I was hooked. I remember well listening to the song in the early 2000s, sitting at my then day-job, and getting all teary-eyed while daydreaming about Madrid. And since then I'd bought all of his subsequent CDs, growing more and more interested in his work."Kilometero Cero" refers to "The Zero Point" in Spain, the geographical center of the country & the point from which all other distances are measured. This location (although not exactly the actual mid-point of the country) is marked by a half-circle plaque on the sidewalk in front of the Comunidad de Madrid Government building in Madrid's Puerta del Sol. (see photo at right)
Most of his songs, slow and soulful, makes a person imagine himself exploring the historic streets of Madrid, contemplating life and observing human nature. Many songs, whether or not you understand Spanish, have the ability to bring you to tears. His guitar playing is sensitive, with rhythms and chords not often attempted. His voice is strong, precise, and unmistakable. His self-written lyrics are clear, great for the person whose first language is not Spanish.
All of the songs from his 1998 CD, "La Memoria de los Peces", 2000 CD "Los Paraísos Desiertos", and his 2002 CD, "La Traición de Wendi" were definitely his best work but he continues to make good music.
One can visit his website at http://www.IsmaelSerrano.com for all lyrics - both in Spanish AND the translated version in English - as well as song and video clips, discography, photos, tour dates, and more.
Since moving to Madrid at the end of 2005 I was anxious to see Serrano live in concert. But every time he came to Madrid his shows were always and immediately sold out. Not to be deterred, I found him playing in Tarragona City on Spain's eastern, Mediterranean coast and decided to make the 3-hour train trip, reserve a hotel for 2-nights, and see my hero live. What a show. He played alone onstage with nothing but his voice, his guitar, and a microphone to roughly 75 or 100 people in a small venue and sang all the songs I knew. I literally had goose bumps throughout the show! Happily, everyone stayed in their seats during the concert until the last 2 or 3 songs when he picked up the pace.
Ismael Serrano is performing 2 shows here in Madrid later this month but tickets are already sold out. Figures. If I want to see him live - where tickets are still available, I'd have to travel to Jaén (tomorrow!) or Salamanca in January (hmmm... that one's a possibility!).
Of course I don't personally know Ismael Serrano, but he seems like a very accessible person, someone very friendly and open. His lyrics and comfortable stage persona while addressing the audience makes you think he's someone you could invite over for a beer and he'd happily accept. Who knows how he is in real life but he's someone I'd like to meet someday, at least to thank him for making me "feel". His music meant a lot to me in those years before moving to Madrid.
You'll love this... (it becomes a "rant" further down)Madrid's City Hall (EsMadrid) and Google Travel Spain have apparently teamed up to hold a one-day conference, 15 December 2008, from about 10am to 7pm, in the Casa de Campo Theater Auditorium to assess and combat the depths of the economic crisis affecting the travel and tourism industry in Madrid.
Entry Fee: 75 Euros per person - which includes a nice lunch and coffee breaks. How generous!
Madrid TravelThink is what it's called. The conference includes open-forum, round table discussions after each of the four, 1-hour topics is presented. See the discussion topics below:
1) Changes in promotion and management of turistic destinationsSo there you have it in a nutshell. 4 hours of "information", and 4 total hours of round table, open forum discussion (one hour after each topic presentation) for this conference, hosted by a VERY concerned Madrid City Hall and Google.
2) Changes in the distribution model of tourism services
3) Changes in the informational habits and consumer purchace
4) Changes derived from the cold, economic climate
All this for 75 Euros!?!?!!? That's a day's wage for most travel professionals - WITH university degrees! Oh, did I already mention this price includes the lunch and 2 coffee breaks?!
Rant Time: Google and EsMadrid is organizing this event to help those of us in the tourism sector better manage this time of tourism crisis for Madrid and Spain. APPARENTLY, they only ask 75 Euros per person to help offset the cost of organizing such a conference and do not intend to profit from it. UH-HUH. RIGHT! But 75 Euros per person?!?!? How much is the lunch and coffee breaks worth? And shouldn't the CITY OF MADRID be DONATING the Theater Auditorium in the Casa de Campo, with hopes that Madrid and Spain's tourist professionals may better deal with the fading tourism industry, thereby putting more money into the Madrid City Hall's pockets?? Or maybe EsMadrid is flying in all their keynote speakers, via First Class Airfare, from around Spain, U.K., France, Italy, Germany, and New York City - not to mention 1 or 2 night's stay at a 5-Star Madrid Hotel?
First, Google's worth billions of dollars. Good for them. Madrid's City Hall, who is really dealing with this problem on a local level, is also contributing personnel to this conference. But couldn't they do much much, MUCH more?
Tourist professionals ARE feeling the economic pinch from fading tourism. I FEEL IT! Can we now afford, IN THIS TIME OF ECONOMIC CRISIS, 75 Euros per person to tell us (probably) what we already know and feel? Many cannot afford it. Wouldn't THIS be a PERFECT opportunity to invite ANYONE in the tourism industry to share in this presumably enlightening event - FOR FREE? Wouldn't THAT help the industry and the City of Madrid?
I've registered but stopped short of paying so I'm not going. 75 Euros is just too much. I'd consider it if it was only 30 or 40 Euros but no-way will I pay 75 Euros. Not unless, of course, Google is "gifting" all those in attendance with a electronics-filled gift-bags. Doubt that.
Here's hoping all you United Statesens had a wonderful, warm, and memorable Thanksgiving Day yesterday.
After everyone left and before I went to bed, all alone, I finished one of the brought bottles of delicious red wine and watched the first half of that action-packed-yet-sad Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans NFL football game. But that ended the evening well, having "The Grand Even" behind me, a disaster area in the kitchen with piles of plates, stuffing scattered around the floor, and me drinking wine while watching my beloved football in total peace. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...... :) (insert HEAVY sigh of relief here.....)
See group photo below of the three of us whom are NOT afraid to have our photos on the internet:
Left to right: MadridMan, steve robinson, and replay (Rafa)
The stuffing I made early in the afternoon - which I mentioned in my previous post above - ended up in the trash :( because I forgot to first saute the onion and celery chunks. And yet I didn't realize this until AFTER I stuffed it in the bird and put it in the oven. That was okay but we weren't about to eat the leftover raw-onion-and-celery stuffing (at least I wasn't). (sorry, Esperanza!!!) It's a true shame too because the stuffing itself looked so delicious. I considered picking out the pieces of onion and celery but had neither the time nor the patience to take on that task with so many other things going on. Luckily, I'd bought two back-up boxes of the stuff(ing) at The American Store and made that. It turned out okay but wasn't as pretty. hehehe....
The pre-meal salad plate for guests went over very well with little pickles, black olives, anchovy-stuffed green olives, and cherry tomatoes. I'd spent 45 minutes earlier in the day peeling and quartering carrots for said salad plate - but forgot them in the refrigerator.
As guests came they would kindly say upon entering the house, "Mmmm.. Something smells good!" Of course, what they were really smelling was the smoke billowing from the kitchen's oven! :eek: Throughout the "social-hour", they'd poke their heads in the kitchen while I was preparing the corn-on-the-cob or the green-beans-with-mushroom-soup to chat and look through the oven-glass to the turkey. From time to time we'd ALL have to leave the kitchen because THE SMOKE was just too bad. I began worrying a concerned neighbor might call the fire department.
About the Turkey...
I'd spent nearly an hour preparing the freshly slaughtered turkey, thinking it'd only take 20 minutes. First, NOT ALL of the turkey's feathers were pulled out so I plucked those remaining. Then I washed the turkey in the sink, inside and out according to instructions, patted it dry throughout with paper towels. Then I applied olive oil first, then salt, pepper, and parsley. Good. The oven was preheated to 350ºF for the previous 45 minutes and ready to go.
The turkey was put into the SPECIAL turkey cooking bag, made the recommended 6, 2-inch slots into the plastic, and it all went into the oven at 6:30pm. I was starting to get a little nervous, knowing it would take at least 3 hours to cook and 20 minutes to cool, and my guests were told we'd dine at 9pm. This wasn't going to all come together perfectly...
As mentioned above, about an hour into cooking the 12-pound turkey (7:30pm) the smoke was filling the kitchen. Because I was beginning to doubt the EDIBILITY of the thing, I sent one of the guests to buy a couple roasted chickens. JUST IN CASE.
By 8:15pm, having already lowered the temperature twice, I turned off the oven - AFTER ONLY 1 hour and 45 minutes cooking time. "There's NO WAY we're going to be able to eat this thing." It's going to be burned on the outside and raw on the inside!!
First, this so-called magical cooking bag, something which was supposed to retain the turkey's moistness, wrapped itself around the bird like a condom throughout the baking process, and eventually, literally became its second skin - with 5th degree burns!
Thank goodness we had these roasted chickens as backup...
I took out the turkey, ready to toss it directly into the garbage in disgust but one of my female guests stopped me with her very kind and encouraging, "No! No! It doesn't look so bad! I'm sure it's delicious! We can save a lot of it, just look! Really!" This is when she took over.
Surprisingly, after cutting away the half-inch of charred plastic and flesh, revealed was some very edible-looking breast meat! Voila! We have our Thanksgiving Day Turkey!! The guest was able to cut away enough meat to almost fill one large plate, just enough for the 7 of us to try a little.
"¡ALAAAA!" was the cheer by the 5 seated Spanish guests (and one English guest) upon my entering the dining/living room with plate of turkey slices - NOT the entire turkey. Of course I had this typical image of entering with this beautiful big, brown, garnished turkey and laying it in the center of the table for everyone to admire. BUT...it didn't happen like that. They'd already gotten a glimpse of the charred body in the kitchen and no one had any grand expectations.
So we salvaged some turkey. Everyone tried the strange looking (to them) turkey gravy and liked it. I decided not to make the mashed potatoes afterall because it was just too much work and too many side dishes, people liked the green beans and mushroom soup. The stuffing went mainly untouched. The corn-on-the-cop raised much discussion by the Spaniards, saying it looked a lot like "the food the pigs eat". I'd FORGOTTEN the cranberry sauce in the refrigerator. But everyone LOVED the pumpkin pie. In an earlier post I'd mentioned I burned the no-bake graham cracker crust of two pies, which I did, but I scooped out the good middle and spread it all into a third "reserve" no-bake pie shell and served it like that. A big hit! We finished the meal off at about 11:30pm with glasses of Crema de Orujo liqueur.
The evening was wonderful, filled with Spanish political and religious debate, a little about Barack Obama's Presidential election, and general discussion. As an afterthought, I should've told my guests more about Thanksgiving, what it was, and what it stood for but I was just too overwhelmed with everything, I guess.
In total, we were 2 Spanish males (including message board member replay), 3 Spanish females, 1 Englishman (message board member steve robinson), and me, the only Americano.
MORE ON THE COOKING BAG: I followed the instructions perfectly. REALLY, I DID. My Spanish female guests kindly suggested the plastic bag burned because the oven was too small, the turkey was too close to the heating element, and that the oven may not have had a self-regulating-temperature (whatever that means - don't they all self-regulate?). Initially they said, "Well, why did you use a plastic bag of all things? That's VERY strange!" So I had to explain to them that it was "A new thing." They just shook their heads in disbelief.
So my FIRST attempted Thanksgiving Day Feast was a semi-success. But at least we all had a good time and were together. Afterall, THAT's what's most important. :)
After everyone left and before I went to bed, all alone, I finished one of the brought bottles of delicious red wine and watched the first half of that action-packed-yet-sad Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans NFL football game. But that ended the evening well, having "The Grand Even" behind me, a disaster area in the kitchen with piles of plates, stuffing scattered around the floor, and me drinking wine while watching my beloved football in total peace. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...... :) (insert HEAVY sigh of relief here.....)
See group photo below of the three of us whom are NOT afraid to have our photos on the internet:
Left to right: MadridMan, steve robinson, and replay (Rafa)
The stuffing I made early in the afternoon - which I mentioned in my previous post above - ended up in the trash :( because I forgot to first saute the onion and celery chunks. And yet I didn't realize this until AFTER I stuffed it in the bird and put it in the oven. That was okay but we weren't about to eat the leftover raw-onion-and-celery stuffing (at least I wasn't). (sorry, Esperanza!!!) It's a true shame too because the stuffing itself looked so delicious. I considered picking out the pieces of onion and celery but had neither the time nor the patience to take on that task with so many other things going on. Luckily, I'd bought two back-up boxes of the stuff(ing) at The American Store and made that. It turned out okay but wasn't as pretty. hehehe....
The pre-meal salad plate for guests went over very well with little pickles, black olives, anchovy-stuffed green olives, and cherry tomatoes. I'd spent 45 minutes earlier in the day peeling and quartering carrots for said salad plate - but forgot them in the refrigerator.
As guests came they would kindly say upon entering the house, "Mmmm.. Something smells good!" Of course, what they were really smelling was the smoke billowing from the kitchen's oven! :eek: Throughout the "social-hour", they'd poke their heads in the kitchen while I was preparing the corn-on-the-cob or the green-beans-with-mushroom-soup to chat and look through the oven-glass to the turkey. From time to time we'd ALL have to leave the kitchen because THE SMOKE was just too bad. I began worrying a concerned neighbor might call the fire department.
About the Turkey...
I'd spent nearly an hour preparing the freshly slaughtered turkey, thinking it'd only take 20 minutes. First, NOT ALL of the turkey's feathers were pulled out so I plucked those remaining. Then I washed the turkey in the sink, inside and out according to instructions, patted it dry throughout with paper towels. Then I applied olive oil first, then salt, pepper, and parsley. Good. The oven was preheated to 350ºF for the previous 45 minutes and ready to go.
The turkey was put into the SPECIAL turkey cooking bag, made the recommended 6, 2-inch slots into the plastic, and it all went into the oven at 6:30pm. I was starting to get a little nervous, knowing it would take at least 3 hours to cook and 20 minutes to cool, and my guests were told we'd dine at 9pm. This wasn't going to all come together perfectly...
As mentioned above, about an hour into cooking the 12-pound turkey (7:30pm) the smoke was filling the kitchen. Because I was beginning to doubt the EDIBILITY of the thing, I sent one of the guests to buy a couple roasted chickens. JUST IN CASE.
By 8:15pm, having already lowered the temperature twice, I turned off the oven - AFTER ONLY 1 hour and 45 minutes cooking time. "There's NO WAY we're going to be able to eat this thing." It's going to be burned on the outside and raw on the inside!!
First, this so-called magical cooking bag, something which was supposed to retain the turkey's moistness, wrapped itself around the bird like a condom throughout the baking process, and eventually, literally became its second skin - with 5th degree burns!
Thank goodness we had these roasted chickens as backup...
I took out the turkey, ready to toss it directly into the garbage in disgust but one of my female guests stopped me with her very kind and encouraging, "No! No! It doesn't look so bad! I'm sure it's delicious! We can save a lot of it, just look! Really!" This is when she took over.
Surprisingly, after cutting away the half-inch of charred plastic and flesh, revealed was some very edible-looking breast meat! Voila! We have our Thanksgiving Day Turkey!! The guest was able to cut away enough meat to almost fill one large plate, just enough for the 7 of us to try a little.
"¡ALAAAA!" was the cheer by the 5 seated Spanish guests (and one English guest) upon my entering the dining/living room with plate of turkey slices - NOT the entire turkey. Of course I had this typical image of entering with this beautiful big, brown, garnished turkey and laying it in the center of the table for everyone to admire. BUT...it didn't happen like that. They'd already gotten a glimpse of the charred body in the kitchen and no one had any grand expectations.
So we salvaged some turkey. Everyone tried the strange looking (to them) turkey gravy and liked it. I decided not to make the mashed potatoes afterall because it was just too much work and too many side dishes, people liked the green beans and mushroom soup. The stuffing went mainly untouched. The corn-on-the-cop raised much discussion by the Spaniards, saying it looked a lot like "the food the pigs eat". I'd FORGOTTEN the cranberry sauce in the refrigerator. But everyone LOVED the pumpkin pie. In an earlier post I'd mentioned I burned the no-bake graham cracker crust of two pies, which I did, but I scooped out the good middle and spread it all into a third "reserve" no-bake pie shell and served it like that. A big hit! We finished the meal off at about 11:30pm with glasses of Crema de Orujo liqueur.
The evening was wonderful, filled with Spanish political and religious debate, a little about Barack Obama's Presidential election, and general discussion. As an afterthought, I should've told my guests more about Thanksgiving, what it was, and what it stood for but I was just too overwhelmed with everything, I guess.
In total, we were 2 Spanish males (including message board member replay), 3 Spanish females, 1 Englishman (message board member steve robinson), and me, the only Americano.
MORE ON THE COOKING BAG: I followed the instructions perfectly. REALLY, I DID. My Spanish female guests kindly suggested the plastic bag burned because the oven was too small, the turkey was too close to the heating element, and that the oven may not have had a self-regulating-temperature (whatever that means - don't they all self-regulate?). Initially they said, "Well, why did you use a plastic bag of all things? That's VERY strange!" So I had to explain to them that it was "A new thing." They just shook their heads in disbelief.
So my FIRST attempted Thanksgiving Day Feast was a semi-success. But at least we all had a good time and were together. Afterall, THAT's what's most important. :)
Woody would've been proud... ( And Bo would've SH*T !)
Sometimes photos speak more than do the written word. See MadridMan below, the proud Ohio State University Alumnus (Class of 1989, Geology), watching his 10-2, 10th Ranked OSU Buckeyes beat the University of Michigan Wolverines for the 5th straight year in football. This year it happened in front of more than 105,000 spectators at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, USA. This wins the Buckeyes a share of the Big 10 Title - shared with Penn State University. Notice MadridMan is wearing his favorite Ohio State sweatshirt for luck. Believe it or not, he bought that sweatshirt on campus at Long's Bookstore DURING his college days.
I couldn't stand it anymore. Exhausting ALL of the published possibilities of easy-in-easy-out restaurants serving a Thursday turkey dinner, I've resigned myself to cooking the turkey myself - IN MY OWN HOUSE. I must be crazy.
My local "Chicken Shop" tells me they can order a whole turkey with 24-hour notice. I asked, sheepishly, "Will it still have the features on it?" Both "The Chicken Lady" and another woman - who was there just to chat - laughed and said, "We don't live in a village, you know!" So yes, the bird comes "clean". I forgot to ask if it came with its innards, head and feet, though. Probably not. 5 Euros per kilo, she tells me. Is that expensive? I guess it doesn't matter now. I'm in up to my elbows in resignation of being the Thanksgiving Day chef.
Hmmm... Why does the image of Mr. Bean attempting to cook a turkey for the first time come to mind? (see photo at right)
Having the turkey taken care on "the front end" is one less thing to worry about, albeit simply ORDERING the turkey is the easy part. Now I need the supplies to cook the gobbler. What will I need?
I carefully summon visions of Grandma's annual turkey-cooking efforts and make a mental list of things I'll need. And how does one get such American holiday cooking items here in Madrid, Spain? That's simple! At The American Store! So that's where I went yesterday, to the store location just a hundred meters from "El Clínico de San Carlos" hospital. And it was there I found nearly everything I needed. Not only do they carry all the "normal" things like Peanut Butter & Jelly, pancake mix and syrup, fudge brownie mixes, and every American candy and snack known to man, but they also carry seasonal food stuffs like the ones I was seeking.
Right on the "end cap" upon going downstairs were (nearly) all the Thanksgiving Day items necessary to create an All American Thanksgiving Day feast. Here's the list of my purchase:
I walked out of there and towards the Moncloa metro station with two big bags of STUFF, kind of proud of myself, and taking another step forward in having a successful All American Thanksgiving Day feast with (mainly) my Spanish friends at home.
Now I have to do some internet research about how long to cook the bird, at what temperature, and other details. Many of the boxes I bought had instructions on how to calculate such things so I'm feeling confident. I've seen others essentially "wrap" the turkey in aluminum foil for cooking but I'm trying these clear-plastic turkey-cooking bags. The box swears the plastic won't melt around the bird at high temperatures. Hope that's true!
Surely I won't sleep a wink the night before, fretting over the details, worrying about an undercooked, bacteria-rich turkey or an overcooked, dry-as-a-wishbone one, leaving my Spanish guest STILL wondering what a properly cooked turkey must taste like. So wish me luck, everyone! I'LL CERTAINLY NEED IT!
Oh, and by the way, THIS is my 100th Blog Posting!!
UPDATE: Read the aftermath of the aforementioned Turkey Day preparation in the blog posting entitled "Homemade Thanksgiving Feast: A Semi-Success" for details and photos.
My local "Chicken Shop" tells me they can order a whole turkey with 24-hour notice. I asked, sheepishly, "Will it still have the features on it?" Both "The Chicken Lady" and another woman - who was there just to chat - laughed and said, "We don't live in a village, you know!" So yes, the bird comes "clean". I forgot to ask if it came with its innards, head and feet, though. Probably not. 5 Euros per kilo, she tells me. Is that expensive? I guess it doesn't matter now. I'm in up to my elbows in resignation of being the Thanksgiving Day chef. Hmmm... Why does the image of Mr. Bean attempting to cook a turkey for the first time come to mind? (see photo at right)
Having the turkey taken care on "the front end" is one less thing to worry about, albeit simply ORDERING the turkey is the easy part. Now I need the supplies to cook the gobbler. What will I need?
I carefully summon visions of Grandma's annual turkey-cooking efforts and make a mental list of things I'll need. And how does one get such American holiday cooking items here in Madrid, Spain? That's simple! At The American Store! So that's where I went yesterday, to the store location just a hundred meters from "El Clínico de San Carlos" hospital. And it was there I found nearly everything I needed. Not only do they carry all the "normal" things like Peanut Butter & Jelly, pancake mix and syrup, fudge brownie mixes, and every American candy and snack known to man, but they also carry seasonal food stuffs like the ones I was seeking.
Right on the "end cap" upon going downstairs were (nearly) all the Thanksgiving Day items necessary to create an All American Thanksgiving Day feast. Here's the list of my purchase:
- Aluminum Turkey cooking pan: 2.50 Euros
- Box of stuffing: 3.00 Euros ea.
- Box of Turkey Cooking Bags: 3.50 Euros
- Packs of Turkey Gravy: 1.85 Euros ea.
- 2 Cup measuring cup: 2.10 Euros
- Big-@ss Can of Pumpkin Pie filling: 4.75 Euros
- Graham Cracker Pie Shells: 3.90 Euros ea.
- Cranberry Sauce: 2.75 Euros ea.
- =======================
- Purchase Total: 54.60 Euros
I walked out of there and towards the Moncloa metro station with two big bags of STUFF, kind of proud of myself, and taking another step forward in having a successful All American Thanksgiving Day feast with (mainly) my Spanish friends at home.
Now I have to do some internet research about how long to cook the bird, at what temperature, and other details. Many of the boxes I bought had instructions on how to calculate such things so I'm feeling confident. I've seen others essentially "wrap" the turkey in aluminum foil for cooking but I'm trying these clear-plastic turkey-cooking bags. The box swears the plastic won't melt around the bird at high temperatures. Hope that's true!
Surely I won't sleep a wink the night before, fretting over the details, worrying about an undercooked, bacteria-rich turkey or an overcooked, dry-as-a-wishbone one, leaving my Spanish guest STILL wondering what a properly cooked turkey must taste like. So wish me luck, everyone! I'LL CERTAINLY NEED IT!
Oh, and by the way, THIS is my 100th Blog Posting!!
UPDATE: Read the aftermath of the aforementioned Turkey Day preparation in the blog posting entitled "Homemade Thanksgiving Feast: A Semi-Success" for details and photos.
YIKES!
Imagine my surprise when I walked through my local neighborhood and saw this through an open door; a seated woman and a headless man hanging from a cable with his arms outstretched!
Clearly, this some kind of sculpture workshop but wow, they were so realistic! The room was full of dust and I peaked around the door a bit to see the workman/artist working on another piece wearing, thankfully, a protective mask.
The 2-way, 4-lane Calle de San Bernardo, the stretch between Gran Vía and the Glorieta de Ruiz Jimenez (a.k.a. Plaza de San Bernardo), is one of my favorite streets in Madrid - and I only recently discovered it!
Go to http://www.Google.com/maps , enter Calle de San Bernardo, 10, Madrid, Spain, turn "left" by 90º to head north, and start-a-walkin'.
WHY do I like this street? Because it's so mixed culturally, has a kind of bohemian feel to it while maintaining most of its traditional stores and bars. It's probably one of the most overlooked streets by travelers to Madrid. Not only does it have some of the most architecturally stunning and historical buildings in Madrid but also some of the ugliest office buildings - not to mention the worst graffiti covered buildings in the city.
Overlooking the graffiti (and it's difficult to do), you see some buildings which will make you stop, gawk, and cross the street for a better look, wondering how they must look on the inside. The "upper half" of the street is cooler and more historic than the "lower half".
Also along this route is the two-spire "Ministerio de Justicia" building (Calle de San Bernardo, 45), the connecting-and-cool Calle del Pez to the right. A couple blocks up and to the right is the Calle del Espiritu Santo where you find the (American) English-language, second-hand bookstore J&J Books and Coffee (and free Wi-Fi). Up San Bernardo a little further you have the absolutely stunning residential building at Calle de San Bernardo, 67. For this, look at my photo below and also on Google Maps "Street View", look up and down.
Further up, at Calle de San Bernardo, 79 at the left, we see the large, beautiful barroque-style church, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Montserrat, designed by the famed Madrid artist, Pedro de Ribera, and whose construction began in 1668. Directly across the street from it is the yellow-façade convent "Convento de las Salesas Nuevas".
Along this street there are countless kitchy-bars, a couple restaurants, and lots and lots of shops. The graffiti really is a problem, though. See the photo at right (Calle de San Bernardo, 18) of the interesting, late afternoon sun reflecting from an adjacent building - and the graffiti too.This bank seems to be open for business so I don't know why they haven't painted the outside façade in so many years.,
I feel I could live in an area like this because of its variety. There are two metro stations along this street; one at mid-point called "Noviciado" and another at the top called, appropriately, "San Bernardo".
So take a walk up Calle de San Bernardo the next time you're in Madrid and see a part of the city often overlooked. Or simply take a virtual Street Maps stroll up the street. Either way, you'll enjoy yourself.
Go to http://www.Google.com/maps , enter Calle de San Bernardo, 10, Madrid, Spain, turn "left" by 90º to head north, and start-a-walkin'.
WHY do I like this street? Because it's so mixed culturally, has a kind of bohemian feel to it while maintaining most of its traditional stores and bars. It's probably one of the most overlooked streets by travelers to Madrid. Not only does it have some of the most architecturally stunning and historical buildings in Madrid but also some of the ugliest office buildings - not to mention the worst graffiti covered buildings in the city.
Overlooking the graffiti (and it's difficult to do), you see some buildings which will make you stop, gawk, and cross the street for a better look, wondering how they must look on the inside. The "upper half" of the street is cooler and more historic than the "lower half".
Also along this route is the two-spire "Ministerio de Justicia" building (Calle de San Bernardo, 45), the connecting-and-cool Calle del Pez to the right. A couple blocks up and to the right is the Calle del Espiritu Santo where you find the (American) English-language, second-hand bookstore J&J Books and Coffee (and free Wi-Fi). Up San Bernardo a little further you have the absolutely stunning residential building at Calle de San Bernardo, 67. For this, look at my photo below and also on Google Maps "Street View", look up and down.
Further up, at Calle de San Bernardo, 79 at the left, we see the large, beautiful barroque-style church, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Montserrat, designed by the famed Madrid artist, Pedro de Ribera, and whose construction began in 1668. Directly across the street from it is the yellow-façade convent "Convento de las Salesas Nuevas".Along this street there are countless kitchy-bars, a couple restaurants, and lots and lots of shops. The graffiti really is a problem, though. See the photo at right (Calle de San Bernardo, 18) of the interesting, late afternoon sun reflecting from an adjacent building - and the graffiti too.This bank seems to be open for business so I don't know why they haven't painted the outside façade in so many years.,I feel I could live in an area like this because of its variety. There are two metro stations along this street; one at mid-point called "Noviciado" and another at the top called, appropriately, "San Bernardo".
So take a walk up Calle de San Bernardo the next time you're in Madrid and see a part of the city often overlooked. Or simply take a virtual Street Maps stroll up the street. Either way, you'll enjoy yourself.
Little Known Fact Among Tourists:
The Old and decrepit La Sepulvedana Bus Station on the Paseo de la Florida, 11 has moved across the street to the new "Intercambiador" at Príncipe Pío Station and Shopping Center. This happened about a year ago, by the way.
All the old guides - and some of the new ones - list the Old station as the location to travel from Madrid to Segovia by bus. It no longer exists. Now, a PC City computer store occupies the space. I LOVE this computer store chain. And now it's RIGHT on my local bus route. Woo Hoo!!
For years, the old bus location had received many complaints about bad smells, dirty conditions, beggars & drunkards hanging around. Even I, MadridMan, recall going to Segovia at least twice through this "hole in the ground" entry. Upon entering the front door you would have to go down a series of ramps to get to the lower-level where one could buy tickets, wait in the waiting area, eat something at the cafeteria, and wait for your bus to leave - HOPING you'd get on the correct bus.
The new station across the street at Príncipe Pío, located also underground in the "intercambiador" - joining buses, metro, and train - is newer, cleaner, and patrolled by police. The buses leave the station through a series of tunnels until they leave after crossing under the Manzanares river and out the Avenida de Portugal.
While I haven't been able to get a very current price, last year's one-way ticket price was about 6.43 Euros. That's cheap for the 1-hour trip to Segovia, in my opinion.
The bus station in Segovia is not far from the Old downtown either. You can walk from the station to, say, the Roman Aqueduct in about 15 minutes maximum. And on the way you pass a number of old churches. This bus line JUST invested in a brand new, ultra modern fleet of buses.
If you have any doubt about the departure or approximate price of the tickets, ask at any Madrid Tourist Check Point or Tourist Office around the city.
Links of interest:
http://www.adn.es/local/madrid/20071008/NWS-0120-Sepulvedana-cambia-acera.html
http://www.nortecastilla.es/20071009/segovia/parada-sepulvedana-madrid-trasladara-20071009.html
http://www.lasepulvedana.es/
The Old and decrepit La Sepulvedana Bus Station on the Paseo de la Florida, 11 has moved across the street to the new "Intercambiador" at Príncipe Pío Station and Shopping Center. This happened about a year ago, by the way.
All the old guides - and some of the new ones - list the Old station as the location to travel from Madrid to Segovia by bus. It no longer exists. Now, a PC City computer store occupies the space. I LOVE this computer store chain. And now it's RIGHT on my local bus route. Woo Hoo!!
For years, the old bus location had received many complaints about bad smells, dirty conditions, beggars & drunkards hanging around. Even I, MadridMan, recall going to Segovia at least twice through this "hole in the ground" entry. Upon entering the front door you would have to go down a series of ramps to get to the lower-level where one could buy tickets, wait in the waiting area, eat something at the cafeteria, and wait for your bus to leave - HOPING you'd get on the correct bus.
The new station across the street at Príncipe Pío, located also underground in the "intercambiador" - joining buses, metro, and train - is newer, cleaner, and patrolled by police. The buses leave the station through a series of tunnels until they leave after crossing under the Manzanares river and out the Avenida de Portugal.
While I haven't been able to get a very current price, last year's one-way ticket price was about 6.43 Euros. That's cheap for the 1-hour trip to Segovia, in my opinion.The bus station in Segovia is not far from the Old downtown either. You can walk from the station to, say, the Roman Aqueduct in about 15 minutes maximum. And on the way you pass a number of old churches. This bus line JUST invested in a brand new, ultra modern fleet of buses.
If you have any doubt about the departure or approximate price of the tickets, ask at any Madrid Tourist Check Point or Tourist Office around the city.
Links of interest:
http://www.adn.es/local/madrid/20071008/NWS-0120-Sepulvedana-cambia-acera.html
http://www.nortecastilla.es/20071009/segovia/parada-sepulvedana-madrid-trasladara-20071009.html
http://www.lasepulvedana.es/
Yesterday, I finally saw the (written & directed) Woody Allen movie, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (official website link at left - not Firefox-friendly, though). It was good! Not great, but definitely good.
The movie stars the Allen-fave Scarlett Johansson as "Cristina", Rebecca Hall as "Vicky" (who doesn't even get top-three billing!), and Spaniards Javier Bardem & Penélope Cruz - who has the smallest role of all and yet gets SECOND-billing. The latter surprises me only somewhat. Rebecca Hall, while lesser known, has every bit of time onscreen as Scarlett Johansson but her name is lost in the "Also appearing" credits at the bottom of the movie poster.
But this isn't your typical Woody Allen movie. First, Allen doesn't act or narrate the movie. GOOD! I think most moviegoers these days are a bit tired of the fast-paced dialogue and neurotic character of him. He definitely knows how to write, though, and wisely - yet curiously - chose a young man's voice to narrate the film. We never find out who this man is. Just a narrator!
For movies like this one, knowing I'd have to someday review it, I purposely shielded myself from video clips, reading other reviews, or talking to friends about the movie. But still, while most of the film takes places in and near Barcelona City - as well as some scenes in Oviedo - I'm surprised by the lack of "buzz" for this movie here in Spain. And Spaniards absolutely LOVE Woody Allen. This seems to be his second home, constantly being honored with film-related awards and seemingly constantly playing his clarinet in big concerts in San Sebastian and other northern cities.
Movie Summary: Vicky & Cristina, both American east-coast, big-city 20-somethings decide to go to Barcelona for the summer - each with their own reasons. Vicky, an impetuously wild spirit, wants to clear her head after yet another stormy and failed relationship. Cristina is having one last adventure as a single, goal-driven and responsible woman before getting married to the "perfect-yet-boring" man.
Vicky & Cristina meet bold Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) at a Barcelona restaurant after Vicky continues to stare at him from their table. He's a free-thinking, socially and sexually liberal painter with a fiery past - and ongoing - relationship with his ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz). Juan Antonio walks over to meet them and immediately invites them both to fly to Oviedo for a weekend of wine-tasting, sight seeing, and threesome sex. Cristina is shocked and rejects him but Vicky is intrigued. Still, they both fly to Oviedo with him in his friend's 4-seater plane.
During the weekend, circumstances shift. While Vicky becomes sick and stays in bed from an existing ulcer, Cristina falls for Juan Antonio and has a beautiful, profoundly romantic experience with him, forever changing her concept of love and dedication.
The movie continues and Cristina comes to her senses, re-committing herself to her visiting fiance. Vicky's health improves and she falls more deeply in love with Juan Antonio, moving in with him to his house/painting-studio, and Cristina never shares her secret love affair with Vicky.
It's while Vicky is Juan Antonio's live-in-lover that suicidal Maria Elena first appears, recently released from the hospital for a near-overdose of pills. She's tortured and also an artist (cliché??!!), still deeply in love with her ex-husband Juan Antonio. Due to her fragile condition, Juan Antonio invites Maria Elena to move in with them. Shocked, Vicky reluctantly agrees.
Days pass and the three of them grow close. They live the stereotypical bohemian life in the rural art studio with impassioned painting, deep discussions, and two-way, three-way, heterosexual, and lesbian sex with interchangeable partners under the same roof.
Everything goes perfectly well for awhile but surprisingly it's Vicky whom removes herself from the situation, saying it's just too-much for her, and she decides to travel France for the last couple of weeks of the summer. Shortly thereafter, Juan Antonio and Maria Elena are left alone again to their stormy and self-destructive ways as a couple. Maria Elena leaves.
Juan Antonio reconnects with Cristina who can't stop thinking about him and her eye-opening experiences with him in Oviedo. With Cristina's fiance playing golf with friends, she meets Juan Antonio one more time, not having to wonder forever if HE was the ONE for her. They're interrupted by drunken and crazed Maria Elena who's carrying a gun and threatening murder and-or suicide.
At the end of their summer in Barcelona, Vicky is still searching for unrealistic love but Cristina's concept of love and passion is RE-defined forever - yet she presumably goes back to marry her "perfect man".
MadridMan's review: The movie's end is, at least for me, left with nothing but loose ends, something "they say" shouldn't be done in a Hollywood movie. But Woody Allen movies are rarely your typical Hollywood fare - so in that regard it's a positive thing. The point of the movie is not necessarily to simply entertain but to cause us to question love and passion, how they are or should be, how fleeting love and passion are in a relationship, and the differences between "loving" and "being in love."
Barcelona Sights Seen in the Movie: We really don't see much of Barcelona. It must be difficult filming someplace where there are LOTS of people milling about at all times. For this reason, most scenes are either close-up or far-away. We see just a bit of Antonio Gaudi's Parc Güell (the painted tile mosaic lizard), a bit of some of the rides of the Tibidabo Amusement Park and a hazy horizon of Barcelona City below, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia towers and 2-seconds of the inside roof, 10-seconds from atop Gaudi's Casa Mila - La Pedrera while walking among the chimney pots, a brief closeup scene of looking at birds on La Rambla, and a couple no-dialogue scenes of Vicky taking photos in the Barrio Gótico.
Final Thoughts & Observations: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is worth a look and it will make you think a bit about the concept of love and relationship. I have to say that while watching this movie I thought several times, "Ho! Every place they live, all the restaurants where they eat, all the sights they see are just too perfect!" They're kindly housed in the mansion of friends-of-American-friends in Barcelona's outskirts, but they also stay in a beautiful, historic, 5-Star Hotel de la Reconquista in Oviedo City, but also attend an intimate, romantic, 8-person wine-drinking, outdoor-gazebo-setting private performance by a Spanish guitarrist which made me say, "That NEVER happens unless you know the guitarrist personally!" Apparently Juan Antonio is an insider with such things. The movie's music is pretty good, with Paco de Lucia's "Entre Dos Aguas" played at least three times in the movie.
Movie Trailers:
Links:
http://www.vickycristina-movie.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497465/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicky_Cristina_Barcelona
http://www.hoteldelareconquista.com/
http://www.tibidabo.es/
http://www.sagradafamilia.org/
About a week ago I found a list of places around which which were serving an "American Thanksgiving meal" for Thanksgiving Day - this year it's November 27th.
Encouraged that this year I was going to be able to shared an "American Thanksgiving Day Experience" with my best Spanish friends, I started contacting the list of places.
Americans being Americans, they tend to book ANYTHING on the day it because possible to buy, rent, or reserve - as opposed to waiting until the last minute as some older Spaniards are still doing. Young Spaniards now book far in advance but still NOT NEARLY as far as Americans do.
And because Americans are Americans, as I went through the list of places serving the special annual turkey meal I found that they were either all booked, had odd-hours available, or weren't even serving turkey! One was serving RIBS of all things! What kind of Thanksgiving Day feast is that? Yes, it's a feas
This is disconcerting, to say the least. Last year I shared Thanksgiving with family in Switzerland but I'm not doing that this year.
The very consideration of having to COOK A FRIGGIN' TURKEY MYSELF (I've never done it!), cook all the side foods, set the table, host 8 persons in my small house (the table only seats 6 uncomfortably), cook in my tiny kitchen, AND THE CLEAN UP not only scares me to death but, well, it's just not going to happen. Uh-Uh!!!
What's an American boy to do?? Have a simple turkey sandwich with fried potatoes and the local bar??
UPDATE: Read the 22 November 2008 blog entry, "Homestyle Thanksgiving Dinner IS ON in Madrid".
Encouraged that this year I was going to be able to shared an "American Thanksgiving Day Experience" with my best Spanish friends, I started contacting the list of places.
Americans being Americans, they tend to book ANYTHING on the day it because possible to buy, rent, or reserve - as opposed to waiting until the last minute as some older Spaniards are still doing. Young Spaniards now book far in advance but still NOT NEARLY as far as Americans do.
And because Americans are Americans, as I went through the list of places serving the special annual turkey meal I found that they were either all booked, had odd-hours available, or weren't even serving turkey! One was serving RIBS of all things! What kind of Thanksgiving Day feast is that? Yes, it's a feas
This is disconcerting, to say the least. Last year I shared Thanksgiving with family in Switzerland but I'm not doing that this year.
The very consideration of having to COOK A FRIGGIN' TURKEY MYSELF (I've never done it!), cook all the side foods, set the table, host 8 persons in my small house (the table only seats 6 uncomfortably), cook in my tiny kitchen, AND THE CLEAN UP not only scares me to death but, well, it's just not going to happen. Uh-Uh!!!
What's an American boy to do?? Have a simple turkey sandwich with fried potatoes and the local bar??
UPDATE: Read the 22 November 2008 blog entry, "Homestyle Thanksgiving Dinner IS ON in Madrid".
EXCEPT ME!!
Of course the title is a generalization - but I think it's an accurate one.
Most all "United Statesens" I know whom have visited Spain tell me the same things; "Spanish food is so fattening," "Spanish food is so greasy," "Spanish food is disgusting looking," "I can't eat anything that can look back at me from the plate," etcetera.
So then why are Spaniards so thin and among the "longest livers" in Europe?
I love telling Spanish-food-loving people my favorite stories of American friends whom have visited Spain. Most Americans say things like those listed above. But how can an overweight American who never exercises also be so fanatical about the healthy aspect of the food he's eating? More than one American has been served a Spanish dish, oftentimes it's the emblematic Paella, and the American couldn't touch it because of the tiny crab sitting atop the pile of rice and looking directly at its maker.
This really happened. A former coworker visited Spain and was served a plate of paella with a small crab sitting on top. After the waiter set down the plate he slowly spun the plate so that the crab was facing the eater. The eater, not used to eating anything which looks exactly how it looks in its natural state, couldn't eat the paella sitting below it.
Same goes with fish and roasted suckling pig. Americans can not eat anything with the eyes, ears, or tails still on it when it arrives from the kitchen. They just can't. They're disgusted. Spain is famous for its fish and pork and when an American receives his fish (s)he often sees something which still has its skin and scales, still has its tail, and - worst of all - still has its head and eyeballs. "Cochinillo" (roasted, suckling pig) is the same when it arrives, complete with its curly and crispy tail, crispy ears, crispy snout, and impossible-to-eat tiny hooves and toenails.
Most all Spaniards I know whom have visited the United States tell me the same things; "American food is so boring," "American food is so bland," "There's no variety in American food," "American food is so unhealthy and fattening," and "No wonder why so many Americans are obese, the food is terrible."
Yesterday I was in the company of 3 Spaniards having lunch at a Mexican restaurant near the Almudena Cathedral (yesterday was the holiday commemorating the Virgin Almudena, Madrid's female Patron Saint). The restaurant was my choice because I LOVE Mexican food and don't get it here in Spain as much as we Americans commonly eat it in the USA. I was in Mexican food heaven while the 3 Spaniards were unimpressed, unhappy, and didn't even finish. They complained that it was too spicy and, probably, not too easily digested. Frankly, they said, they didn't see what all the fuss was about, that Spanish food was SO much better. I can't really agree with this totally but I do love Spanish food.
The lunch sparked a conversation from those Spaniards who'd been to the USA about how poor the food is there, how it's boring, and that (exaggerating) "Everyone in the USA is so fat they have to get around in wheelchairs. This is because the food is so unhealthy." I set them straight-ish but bragged that the USA is now only ranked the SECOND-most overweight country in the world (the 1st Place winning medal of dishonor we carried for many years). And plus, not everyone eats just hamburgers, hotdogs, and pizza - except maybe college kids where "The Freshman 10 (pounds)" when I went to university has now become "The Freshman 25", the amount of weight first-year college kids gain after leaving the relatively healthy food prepared and eaten at home.
I can't defend much the quality or taste of food in the USA. Generally speaking, I like it. But I like Spanish food so much more. I guess there is a reason why America's first choice when dining out in the USA is at Mexican restaurants. I imagine it's similar to the popularity of Indian food in England where, they say, the food is so bland-and-boring.
It's a shame United Statesens don't LOVE Spanish food as much I have grown to love it but I can't fault them. My first visit to Spain in 1995 was exactly like their experience. I saw Spanish food as fattening, unhealthy, and disgusting-looking. Now, I often say that Spain is a food-lover's and alcoholic's perfect dream. The difference is Spaniards know how to self-moderate with these things but Americans generally don't - which is evidence with the should-be-illegal popularity of the countless All-You-Can-Eat restaurants in the U.S.A. Here in Spain there are few and not at all popular because overeating - as well as drinking too much - is frowned upon.
Visiting Americans, Eat & Drink Well - but in moderation. And come with an open mind. Maybe have a big glass of wine before chewing on your first of many toenail-looking "percebes" or fat-filled slices of "salchichón".
There was an article in last Thursday's 20 Minutes free newspaper. It
detailed the number of closings of local stores taking place due to the
flagging economy. Below is my translation of the article.
The above loose translation of the article underscores my blog entry from December 2007 entitled "Neighborhood Spanish Establishments Closing", which details the closing of a couple of my favorite neighborhood stores. Even the place downtown near the Plaza Mayor, a store where I always bought my pancake syrup and a few other American products, has recently closed.
"They say" things are about to get much much worse in just the next 6 months. I can't imagine what that's going to be like. It's really hard to believe that "normal people" are paying much attention to this so-called "Crisis". Streets and stores are as packed as ever with shoppers, everyone's carrying shopping bags of recent purchases, and the bars and restaurants are full every weekend. Maybe these same people are just buying fewer things or maybe they're buying cheaper things. I really don't know, but it seems people aren't very worried - YET.
"The Economic Crisis Threatens Madrid Neighborhood Stores: 2 Stores Close Daily, southern region shops sell 30% less. Electronic and food stores are closing fastest."
After a lifetime of buying the daily bread in the corner store or chatting with the local clerks, many neighbors are finding their lifelong stores with their metal shutters closed and doors locked.
Every day 2 neighborhood stores close because of the decrease in sales. About 400 local stores have closed in the last 6 months. "This is nothing more than the tip of the iceberg, in 3 months the entire industry is going to collapse if no solution is made. (i.e. an injection of money by the Comunidad)".
The cause is the drop of sales: Madrid stores now take in about 7.1% less than in April, when the crisis was a true reality. In the periphery of the southern districts and municipalities the situation is most dramatic: sales have gone down by 30%, according to the store owners of the area.
Above all, the home furnishings and electronics are suffering more than most, selling 15.8% less, now that fewer and fewer new houses are being built. Food stores sales have also fallen by 3.8% mainly due to the rise in prices and the purchase of cheaper products.
This commercial "situation" translates into 1,600 more persons out of work, "most of all for immigrants and young people which are cheaply and easily fired," says the CC OO. "Even though these may be contracted workers."
The above loose translation of the article underscores my blog entry from December 2007 entitled "Neighborhood Spanish Establishments Closing", which details the closing of a couple of my favorite neighborhood stores. Even the place downtown near the Plaza Mayor, a store where I always bought my pancake syrup and a few other American products, has recently closed.
"They say" things are about to get much much worse in just the next 6 months. I can't imagine what that's going to be like. It's really hard to believe that "normal people" are paying much attention to this so-called "Crisis". Streets and stores are as packed as ever with shoppers, everyone's carrying shopping bags of recent purchases, and the bars and restaurants are full every weekend. Maybe these same people are just buying fewer things or maybe they're buying cheaper things. I really don't know, but it seems people aren't very worried - YET.
Google Maps recently revealed it's Super Cool 360º "Street View" function for the Spanish cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Valencia. It's a great way to take a virtual stroll through these favorite city streets.
One you go to Google Maps, type in an exact address in the aforementioned cities or just simply the city and country in to the search field. Once there, click the "Street View" button in the menu towards the upper right hand corner of map to show, in blue lines, which streets are covered by the Street View function.
If you chose the city-general Google Maps and see the available streets outlined in blue, double click the street you'd like to see in "Street View" and another window will pop-up on top of the map giving a 360º view of that location at street level. You'll see graphical lines and arrows showing the names of the streets. Click the arrows to move forward or backward, click-and-drag around the Street View image to move anyway, spinning around throughout the photo, up and down, 'round-and-'round, zoom in and out. It's super cool!
A number of the pedestrian streets and not all of the city streets have been mapped though. For example, almost none of the streets in the old Santa Cruz neighborhood in Seville are mapped. NONE of the streets in the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona are mapped. About half of Valencia's old town are mapped and most all of Madrid's old downtown is mapped.
The Google Street View cars were driving throughout The Top Four Spanish Cities last spring 2008 and just recently made this cool, new function available. Many of the big cities in the United States of America are already mapped. While I didn't see the cars myself in Madrid, I did find the photo of them (to the right) on the internet. They're a strange-looking vehicle with the tower-camera mounted to the roof of the car. While it drives through the city streets it takes a series of photos of a given location. Those photos are then stitched together, creating the 360º image. I have to wonder how long it took them to drive through these cities. Maybe only 2 days each! You can see the different heights of the sun in some photos, going from one corner to the next, sometimes it's cloudy and then 100 meters later it's sunny.
So if you'd like to take a stroll down Memory Lane from a long-past visit to Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, or Seville, visit Google Maps, go to an address or, generally, one of the aforementioned cities, and take a virtual stroll to see how it's changed.
One you go to Google Maps, type in an exact address in the aforementioned cities or just simply the city and country in to the search field. Once there, click the "Street View" button in the menu towards the upper right hand corner of map to show, in blue lines, which streets are covered by the Street View function.
If you chose the city-general Google Maps and see the available streets outlined in blue, double click the street you'd like to see in "Street View" and another window will pop-up on top of the map giving a 360º view of that location at street level. You'll see graphical lines and arrows showing the names of the streets. Click the arrows to move forward or backward, click-and-drag around the Street View image to move anyway, spinning around throughout the photo, up and down, 'round-and-'round, zoom in and out. It's super cool!
A number of the pedestrian streets and not all of the city streets have been mapped though. For example, almost none of the streets in the old Santa Cruz neighborhood in Seville are mapped. NONE of the streets in the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona are mapped. About half of Valencia's old town are mapped and most all of Madrid's old downtown is mapped.
The Google Street View cars were driving throughout The Top Four Spanish Cities last spring 2008 and just recently made this cool, new function available. Many of the big cities in the United States of America are already mapped. While I didn't see the cars myself in Madrid, I did find the photo of them (to the right) on the internet. They're a strange-looking vehicle with the tower-camera mounted to the roof of the car. While it drives through the city streets it takes a series of photos of a given location. Those photos are then stitched together, creating the 360º image. I have to wonder how long it took them to drive through these cities. Maybe only 2 days each! You can see the different heights of the sun in some photos, going from one corner to the next, sometimes it's cloudy and then 100 meters later it's sunny.So if you'd like to take a stroll down Memory Lane from a long-past visit to Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, or Seville, visit Google Maps, go to an address or, generally, one of the aforementioned cities, and take a virtual stroll to see how it's changed.
(this is NOT an advertisement!!)
Rueda, a white wine produced in Spain's Castilla y León region, is MadridMan's ALL TIME FAVORITE white wine. l also like Galician Ribiero white wine nearly as much. Galician Ribeiro white wine is most often served with Pulpo a la Gallega, which is boiled octopus "disks" with paprika power on top, but I much prefer the fruity, cold-served Rueda wines for everyday consumption.
I don't mean to say that I consume wine everyday because I don't. But it's always good to have Rueda - and even a bottle of Ribeiro - white wine chilling in the refrigerator for that perfect, light dinner of home-made tapas, mainly lomo ham, cheese, and of course, the obligatory green-olives-stuffed-with-anchovies. A glass (or two or three) of Rueda makes the light dinner just perfect. It's just slightly fruity, always served cold, and is easily found in supermarkets.
Rueda white wine is also commonly served when ordering "Vino blanco, por favor," on one of Madrid's many terrazas or bars in Madrid. Other regions have other favorite white wines served but in Madrid, it's Rueda. Sometimes you'll encounter the ocassional Chardoney though.
F.Y.I., the Spanish word "rueda" also means "wheel". I don't recall ever finding Spanish Rueda wine in Columbus, Ohio USA when I lived there but Ribeiro or Albariño, two very good Galician wines, were easy to find.
Here in Madrid, a bottle of Reuda white wine can cost anywhere from 5 - 8 Euros in the supermarket. Usually, even when ordering an entire bottle in restaurants, the prices are very affordable.
While Spanish Red Wine is MUCH more popular in Spain and throughout the world, I much prefer the lighter, colder Rueda white wine. Red wines, even the good ones, tend to leave me with a headache afterwards.
Enjoy your Spanish wines, World! I know I will !!!
Hello loyal readers! Remember the posting I made a couple months ago entitled "Menu del Dia - Menu of the Day for Cheap Lunches"? Well, today's another story just as incredible as that previous posting.
Today I went to the SAME bar/restaurant about which I wrote in the aforementioned "Menú del Día" posting hoping for the same "Cocido Madrileño" offering - but I was INITIALLY disappointed because it wasn't listed on the menu board outside. Too bad. Oh well. So I tried something else.
Instead, I ordered the paella to start and the "huevos estrellados con jamón" ("broken eggs with cured ham). They first brought me the same mini-salad (about half the size of a normal starter salad). About 30 seconds later came the paella. I looked at it and it appeared full and tasty - and it was, but they brought it so fast I was worried it might get cold before I finished my salad.
3 minutes later, while I was still on my salad, the same older Spanish waitress brought me the SECOND course and set it next to the cooling paella. Hmmm... Now, that SECOND COURSE WILL SURELY BE COLD by the time I get through the paella!! This was more than a bit disconcerting but okay. USUALLY they wait until you finish your first course AND THEN bring you the second course. I couldn't complain too much for the SIX EUROS this meal was going to cost me.
Finishing the paella, I started in on the paella which contained the largest single "mejillón" ("mussel") I think I've ever seen in my life! It was good as was the paella rice and chicken pieces and single shrimp.
Then, finishing the paella, I started in on the eggs and ham. But this plate was ENORMOUS! And not only did it have eggs and cured ham strips but it was laying on a huge bed of salted, fried potatoes. Damn! My first thought was, "I hope I don't have a heart attack before finishing all this," since it was loaded with cholesterol. I didn't. Yet.
Just just after beginning the plate the waitress returned and asked if they could heat up the plate a bit. I tried a potato and piece of egg and it was still warm so I stayed with it as it was. That was nice of her to ask and I thanked her for doing so. She went back to the bar and shouted something into the kitchen like, "Manolo! It was okay!" Apparently the cook was concerned that my quickly-served meal was cold by the time I got to it. Wasn't that nice!!?? I was impressed that they paid so much attention to this detail - whereas they didn't notice they served me too quickly. hehehe.... No problem.
As the bleach-blonde waitress was going back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room, carrying plates and serving meals, I overheard her chanting, in not such a low-voice, the mantra, "OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA!", all the while with a smile on her face. Apparently she was happy with the outcome of the US Presidential Election. I wanted to tell her that I was a proud American (expatriate) and that Barrack Obama was going to be my new President - but I refrained.
And also, every time a new customer walked into the dining room they said to everyone in the dining room, ""¡Que aproveche!", which means "Enjoy your food". The French say something similar, saying "Bon apetit!" I love this custom.
All the while eating I was drinking a freshly opened bottle of red wine - opened by me with my knife (plastic-covered topper) - and a new bottle of "La Casera" soda water. I refrained from drinking too much so I stopped at half a bottle. Funny, that AS SOON as I finished my second course the waitress whisked away not only the wine and bottle of casera water but also the remaining bread in the bread basket. Seems this is the custom. Who would drink wine with dessert, afterall??? Well, maybe *I* would!!!
Then dessert. I chose the home-made "pudin" which is a kind of cold, firm custard - not to be confused with flan, though. The Spanish "pudin" is not like the English "pudding" though.
Upon finishing I fished out the SIX EUROS and an extra 1 Euro coin and walked up to the bar where the bar tender/owner and older, Spanish waitress were standing. I handed the waitress the 1 Euro coin, thanked her, and handed over the 6 Euros to the bartender/owner for the meal. He apologized for the quick-service and I assured him it was okay and everything was still warm by the time I ate it.
Yet another good example of eating good food at cheap prices in Madrid - although I've yet to find such a place in the old downtown yet. This place is in my neighborhood on "the other side of the river".
I'm still stuffed. Now time for a nap......
Today I went to the SAME bar/restaurant about which I wrote in the aforementioned "Menú del Día" posting hoping for the same "Cocido Madrileño" offering - but I was INITIALLY disappointed because it wasn't listed on the menu board outside. Too bad. Oh well. So I tried something else.
Instead, I ordered the paella to start and the "huevos estrellados con jamón" ("broken eggs with cured ham). They first brought me the same mini-salad (about half the size of a normal starter salad). About 30 seconds later came the paella. I looked at it and it appeared full and tasty - and it was, but they brought it so fast I was worried it might get cold before I finished my salad.
3 minutes later, while I was still on my salad, the same older Spanish waitress brought me the SECOND course and set it next to the cooling paella. Hmmm... Now, that SECOND COURSE WILL SURELY BE COLD by the time I get through the paella!! This was more than a bit disconcerting but okay. USUALLY they wait until you finish your first course AND THEN bring you the second course. I couldn't complain too much for the SIX EUROS this meal was going to cost me.
Finishing the paella, I started in on the paella which contained the largest single "mejillón" ("mussel") I think I've ever seen in my life! It was good as was the paella rice and chicken pieces and single shrimp.
Then, finishing the paella, I started in on the eggs and ham. But this plate was ENORMOUS! And not only did it have eggs and cured ham strips but it was laying on a huge bed of salted, fried potatoes. Damn! My first thought was, "I hope I don't have a heart attack before finishing all this," since it was loaded with cholesterol. I didn't. Yet.
Just just after beginning the plate the waitress returned and asked if they could heat up the plate a bit. I tried a potato and piece of egg and it was still warm so I stayed with it as it was. That was nice of her to ask and I thanked her for doing so. She went back to the bar and shouted something into the kitchen like, "Manolo! It was okay!" Apparently the cook was concerned that my quickly-served meal was cold by the time I got to it. Wasn't that nice!!?? I was impressed that they paid so much attention to this detail - whereas they didn't notice they served me too quickly. hehehe.... No problem.
As the bleach-blonde waitress was going back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room, carrying plates and serving meals, I overheard her chanting, in not such a low-voice, the mantra, "OBAMA! OBAMA! OBAMA!", all the while with a smile on her face. Apparently she was happy with the outcome of the US Presidential Election. I wanted to tell her that I was a proud American (expatriate) and that Barrack Obama was going to be my new President - but I refrained.
And also, every time a new customer walked into the dining room they said to everyone in the dining room, ""¡Que aproveche!", which means "Enjoy your food". The French say something similar, saying "Bon apetit!" I love this custom.
All the while eating I was drinking a freshly opened bottle of red wine - opened by me with my knife (plastic-covered topper) - and a new bottle of "La Casera" soda water. I refrained from drinking too much so I stopped at half a bottle. Funny, that AS SOON as I finished my second course the waitress whisked away not only the wine and bottle of casera water but also the remaining bread in the bread basket. Seems this is the custom. Who would drink wine with dessert, afterall??? Well, maybe *I* would!!!
Then dessert. I chose the home-made "pudin" which is a kind of cold, firm custard - not to be confused with flan, though. The Spanish "pudin" is not like the English "pudding" though.
Upon finishing I fished out the SIX EUROS and an extra 1 Euro coin and walked up to the bar where the bar tender/owner and older, Spanish waitress were standing. I handed the waitress the 1 Euro coin, thanked her, and handed over the 6 Euros to the bartender/owner for the meal. He apologized for the quick-service and I assured him it was okay and everything was still warm by the time I ate it.
Yet another good example of eating good food at cheap prices in Madrid - although I've yet to find such a place in the old downtown yet. This place is in my neighborhood on "the other side of the river".
I'm still stuffed. Now time for a nap......
It's just after midnight and I hope to get some sleep - even though I woke up just 8.5 hours ago, sleeping 'til 3pm after going to bed at 8am, staying up all Tuesday night for the US Presidential Election coverage on TV.
After one well-baked pizza and another burnt one (now the whole house smells like smoke), along with a couple bottles of beer, I hope to be sleepy enough to get at least a few hours of R.E.M. before sunrise. Maybe I'll do a little reading in bed. I'm finishing up "The Rainmaker" by John Grisham. Good book. A legal drama.
Tomorrow's not a big day by any stretch of the imagination but I do have some projects, some "homework", and some work towards the future of MadridMan.com to accomplish. Friday, I hope to return to the gym after a week OFF here in Madrid. I was "a good boy" while in Ohio, USA, going to the gym/YMCA every two days.
The Madrid city streets are now quiet and SOME of the Christmas lights are already hung and illuminated - not sure how I feel about that though. It's STILL autumn, for goodness sake!
Time to get back into a normal rhythm of things here after those long elections. Also, I returned from an 18-day visit in the USA just last Saturday and I'm still a little messed up.
So good night, world. Hope you all have hope for a brighter tomorrow as I do.
(This was hardly worth a blog entry, I know.)
After one well-baked pizza and another burnt one (now the whole house smells like smoke), along with a couple bottles of beer, I hope to be sleepy enough to get at least a few hours of R.E.M. before sunrise. Maybe I'll do a little reading in bed. I'm finishing up "The Rainmaker" by John Grisham. Good book. A legal drama.
Tomorrow's not a big day by any stretch of the imagination but I do have some projects, some "homework", and some work towards the future of MadridMan.com to accomplish. Friday, I hope to return to the gym after a week OFF here in Madrid. I was "a good boy" while in Ohio, USA, going to the gym/YMCA every two days.
The Madrid city streets are now quiet and SOME of the Christmas lights are already hung and illuminated - not sure how I feel about that though. It's STILL autumn, for goodness sake!
Time to get back into a normal rhythm of things here after those long elections. Also, I returned from an 18-day visit in the USA just last Saturday and I'm still a little messed up.
So good night, world. Hope you all have hope for a brighter tomorrow as I do.
(This was hardly worth a blog entry, I know.)
"America's Fresh Prince of Washington D.C." © by Martin Media, S.L, ( 5 November 2008)
What does this posting have to do with Spain? Answer: A LOT!I woke up today at 3pm after staying up ALL NIGHT, until 8am, watching the Presidential Election coverage over a myriad of USA, Spanish, British, and several other international television stations.
In Madrid, John McCain supporters gathered in the Hard Rock Café while Barack Obama supporters waited in long lines to enter the Circulo de Bellas Artes, all to enjoy a long night of back-slapping, wishful drinking, and hand-shaking. One group went away this morning not only tired but disappointed, no doubt.
Spain's very conservative, rather right-wing newspaper ABC headlines today with "EL CAMBIO HA LLEGADO" ("Change Has Arrived"). It seems even the conservative party in Spain is happy with the choice of the only-slightly-left-of-center Democratic Presidential selection. On the front page of their website they show a truly inspirational video of Barack Obama (get your tissues ready) announcing "El Cambiado ha Llegado" ("Change Has Come"). And while it's not totally clear, it seems this 2:45 video was created by ABC themselves. See the video below (hope it loads):
Not to be outdone, Spain's left-wing, socialist party newspaper El País ALSO reports the exact same headline, "