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Whether or not you believe in clairvoyant "Pulpo Paul", the 2010 World Cup Final match featuring a strong Spanish Team and the respectable Netherlands team will no doubt be exciting tomorrow/Sunday night - 8:30pm Spain time, 2:30pm New York Time.

No other World Cup game has been as important as this one. This time it's for the World Cup Title, one which has eluded Spain for literally an eternity. And as with all previous World Cup games, Spain's passionate fans will be glued to their television sets in living rooms, bars, and big-screen TVs in plazas throughout the country.

Just today, as with previous late-round matchups, lines are long at supermarkets with carts full of liter bottles of beer, soft drinks, and snacks, all stocking-up for the biggest sporting event of Spain's history. LITERALLY! As the saying goes, "It doesn't get any better than this."

If Spain wins people will be spilling out of their homes and local bars, joining like-minded Spain-Soccer-Worshipers on the streets, horns will honk all night, flags will be waved from the highest heights, and media coverage will likely last a week at least.

See how people are watching the game or celebrating the win (or lamenting the loss) on MadridMan's Spain and Madrid WebCams and BarcelonaMan's Barcelona WebCams pages. It also appears that TeleCinco.es will be broadcasting the World Cup Final live online.

Spanish flags are EVERYWHERE; hanging from every third window or balcony, car antennas, bus mirrors, and even from power lines! For an American, this would be a (nearly) normal sight. But in Spain, a country deeply divided by politics, it's an oddity to see so many of them away from government buildings.

But national sports break down barriers and unite people regardless of their beliefs. Of course, this only goes for those whom enjoy sports. Spain has a very strong anti-sport contingent as well. These people see this worldwide "diversion" as a waste of time, resources, and media, all siphoning desperately needed attention away from more important social, environmental, and political issues. I can understand and appreciate their argument and they carry weight.

The header goal by Catalán Carles Pujol last Wednesday, lifting Spain over Germany, brought my neighborhood to a euphoric level. Car horns were honking (for hours!), people in the street and adjacent windows shouting, and everyone enjoying a common experience. That's really something. Even I, watching the game at home, had moist eyes - and I don't really even enjoy soccer/football/fútbol all that much. It was an emotional moment. Shame they're so few and far between in that game.

Tomorrow night's game is big and I won't miss it for anything. It'll make history for either team, neither of which has reached the World Cup Final game. EVER!

People everywhere are talking about Spain's chances, their favorite players, their belief or disdain for "Pulpo Paul", and what a win will mean for Spain. Will it mean anything apart from a new trophy and Champion's Bragging Rights until the next World Cup competition in 4 years? Probably not, but that's sport for you; pure entertainment, hobby, and diversion. Plus, it gives us something happy to talk about instead of the world's problems. No one wants to face those.

But for this moment we're all together, enjoying a common goal, sharing a beer, biting each others' nails, and hugging the sweaty stranger next to us when David Villa, Carles Pujol, Andrés Iniesta, or (other) puts the ball in their opponent's net. If we win, great. If we lose, well, we can then go back to worrying about the world's troubles.

MadridMan wishes Spain's "La Furia Roja" the best of luck!

Today, 15 May, is Madrid's Patron Saint's Day, San Isidro el Labrador. And, as every year, the city of Madrid organizes events and entertainment for a 3-day span. This year the festival fell over a weekend. And even more luckily, it was a nice, cool day, unlike the very hot holidays of years past.

The Gran Vía was closed to traffic all day today to celebrate the boulevard's 100 Year Anniversary. That's cool, but it doesn't have anything (or much) to do with San Isidro but at least they took advantage of the opportunity to provide several venues promoting the Patron Saint's Day with typical, historical dances and concerts. I avoided this shoulder-to-shoulder area in favor of the more authentic experience in the "Pradera de San Isidro".

It is of the "Pradera de San Isidro", just across the Rio Manzanares from the Club Atlético de Madrid team's Estadio de Vicente Calderon stadium, where painter Francisco de Goya painted Madrid's (then, 1788) skyline - entitled "La pradera de San Isidro".

And it was in this park where I spent part of the morning and another part of the afternoon. As mentioned above, the weather participated wonderfully, being only partly cloudy, cool throughout the day, and worthy of a light jacket and comfortable shoes.

This year, I chose not to wait in the long line to enter the "Ermita del Santo" nor the longer line to drink the waters - which have "healing powers" - from the spring alongside the chapel. Instead, I enjoyed the performances offered by the "Castiza" dance groups, all dressed as "chulapas" and "chulapos", and dancing "El Chotis" and other traditional dances from Madrid, Spain.

More parents dress their small children as those "chulapas" and "chulapos" than do the parents themselves but sometimes you have entire families all dressed up in their cute dresses and carnations in their handkerchief-covered hair or checkered vests and caps along with carnations in their button-holes. The kids are adorable all dressed in traditional costume.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of people were  attending the mass today at noon but I found a path along behind them to get to the uphill food-court. At first glance it looks like any county or state fair in the United States complete with cheesy games-of-chance.

But further up you have one food-stand after another, covered terraces, and some of the largest paellas you've seen in your lives. They had EVERYTHING, from patatas bravas, chopitos, chorizos, calamares,  gallinejas, sandwiches, and lots of tinto de verano and beer.

And let's not forget the "Rosquillas", las tontas y las listas, which are like doughnuts with different sweet toppings. You can't pass up buying a dozen or two. I love "las listas".

There's also a large amusement park at the top of the "Pradera". I went one time and walked around but wasn't much interested in the rides at my age.

And although I won't attend, they have concerts throughout the night in the "Pradera" and a fireworks display at the end of the fiesta. I'm fortunate to have the park about 20 minutes walk away from me so seeing the fireworks is easy from the rooftop terrace.

Who attends the fair in the Pradera de San Isidro? Some may say only "nationalists". Others say only low-class people. And still others say that more foreigners attend than Spaniards. I'd say they're all wrong. The fair is not only an event to reflect on Madrid's past but also to embrace the present - not to mention an opportunity to keep us in touch with its historical dances and songs. This is never a bad thing. I love the fair, the dances, the food, the costumes, and seeing so many people happy together. Can't wait 'til next year.

Thanks to La Sexta TV in Spain and TV3 CAT in Catalonia (yeah, Catalunya is not Spain), you can watch the "El Clasico" Real Madrid-Barcelona game free online.

Coverage starts at 1pm local time on laSexta and at 9:50pm on TV3 CAT but the "partido" starts at 10pm or 22:00 hours local time. For laSexta, that's 4pm Eastern USA time or 9pm England time.

Regardless which you choose, BE SURE TO CONNECT EARLY in order to not be shut-out. Surely there will be a limited number of "ports" available for viewing, albeit thousands.

As I said, Catalunya's TV3 CAT (Televisió de Catalunya) is also broadcasting the Barcelona-Real Madrid game live online and for free - but broadcast in Catalán (regional language). From what I can watch online right now, LaSexta has the better video quality than TV3 CAT but on both you can make the video full screen.

On laSexta's page broadcasting the Real Madrid-Barcelona game, if you're already logged into Facebook, you can chat with others live about "El Clásico". That's true interaction! It's all in Spanish, though.

Lionel André Messi, Carles Pujol, Andres Iniesta and others represent the FC Barcelona - "Barça" in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid tonight. Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Kaka and team Real Madrid will have to be ready.

Frankly, I'm rather surprised this is not a Pay-Per-View (PPV) event. I guess "La Sexta" and TV3 CAT has paid BIG MONEY to broadcast it on free Live TV for and free online. Good for them and good for the football-loving public around the world.

Locally, Telemadrid is also televising the Madrid-Barcelona soccer game but it's not clear to me if their Telemadrid SAT channel online will transmit it too or not.

One can also listen live in Spanish on Marca radio along with a number of other radio stations in Spain on MadridMan's Spain Radio, TV, Music, and Movies page as well as on BarcelonaMan's Barcelona Radio, TV, Music, and Movies page. I also just found this page which claims to broadcast the game online for free - but I don't know how it works.

You should also get a glimpse of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu stadium live via the Spain Webcams page, from atop the Torre Picasso.

I'm at a loss. For whom should I cheer? I love both Madrid AND Barcelona. I'm sure the better team will win, whomever it may be.

What a wonderful Monday evening I had last night in old downtown Madrid. About 2 weeks ago I get this email from a couple of Americans with the subject line, "Show us the ropes for free tapas and drinks?" Talk about intriguing! Of course, I opened it immediately.

Turns out they were a 30-something couple of New Englanders living in Kentucky and working a cattle ranch - but both had other day-jobs. They were such a beautiful couple, pleasant, funny, educated and open minded. The 5.5 hours we spent together on our Tapas Crawl in Madrid went by all-too quickly.

We'd arranged to meet at their hotel near Puerta del Sol at 7pm - an EARLY HOUR to start a tapas crawl in Madridl! But it was also a Monday and I assumed they'd want to make it an early evening as they'd just flown in to Madrid the morning before and would be tired. Man, was I wrong. They were READY TO GO!!

We walked toward the Museo del Jamón on Calle de Victoria and Carrera de San Jeronimo, thinking that might be our first stop but they'd told me they'd been there earlier in the day for a sandwich of jamón serrano. Hmmm... What if they'd visited the next Madrid tapas bars already as well?

The truth is, I'd spent the previous week somewhat stressed about this tapas crawl, deciding where to take them and memorizing the path, wanting to give them a good tapas experience in Madrid. Afterall, this was their first visit to Spain and, well, let's be honest, it's the least I could do as they were paying my way through the evening!

We continued up hill on Calle de Victoria, making our first stop of the evening at the La Casa del Abuelo on the corner of Calle de Victoria and Calle de la Cruz, where we enjoyed their typical "gambas al ajillo" (shrimp sautéed in garlic with a spicy pepper) along with drinks. Here, we men had a caña (a small glass of beer) while the lady chose a glass of Spanish wine, a slightly sweet red house wine which she liked. Here is where we started getting to know each other and discussing Spain and its customs. One topic of interest to them was the custom of throwing the napkins and shrimp shells on the floor - and this place, as well as the Museo del Jamón, is well known for the practice.

Next, we went through the Plaza de Santa Ana to the Calle de Huertas where I took them by a beautiful, historical bar, Casa Alberto, which we found closed on Mondays. I was afraid of this. Earlier, on my way to the American couples' hotel, I zig-zagged my way through Madrid and found a number of other tapas bars closed on Mondays and wondered feared we might encounter more of the same on our tapas crawl.

So we backtracked to our next stop, the Vinoteca Barbechera, on the southeastern corner of the Plaza de Santa Ana. We took a barrel table and stools near the door but there were few people in the establishment. Here, we three ordered a glass of the Ribera del Duero red wine, the recommendation of the waiter. We also ordered a two items from the menu; the morcilla and roasted apple on toast as well as the octopus and potato on toast. Both were good and we shared them while getting more into Spain and what to expect on their travels.

Crossing the street, we went to the Cervecería Alemana, on the south side of the Plaza de Santa Ana. It's a historic bar, in all the guide books, and made even more famous as being one of the places Ernest Hemingway visited most when he lived in Madrid in the 1920s, 1930s, and again in the 1950s. Here, we took a marble-top, wrought iron leg table in the front part of the bar and ordered, again, beer for the men and red wine for the lady, along with a plate of 6 ham croquets and another plate of 1 piece of fried cod. It was all good and we were already starting to fill up but time was passing and we were enjoying ourselves. The all-Spanish waiters worked busily around us as we talked.

Moving on...

They hadn't yet visited Plaza Mayor so I decided to take them through the rainy plaza to the tiny Torre de Oro - Bar Andaluz, a bullfight-inspired bar with walls covered with 6 stuffed bull-heads and accompanying plaques which describe the bull and the bullfighter which killed him. Also adorning the walls are hundreds of photos of bullfighters in action, photos of bullfighters being gored, surgery photos, and photos of famous people who've visited the bar. The wait staff is totally Spanish but their basic English is good enough for those whom don't speak the local language. Here, we simply had a glass of beer (for the men) and wine (for the lady) along with a plate of olives while we discussed bullfighting, its culture, popularity, and history in Spain. They really loved the olives and recounted a story where earlier that day a waiter gifted them a bottle of Spanish olive oil after they commented on how much they liked it. What a nice detail! Who says waiters in Spain are rude!?

By now it was surely 10:30pm but I didn't want to take them back to their hotel until we visited MadridMan's favorite bar in Madrid; Bar Postas on the Calle Postas, just one angular block northeast from the Plaza Mayor. So that's where we went. Still raining, we reached Bar Postas where we found only a handful of Spaniards enjoying some tapas, drinks, and lively conversation and we were there to enjoy the same.

Bar Postas is one of those old fashioned bars, probably been there in one form or another for 100 years but it looks like one which hasn't been renovated since the 1960s or 1970s. It's kind of old fashioned, kitsch, and definitely not "tourist friendly" in that there are only a few stools along the wall, its small-ish, its VERY Spanish in clientèle and wait staff, and the photos of plates of "exotic" food on the walls doesn't really give the average tourist a warm-fuzzy feeling. Why do I like it? Mainly for the reasons I've just given. It's VERY Spanish. You sometimes get tourists brave enough to enter but those eating here are usually those-in-the-know. Bar Postas is best known not only for their good prices but also their delicious "bocadillos de calamares" (fried squid sandwiches) and their "chopitos" (fried baby squids). It was the latter, the "chopitos" which we ordered along with a place of manchego cheese. We finished most of both, along with our beer/wine, as the wait staff pulled down the metal shutters with a startling roar, giving obvious notice to those still eating that they were ready to close as soon as the last guest left. So we did.

We walked through the Puerta del Sol and I explained a little about the Kilometro Zero placque and the Oso y el Madroño statue - Madrid's city symbol. We were all full but they agreed to my suggestion of going to just one more place for a final drink - but no food.

We found ourselves, mostly by chance, at the Café del Príncipe, a historic bar-restaurant on the southern side of the Plaza de Canalejas. Here, we had our last drinks and a plate of nuts at our window-side table. There weren't many people at this hour on a Monday night, and apparently we shut them down as they close at midnight, but since bars never ask you to leave we were comfortable to spend our last hour together quite leisurely. After much persuasion they let me pay for this round as a very small token of my thanks for a wonderful evening of tapas and wine in Madrid.

I walked them back to their hotel in the rain where we said our goodbyes at about 12:30am. It was so nice to meet them and we had a lot in common so conversation was never stagnant. Their adventurous spirits in trying new and exotic Spanish foods undoubtedly enhanced their Spanish experience. A fast calculation revealed we each had 6 drinks and shared 8 tapas/raciones at 6 different bars over 5.5 hours. NONE of us felt the affects of the alcohol after so much food, walking, and time. Better.

It was nearly the perfect evening. Even the rain didn't seem to matter. The bars were more than half-empty on this Monday night.

Thank you, M and P! And happy wedding anniversary!

Last night I went to the ballet in Madrid, performed by the Compañía Nacional de Danza with artistic director Nacho Duato. The Teatro Real was not sold-out on this cold, clear night but nonetheless was well-attended by both young and old alike, some wore furs, dresses, and high heals while others were in jeans, t-shirts, and tennis shoes. Several men wore suits - or simply blazers and button down shirts and jeans like me.

It was 2 part performance but the principal part was the second, "El Jardín Infinito" or "The Infinite Garden", a 65-minute homage to the Russian writer, playwright, and physician Anton Chekhov on the 150th anniversary of his birth. This came after the 20-minute break - which was probably a good idea. Passages of "Antón Chéjov" (as is his name in Spanish) were read a times as were one-word comments throughout the part - and all in Russian. No subtitles were given and so I, and no-doubt the audience, was left wondering what was being related to the dance.

The first part, "Rassemblement", was a 25 minute dance collection to traditional slave songs by Haitian Toto Bissainthe, all dedicated to her homeland. Styles of dance included those obviously of African descent. Songs were those by slaves sung in voodoo rituals, telling of suffering and exile from Africa - not as a geographical place but of a land of freedom.

The contemporary dancing in both parts was excellent and expert. That was clear. But that of "El Jardín Infinito" was considerably more cold, barren, and far less emotional than that of "Rassemblement". But we really shouldn't compare the two but consider them unto themselves. For me, I would've preferred 65 minutes of "Rassemblement" and 25 minutes of "El Jardín Ininito" - but that's just me.

The evening got better AFTER the ballet - which is unfortunate to say. A Spaniard and I went to the beautiful "Taberna del Alabardero" next to the Teatro Real for some canapés, then to "La Taberna de las Tres Manolas" for pinxtos, and finally to "Toma Jamón" on the Plaza de Ramales for wine and croquetas.

In all, we had a good time and it was nice to be in downtown Madrid on a cold, clear night around the beautiful Teatro Real and the Plaza de Oriente gardens.

It's so nice to have a GOOD excuse to sleep until noon (or almost) and surviving a New Year's Eve in Madrid is a good one. Last night all of Spain celebrated the changing to the new year of 2010 and all television channels were fervently covering the event.

On TVE, the festivities started around 10pm with a 1-hour montage comedy hour by José Mota (watch 1-hour video via link) with dozens of short skits parodying countless politicians, stars, public figures, and news events of 2009. We laughed a lot.


About 20 minutes before midnight, the formally-dressed TVE countdown team of Anne Igartiburu, Spain's "Mira Quien Baila" host, and dancer-actor Manuel Bandera stood on their Puerta del Sol-facing balcony, with their breath perfectly visible in the freezing cold windy weather, constantly wrung their hands. Ms. Igartiburu was bare-shouldered but, from time to time, pulled her wrap more tightly around her to break the wind momentarily and Mr. Bandera frequently stuck his hands in his pockets. Poor things, freezing to death. Hope they were paid well.




The principal player on television is/was TVE (Televisión Española), Spain's National Channel 1 whom, beginning today, January 1, 2010, will no longer have commercial advertisements and no interruptions during its specials, series, and movies. At least that's what they say. I have to admit I don't see how it's possible to survive without advertising income. But then again, it is a State-run entity. So does that mean our tax Euros are going towards its maintenance? I predict within a year's time they'll have commercials again. Besides, how are we going to decide at what point in the movie we're going to go to the bathroom?

Oh sure, we changed channels for a couple minutes before midnight to TeleCinco to see Belén Estéban's new face after serious (and much needed) plastic surgery but that's all. She and some other guy were the official presenters standing in front of the open windows facing Puerta del Sol's Casa de Correos and its enigmatic bell tower from where the ball will drop to ring in the new year.

After the fireworks and ending statements were made, Televisión Española began a montage of scenes of the previous decade's festivities and personalities. The Spaniards with whom I was sharing the experience sang along to the songs, old commercials, and commented about how young they all looked in their day.

We shared a bottle of wine, sidra, and a simple selection of embutidos, cheeses, and patés. It was a good evening and I finally found my way home and to bed by 3am, sleeping this morning until 11am. It was a good, deep sleep in a new year.

Happy 2010, World! Be kind to one another, please. May we pull ourselves out of this "Crisis" and begin protecting the environment. We all have a part in this.

(NOTE: also read the 10 April 2010 blog entry regarding today's/Saturday's Real Madrid - Barcelona game)

Real Madrid travels to very hostile territory in Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium on Sunday, 29 November 2009 (7pm local time) to face FC Barcelona in "El Clásico: Part 1" for the current season. Real Madrid hopes to have their 29-year old would-be star, Cristiano Ronaldo, back on the field after a 11-game injury hiatus to make good on his status as "the most expensive football player in the world". Even if he returns for this important match it's not likely he'll be much of a factor until he's at 100% once again.

Barça will have its work cut out for them even though they claim home field advantage. No doubt thestands at Camp Nou Stadium will be filled to capacity as this is one of the greatest matchups in Spanish soccer's history, no matter the standing of the teams playing. Both Barcelona & Real Madrid are at the top of the Primera División statistics, Real Madrid with a slight lead over number two FC Barcelona.

Real Madrid needs this win not only to further secure their position at the top of the league but also so revenge late last season's 6-2 loss to Barcelona in Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.


"How can I listen to the Real Madrid - Barcelona football game online?"
Answer: Go to MadridMan's Madrid Radio, TV, Music & Movies Page or BarcelonaMan's Barcelona Radio page for a number of links to radio stations which may broadcast the game online. Best bets include Radio Nacional de España, Radio Marca, and some of the Barcelona-based radio stations too. Keep in mind that the stations broadcast in SPANISH or Catalán.


"How can I watch the Real Madrid - Barcelona football game online?"
Answer: That's tougher. Due to copyright laws and the like you really can't. BUT....., I saw some mention on another website about the possibility of finding it (and others) broadcast online through UStream.TV and Justin.TV. I don't know if you really should - but that's for your conscience to decide. Personally, I wouldn't do it but... I'm just sayin'.


"How can I watch the Real Madrid - Barcelona football game on TV?"
Answer: Check GOLTV or Canal+. Chances are excellent that it'll be a Pay-Per-View broadcast as it was last season when they charged 12 Euros to watch on TV.


Who to cheer for? Who do you like? Who's your daddy? Or do you care at all??

Don't anyone tell me that Halloween doesn't exist in Spain. IT DOES! And the wave of popularity becomes higher and higher with every passing year - world economic crisis or not. A recent visit to Carrefour Supermarket/Store proved that Spain is very aware of the "holiday". There, they were selling artificial Jack-O-Lanterns with scary faces, Halloween makeup, costumes, loads of accessories and even some candy (although I didn't notice any candy corn).

Nearly every day for the past week there have been daily reports on morning news programs about the upcoming "American Holiday" - as it's often described although it's also actively observed in Britain too. Haunted houses, shops carrying popular costumes, the release of scary movies around the date, and of course the holiday decorations are talked about daily. I've even seen a number of elementary school classes discussing how they're going to dress up on Halloween.

An elementary school teacher friend of mine and I spent hours carving Jack-O-Lanterns for the students, bought decorations for the classroom, and the teacher plans Halloween stories, songs, and projects for the kids - but not TOO scary, mind you.

The older "kids", teens, 20 and 30-somethings, have planned dress-up parties this weekend and no-doubt they'll have fun dressing-up as toreros, witches, ghosts, Frankenstein's monster, and undoubtedly LOTS of Draculas.

Trick-or-Treat doesn't exist here, which is logical to me, as so few people observe this part of the Halloween tradition - and even fewer are aware of it. Imagine the looks neighbors would give the solitary toddler dressed up as Winnie The Pooh, going door to door with his Halloween bag and asking for candy. I'm sure the neighbors might have a few cough drops lying around.

A recent article stated the following:

Spanish Catholic leaders lash out at Halloween
The growing popularity of Halloween is alarming Roman Catholic leaders who blame parents for encouraging children to celebrate death over life. There is a growing "risk" that due to commercial interests "pagan" customs which have been "imported" to Spain will place Christian customs like devotion to saints and praying for the dead. Hollywood is blamed for the spread of Halloween.

Many people are aware that in Mexico they celebrate "Día de los Muertos" ("Day of the Dead") on November 2nd and many believe this is where North America took and modified this ritual to Halloween (note: yes, I'm aware that Mexico is part of North America but I refer to North America north of the Mexican border), combining it with the celebration of the autumnal equinox the Irish immigrants celebrated there.

(Quoted from JackOLanterns.net)

In Spain November 1 has become a public holiday. On All Saints' Day ("Dia de Todos los Santos") Catholics attend church services in honor of the saints, the martyrs and those who have died for the Catholic faith. People may also visit their family's graves to beautify them with wreaths and small lanterns. Sometimes a mass is said at the grave site and the grave sprinkled with holy water.

On November 2 or All Souls' Day, Catholics attend a special Requiem masses, where they remember those who may be close to them that have died. Prayers for the dead are said and votive candles are lit to honor their memory.

In the past 10-15 years in Spain, however, this observance has waned as younger generations become less and less religious - or just want to avoid the traffic. For decades, particularly under the Franco regime, this custom was fervently exercised.

Personally, I'll be "observing" Halloween in my annual manner by watching the 1978 John Carpenter movie "HALLOWEEN" starring Jamie Lee Curtis, with the lights down, a candle lit, and popcorn at the ready.

Sunday nights in Madrid can be pretty relaxed. You know you have to get up early (or not) to work the next day but you still have some wonderful memories of a nice weekend fresh in your mind.

So how does one push forward past the midnight hour, making it officially a Monday morning? I guess it's not easy for many but, fortunately for me, it's never been hard. Sure, I have to go to the gym and catch up on emails and the usual administration stuff but I also have to prepare my 3rd quarter invoices for my accountant (he's Irish, thank goodness).

My mind swims with blog posting ideas, upcoming client contract renewals, and of course the shopping and other daily chores.

Friday afternoon I went to the Plaza de Oriente in Madrid to cheer on/support the 2016 Madrid Olympics Host City Bid, only to lose in the final stage to Rio de Janeiro. They deserved it, I think. The Madrileños were somewhat disappointed but they definitely weren't sulking. They seemed to simply say, "Oh well. That's the way it goes. Shall we go get a beer?" And that was that.

Saturday night I met some total strangers from the message board for drinks at the El Anciano Rey de los Vinos (across the street from the Almudena Cathedral) and from there we went to the Restaurante BelaLúa where we had 10pm reservations. We chose a table on their terraza and enjoyed some GREAT Rioja Reserva wine along with our meals. Some had grilled vegetables while others had the steak and potatoes. We started with some croquets and ham which was really good. After the great meal and the good conversation, we strolled over to the Chocolatería San Gines for some Chocalate con Churros. It was a good night and got back at 2:30am.

So Sunday nights are calm. I'm all alone, had leftover langostinos and Rueda white Spanish wine for dinner, watched NFL football live on Canal+ satellite TV, and now contemplating going to bed with a good book. Tomorrow's another day and it's a new week. Hope we have cool temperatures, too.

The Green Day concert in Madrid, Spain last Tuesday was a lot of fun - and just 1 day earlier I didn't even know I'd be attending the sold-out show. I'd seen Green Day 15 years earlier in the small venue of "The Newport Music Hall" in Columbus, Ohio USA for their "Dookie" tour. This time around, promoting their new CD "21st Century Breakdown", I wasn't nearly as close, probably just past the half-way point of the large Palacio de Deportes. I couldn't see their faces but their energy was no less evident.

Green Day, and particularly its lead singer Billie Joe in his endless energy, jumped off short-stack speakers, leaned into hard-driving guitar riffs, and entertained the crowd for more than 2 hours which included two encores, the last of which featured only Billie Joe singing "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)". The place was packed with Spaniards and even a few English-speakers.

The band played several of their songs from the new "21st Century Breakdown" CD which, surprisingly to me, MANY of the Spaniards surrounding me already knew the lyrics and sang along as best they could. Getting past those, and delving into the "classic" Green Day songs, was when the crown went wild.

A mix of background skyline lights, epileptic-inducing flashing symbols & provocative video, and even some pyrotechnics kept the sold-out crown on their feet and, in many cases, standing ON TOP OF their fold-down chairs (like those annoying teenage girls directly in front of us!).

The music was loud, but not TOO loud from my place in the arena, and I didn't notice a VERY loud buzzing noise in my ears upon laying me down to bed that night. Live video of the performers gave an up close view of action on screen and in the crowds and it was only then that we can see Billie Joe's tattoos and how much he was sweating.

There was no warm-up band but that didn't seem to bother the crowd, waiting patiently until the the action started at about 8:30pm. They involved the fans too - probably a bit too much. During many songs the audience was invited to sing choruses - instead of Billie Joe doing so himself, which bothered me to the point that I was left feeling that we sang more than he did on some of my favorite songs. In addition, 4 different persons were invited onstage to "participate". Billie Joe found a girl near the stage, asked her if she swore she knew the words to the song, she swore, and was hoisted up. She got the microphone and preceded to shout nonsensical lyrics for about 2 minutes, after which Billie Joe took the microphone and sent her off the stage with a "You Suck!" The next girl also swore she knew the lyrics, and she did know more, but couldn't carry a tune to save her life. For honorable mention she was "invited" to do a "Stage Dive" into the huge mosh pit below. A small boy was invited onto the stage to simply swing his arms back and forth and I was thinking, "Oh my. I hope they don't ask him to dive off into the crowd too. Imagine the lawsuit." He didn't and was sent back to his daddy. For yet another song, Billie Joe asked if anyone could play the guitar, ALL HANDS WENT UP and I thought, "Oh gee. This is going to be a disaster!" A young, lucky Spaniard wearing an "American Idiot" T-shirt was chosen. Billie Joe shouted something into his ear and flung the guitar strap over the kid's shoulders and the band played on - AND THE KID ROCKED THE HOUSE! I was shocked, he played well, with passion and confidence, and really seemed to know the song by heart as Billie Joe sang.

What amazed me most was that these Spaniards surrounding me REALLY knew the lyrics to these songs and many of them were young! Who knows how fluent in English they were or if they even knew the meanings of the words, but they could certainly sing them! These were true Green Day fans, to be sure.

I, MadridMan, haven't "let loose" or "lost control" in the last 15 years, age and maturity taking their toll. But for a few sporadic moments at the Green Day concert I felt as if I'd left my body, lost control, and scraped the edges of those youthful days dancing like an inebriated wild man at college clubs. (The Newport Music Hall, near the Ohio State University campus, being one of them) It was a good feeling, somewhat scary, and quickly reeled myself back in. It was like a flash of light of what it was to be young, untethered, and rebellious once again.

So HOW did I get so lucky to go to the Sold Out Green Day Concert in Madrid? The day before the concert I noticed a posting on a forum I frequent - but not my own. The woman from Liverpool (England) said she was flying to Madrid the next day and had an extra ticket that would go to waste if she couldn't find a taker. I was the first to reply to her posting. She contacted me via email and said she didn't want ANYTHING for the ticket! I met her the evening of her concert at her hotel and we walked the 8 blocks to the Palacio de Deportes venue, getting to know each other along the way. My Spanish came in handy in collecting the tickets, finding the line where we were supposed to enter, and finding our seats with the help of a nice usher. Being the gentleman that I am, I escorted her back to her hotel, thanked her for the 10th time for the ticket, and got home around 12:30am.

The serendipitous concert invitation was one for the books. When does this ever really happen to us? Rarely! But this time I won the lottery. (although I'd rather actually have won the lottery)


("Welcome to Paradise" video from independent videographer at the Madrid concert - NOT MY VIDEO)