MadridMan.com: BLOG Madrid Spain

Old People Walk Slow

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:58:12 +0100

The old phrase holds true, "God love 'em." And I do too, that's the fact, so my patience-level is generally high when I encounter them on the sidewalks and standing in lines. There's no denying it, old people walk slow. But then again, they're never in a hurry, either.

Here in Spain you can't help but notice the quantity of octogenarians walking the streets, playing cards in bars, going shopping and out-in-the-public. This sharply contrasts to the older folk in the United States where older people, and many others, 1) live in houses outside of the downtown, and 2) don't leave home as often because to do so they'd have to drive - and maybe they can't/shouldn't.

One has to wonder about the attitude of older people when mixing with the general (younger) population. Do they think, "I've worked hard and paid my dues to society so everyone else can kiss my arse." Or do they simply not realize they walk slow? Sure, even if they wanted to walk faster many cannot. Not to mention the dying custom of taking strolls for pleasure. NO ONE does this anymore except for the old timers who have the freedom to do it.

How many times have I been walking down the middle of my neighborhood's narrow sidewalk only to encounter a slow-strolling old man or woman, using a cane at approximately one foot to the left or right of their body, and causing me to either walk out into the street to pass them or to "whoosh" by them when there's a garage entry? And when you do pass them they're sometimes 1) startled or 2) angrily look at you with a "How dare you. I own this sidewalk" expression. And if two of them are walking to the market, side by side or arm-in-arm, you can just forget it, might as well cross the street and get on with your own life because you're not going pass them anytime soon.

But you really do have to love and respect them. They have worked hard all their lives, growing up, surviving, and persevering through Spain's darkest decades. Many of them are so charming, affectionate, and truly enjoy their golden years. Sure, some are crotchety old geezers whom find no good remaining in this world. But many many others are so happy to be retired, to do what they want - when they want, and have a kind word, conversation, or a kiss for anyone willing to take the time to be with them.

Oftentimes the highlight of their day is going to the local bar for a coffee or do the shopping. Men go to play cards with other men. Women meet other women for merienda to chat and gossip. And they all love encountering neighbors or old friends in the street for an extended chat about the weather and discussing the pills they're taking for their latest pains.

Doctors' visits for them, as frequently as they go, is another highlight. Whenever I'm there for mine I'm always surrounded by them, all chatting amongst themselves, eavesdropping on other conversations and commenting about them with the older stranger sitting next to them.

Last week I had a doctor's appointment. While waiting, one old lady received a cellphone call. She took it out, fiddled with the buttons, and answered it. She loudly spoke to the person calling about another doctor's appointment she had at some other location, repeating the date and hour out loud. When she hung up, she said, "Oh my, what day and time did they tell me I had the appointment?" And with that at least 10 (older) people spoke up to confirm the date/hour she had vocalized. Not surprisingly, many among them auditorily-challenged, conflicted in their account and began to debate, almost argue about what they believed they heard. The woman receiving the call, now frustrated, said she would call back later to confirm the appointment.

The above is really neither here nor there. In the one-block near any health-center, you can always calculate there to be a higher percentage of old people to young people. Sure, older folk need more care and have more health issues, I understand that. Or maybe it just appears that way as young people tend to "get out" of the area a lot faster than older people. Nah. It's the former.

How many times have I respectfully allowed a old woman or man to get on the bus ahead of me when I was at the bus stop first? Many. Fine. That's the least we kids can do. Afterall, they remind us of our grandparents. But after they run their monthly BONO ticket through the machine they stand there in the aisle, just inside the bus' entrance, carefully re-turning their ticket to its special BONO-bus ticket carrier. Meanwhile, I and a half-dozen other people are standing behind him/her, waiting for her to finish and choose a seat to sit down. Keep in mind there's no space to pass by - although more and more youngsters shove their way through with not so much as a "pardon me" or ask permission to pass through. Kids, these days. (now it's me who sounds like an old man)

Once a week at 6pm I take an 83 year old woman to have merienda at the local bar. We spend a casual hour chit-chatting about her day at the senior citizens center or, sometimes, she asks what I've been up to. After that I accompany her to her home, climb up 4 flights of stairs, unlock her door and turn on the heat, replace any light bulbs, listen to answering machine messages, open/close her windows, and do whatever else she needs. I'm certain it's the highlight of her week. While we're walking to/from the bar she walks very very slowly, stopping every 20 or 30 meters to either tell me something, oftentimes as people are waiting behind us to pass, but otherwise with her head down, examining the sidewalk for cracks, dog crap, or holes which may complicate her passage. She does all this while holding onto my arm, which is sweet and I love it, but she always steers me into building corners or oncoming pedestrian traffic. She's none-the-wiser but I like her just the same. The truth is, I speak more Spanish with her than anyone else in Spain as I call her daily on the phone too.

Old people walk slow. So what. What're you gonna do? Just make the best of it. Many of us will be the same way someday. Besides, it's not their speed which makes them who they are. For that, you have to go deeper than physical attributes and abilities. And when you learn the often colorful life they've led you can't help but be amazed and respect them even more.

AVE Train Madrid-Barcelona

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:56:28 +0100

The high-speed AVE train between Madrid and Barcelona opened in 2008 and has been making travel between the two Spanish giant cities fast-and-easy ever since, creating real competition with the airlines. Or has it?

Not so long ago, the trip between Barcelona and Madrid would make any traveler cringe with the thought of a slow, 8-hour ride trip with the countryside going by at a not-so-fast rate. It was cheaper to go by train then, however. Now you have no choice for the train; it's the AVE or nothing. They don't even have the slow, overnight train anymore.

With faster service you also get higher prices - unless you plan your trip one month or more ahead of time. The RENFE website, although a bit difficult to maneuver through the steps, does eventually reveal a myriad of daily departures, pricing schemes, and 3 classes of tickets.

Last month, when I first started scanning plane and train prices for my trip to Barcelona later this month for the Alimentaria Barcelona 2010 Food and Beverage Exhibition, I found good prices all around - with airplane fares cheaper than the train.

Until just a week ago I was sure I'd be flying on Spanair as they had round-trip airfare of 88 Euros total, no extra charge for checking one one suitcase and one carry-on bag. Even better was the flight takes only 1 hour 20 minutes. Can you beat that? And they have flights from Madrid to Barcelona every 1.5 hours out of Barajas Madrid Airport. That's a great deal.

Sure, I realize it would take me 1 hour to get to Madrid Barajas Airport by metro, then another 1-2 hours waiting in line or waiting for plane departure, then, undoubtedly another 1.5 hours to recover my checked bag and get transportation from El Prat-Barcelona Airport to my Barcelona Hostel. All totaled, and estimated travel time from door-to-door of about 5.5 hours. But it just SEEMS so much faster, doesn't it? Afterall, you're only traveling for 80 minutes in the air!

Now the train. My round-trip ticket from Madrid to Barcelona on the AVE train cost about 165 Euros all totaled. They don't charge extra for baggage, either. It takes me maybe about 45 minutes by bus (waiting for bus to arrive, changing buses once) to get to Atocha train station in Madrid. And the great thing about the train is you only have to arrive a couple minutes early to get on. The security line is always fast and the lines are generally short as it takes so little time to pass through. The trip itself takes just under 3 hours. Mine is not a "direct" route so I guess it makes at least one stop along the way. The direct AVE trains from Madrid to Barcelona are approximately 10 minutes faster and the tickets are significantly more expensive. Not worth it. Upon arriving to the downtown SANTS train station, I only have to get off the train and go directly to the SANTS metro station, traveling maybe 20 minutes to the Plaça de Catalunya. 20 minutes later I'm at my first hostal (of 3 during my stay). Total door-to-door travel time: less than 5 hours.

So the question now is, WHY am I taking the train if it's ONLY 30 minutes faster total and costs twice as much as the airplane? This is a good question. I guess you could call it "The Comfort Factor".

Taking the plane is cheaper, that's true, but the travel from home to the airport via metro takes one hour, potentially all spent standing, not to mention changing metro trains twice, going up and down some steps with my luggage. Then upon arriving at Madrid Barajas you have to wait in line to check your luggage, then wait some more in the security line. ONLY THEN do you get to sit down before your flight leaves - unless you want to do some shopping.

It's much more comfortable taking 2 Madrid city buses over 45 minutes, likely sitting the entire time, and then sitting for the 3-hour train ride to Barcelona. And, you can't beat the views from the train. Sure, it's a bullet train so everything whizzes by so fast your brain can't register what it was you just passed at, what, 350 kilometers per hour (218mph), although I doubt we actually reach those "potential" speeds. "They say" the AVE ride between Madrid and Barcelona is very smooth. I'll be the judge of that.

As mentioned before, AVE ticket prices can be quite good - VERY GOOD, in fact - if bought more than 1 month in advance - and when bought online at RENFE.es. When I first started looking I was finding round-trip prices around 100 Euros. Prices go up with availability issues as time draws nearer to the departure date.

Turns out, totally by chance, that I ended up getting a CLUB CLASS ticket for the leg from Madrid to Barcelona and Tourist Class for the return route. There are three classes on AVE trains, listed from low-to-high: Turista, Preferente, and CLUB class. I doubt I need to translate those three for you. The discounted Turista class tickets almost always get sold out first as they're the cheapest. But as I bought my tickets just 2 days ago there weren't any tourist class tickets left at discounted rates for the hour I wanted to leave. Now, those retail tickets go for 114 Euros. My club class ticket from Madrid to Barcelona direction cost 123 Euros. There was a tourist class ticket for 113 but I decided to "splurge" and get more comfort. In club class you have a 2-by-2 seat configuration, wider seats, no-doubt leather, more leg-room, and free breakfast. (free breakfast is also given in Preferente Class)

The ticket for the return trip from Barcelona to Madrid was much cheaper, costing only 46 Euros, also a 2-by-2 seat configuration, no free meals or other goodies. They do give you free headphones to watch the movie - if they even have a movie on the less-than-3-hour train ride, that is.

So I'm traveling to Barcelona like a King and returning to Madrid like a pauper. It'll be interesting to compare and contrast the two classes - which I'll do on my BarcelonaMan Barcelona Blog. It's also there at BarcelonaMan.com, not here, where I'll be detailing my daily activities in Barcelona so keep that in mind if you'd like to follow along.

Tapas Crawl in Madrid

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:38:42 +0100

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!

Saturday Night at the Ballet in Madrid

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:20:55 +0100

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.

Neighborhood Madrid Restaurant Sells to Foreigners

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:31:03 +0100

I'm a little sad. Today is their last day. My favorite neighborhood bar, Restaurante Las Damas on Calle Fortuna, 5, in Madrid, the one where I have lunch once a week, has sold to foreigners. WHY to foreigners? Because the bar's owners have been wanting to retire for years and, until now, there have been no buyers in these difficult economic times.

I've only been going since discovering it just one year ago but it has become like my home away from home, where every time I walk through the door María and Daniel look up from what they're doing, smile widely, and greet me warmly as if I'm their son coming home from college - albeit without the hug.

So after 32 years of serving weekday breakfasts, lunches, and tapas until 6pm in this humble, blue-collar neighborhood, the married couple, both in their 60s, have sold their businesses and will soon be enjoying retirement away from the bar. They won't be going TOO far away, however, because they live in the same streets as the bar and have no plans to move to "el pueblo" to live out their "Golden Years".

Fewer and fewer Spaniards are taking on jobs as new bar and restaurant owners or even workers, not to mention stores of any kind. This is true particularly in working class neighborhoods where the numbers of foreigners is beginning to overcome the number of Spaniards. Spaniards are more frequently moving to the suburbs and villages outside of the City of Madrid.

Who are the new owners of Restaurante Las Damas? They're a pair of men originating from Ecuador, one of which has been working off and on in the restaurant's kitchen for the past 20 years, I was told by María just yesterday as we were chatting about the future of the bar, possibly trying to calm my nerves about HOW the bar may change. And change it will, she said, but the food won't.

The bar-restaurant will close for a short period of time in order to make renovations and modernizations. This, deep in my heart, is both good and bad to me. One of the grandest elements of this place is its kitsch-ness, hole-in-the-wall charm with worn floor tiles, poorly hung pieces of "art" on its walls, outdated toilets, and hand-written menus stuck in plastic sleeves.

At least as long as I've been going, without fail, I always see the same people day after day, everyone usually seated at the same tables. I usually only go on Thursdays but have visited on other days of the week as well. The clients are like family to María, the short, stout, and "blond" waitress/wife, who is the friendliest waitress I've ever encountered. She takes and brings the orders, makes commentary about the food (although everyone seems to know the multi-item daily menus by heart), asks about family, and chats about current events.

The lunch regulars include a table of two old ladies, one of whom proudly wears her dated and somewhat disheveled fur coat on winter days. Her companion, equally as old, seems to suffer from Parkinson's disease but her quivering voice doesn't force her to quiet its loudness - I can hear every word from 5 tables away. It was this same woman whom just yesterday spilled some water on the floor, got up and went to the bathroom, and returned with the mop to clean it up. Everyone joked about how she should be paid for "working" or at least get a free meal and she simply said, "No pasa nada", "No big deal."

Another couple of men, also both retired, meet there every day and chat about politics, a little about sports, and whatever's going on in the world. They sit at the table next to me and I sometimes like to eavesdrop on their opinions of American politics.

There are more regulars, somewhat less colorful, but include a couple mechanics, some kind of middle-aged office worker, and a old man which does nothing more than occupy one of the eight tables with his glass of water in a beer mug. He likes to talk a lot with the other tables. I always sit at the same table, near the entrance to the bar section as the "comedor" (dining room) is in the back of the bar-restaurant. Upon entering and leaving, everyone greets everyone else with a smile and a "Buenas tardes. Que aproveche," which means, "Good afternoon. Enjoy your meal." Isn't that nice?!?! We don't have such a friendly custom in the USA. Too bad.

Daniel Gil, owner with his wife-waitress María, is also the cook and works behind the bar. He's of average height and weight, bald, and has a genuine human quality about him, not worn-out or overworked as are lot of people his age in the restaurant business. I guess some people are just like that inherently. He always has a kind word and a smile, taking a moment to chat as you pay, never rushed, never distracted by the bar's activity to be "with you" for those 45 seconds. That means a lot to customers.

María was telling me yesterday about the interview done and subsequent article written about the bar by El Mundo newspaper (see photo/article below) in 2008. TeleMadrid saw the article and came to interview them on television too. They were so proud - and have reason to be.

Restaurante-Bar Las Damas has the best and the cheapest "Menú del Día", just 6 Euros for the complete meal of the first course, second course, side salad, bread, red table wine and accompanying carbonated Casera water, seasonal fruit and home made desserts, and coffee at the end. How do they do it???!! ONLY 6 Euros! I know I sound cheap but when you weigh the quality-price ratio you really cannot beat that.

Every day the "Menú del Día" varies but you find the same "standards" throughout the week. There are typically 6 items to choose from for the first course and 6 for the second course but these items change from day to day. For example, paella is always served as one of the available first course items on Thursdays. They have light meal selections as well as "hungry man" meal selections. I most often choose their "Sopa Castellana" (hot bread soup with egg) for the first course and, yes, most often, something "manly" for the second course. Yesterday I had the steak and potatoes with grilled green peppers but today for the second course I ordered the 2 fried eggs, fried potatoes, and grilled green peppers with 6 "croquetas de jamón". Mmm.. Mmm... MMMM!!! Good Gravy!! Man-oh-man do you eat well there WITHOUT FAIL.

Their statement has always been, "Comida Casera de Mercado" which means, "Homemade food from the market." What market, you ask? The Mercado Jesuitas, just around the corner from the bar. The meats, fish, eggs, fruits, and nearly everything is bought at the market.

Again, the food is top quality, or at least the top quality available from the working-class neighborhood's market which, I'd guess, is typical/average quality. Daniel, the cook, really is a master at cooking the basics, always nicely salted (but not over-salted) are those delicious fried potatoes, steaks, and grilled chicken. Really, it's like eating at your grandmother's house in Kentucky (or Southern Ohio in my case). And the desserts are always homemade too. My favorite is the "pudín" - which is nothing like "pudding", but more like a pie. Theirs has a healthy dose of orange-peel with a coffee flavor. To look behind the curtain to the broom-closet-sized kitchen (see photo of Daniel cooking in article below) you'd wonder how anyone could cook for more than one person, let alone for 8 tables!, but Daniel does it masterfully. Or rather, he DID IT masterfully - since today's his last day.

I'm tempted to simply end this article here, leaving "the old" behind, carefully encapsulated in the blog's archive and not taint it with "the new" of what-will-be after the new owners take over and change things. Suffice it to say that Juan Carlos, the new owner from Ecuador, the one who has been making much the food I've been eating (when Daniel's not available) , assures me that the prices will not change, nor will the food. They will, however, modernize the place a bit, stay open evenings and weekends, and put up a big-screen TV in the dining room (oh, gawd) for when there are fútbol games to be watched. I just hope it's not turned on during the lunch hour but I suspect it will. Juan Carlos, the new proud owner, seems to be quite careful and mindful of the fragile clientèle which has been built up by Daniel and María over the years. The last thing you want to do is disenchant the regulars.

But it's hard to believe the new owners can be as charming as Daniel and María. With them, you always felt like you were at home eating Mom's home cooking - although it was really Dad in the kitchen.

(pausing to reflect.....)

Isn't it silly that right now, after writing and re-reading this previous paragraph, I suddenly find myself emotional? I guess because I feel I've lost part of my family.

Upon paying the 6 Euros at the bar, I announced that today there would be no 1 Euro tip - as I've made a habit of doing. I told both María (who was waiting for the next order) and Daniel (who was cooking just behind the curtain) that today, instead, I brought them a gift. Leaning down, I whispered to María that it was a bottle of champagne to help them celebrate their retirement. At that moment I was sure María was going to cry - but she didn't, thankfully, because I may have broken out as well. She instead spread her arms, put her hands around my head, and kissed me tenderly on the left cheek, and then on the right, thanking me for the gift. I thanked them for all the wonderful meals, the good prices, and the friendly service.

Saying goodbye was sad and I didn't get the chance to shake Daniel's hand as he was busy cooking. Instead, I wished them well and turned to leave, pulling the door open and shouted an "¡Hasta luego! ¡Nos Vemos!" with a smile to the new owner, Juan Carlos. He returned the gesture, surely wondering if he'd ever see me again.

Walking out onto the street I felt odd and a little emotional, like something was missing. Something was already very different in my little world.

Previous Blog Entries about my meal experiences at Restaurante Las Damas include (although I'd changed he names to protect the innocent):

"Another GREAT Menú del Día in Madrid" &
"Menu del Dia - Menu of the Day for Cheap Lunches"

The below photo and article, published by El Mundo newspaper October 17th, 2008, can be viewed in its larger (2.2mb), more legible size (in Spanish) HERE.

Thank you, María and Daniel! You will be missed.

Lack of European Travel from Spain

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:10:42 +0100

There's a part of me which wonders WHY I've been here in Spain for 4 years and I've STILL not traveled throughout Europe. What the heck am I waiting for??

Really, when I moved here I was sure I'd have intimate knowledge of all of Europe's nooks and crannies, but no. I haven't visited Paris. I haven't visited London. I haven't visited Istanbul. I haven't visited Rome. I haven't visited Berlin. I haven't visited Athens. So what's my friggin' problem???

I'm constantly seeing British movies and some series on "the telly" and I ask myself, "My goodness! How is it that I can get to London on EasyJet for like 88 Euros Round Trip and I still haven't gone??" It makes absolutely no sense! I'm totally ashamed of myself!

Maybe it's because I'm waiting for someone to accompany me. Maybe not. There are certain elements of travel which makes it easier - even more enjoyable - traveling by oneself. But there's another which holds me back because I'd rather share the experience with someone else.

It's not a money issue. I have the money. So what's holding me back??? Age, maybe? Dedication to that which I have here in Madrid? I ain't gettin' any younger, ya' know!

Maybe THAT should be my New Year's resolution, to travel more throughout Europe. It's just that there's so much more of SPAIN I want/need to see. Maybe that's it. Not sure. I WANT to see Europe! What am I waiting for??

158 Year Old Libreria Hernandez Bookstore to Close in Madrid

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:14:17 +0100

Librería Hernández Religious Bookstore in Madrid will close this year after 158 years of service. Incredible, isn't it, that any business, let alone a RELIGIOUS bookstore, could survive so long. Religious stores, at least for me, have always been a curiosity which I've always associated with Spain as well as Italy since we don't have them - to my knowledge - in Ohio, USA.

Upon visiting Madrid the first time in 1995 and in subsequent strolls through Madrid's downtown, these religious stores always turn up, causing me to ask myself, "How can these places stay in business? Do they receive some funding from the church?" I doubt the latter but where else in the world is - read: "was" - religion so profound in the makeup and history of the culture?

Upon entering nearly any older-person's house in Spain you'll usually find the following: a wall-mounted crucifix, a painting/portrait of Jesus Christ on the cross, and oftentimes other ceramic angelic figurines. You don't find these religious items so openly displayed in younger peoples' homes although they may be religious.

Religion in Spain, according to WikiPedia:

Roman Catholicism has long been the main religion of Spain, though it no longer has official status. According to a July 2009 study by the Spanish Center of Sociological Research about 76% of Spaniards self-identify as Catholics, 2% other faith, and about 20% identify with no religion. Most Spaniards do not participate regularly in religious services. This same study shows that of the Spaniards who identify themselves as religious, 58% hardly ever or never go to church, 17% go to church some times a year, 9% some time per month and 15% every Sunday or multiple times per week. But according to a December 2006 study, 48% of the population declared a belief in a supreme being, while 41% described themselves as atheist or agnostic. Altogether, about 22% of the entire Spanish population attends religious services at least once per month. Though Spanish society has become considerably more secular in recent decades, the influx of Latin American immigrants, who tend to be strong Catholic practitioners, has helped the Catholic Church to recover.

But lack in interest is not the reason, nor the world economic crisis, for closing the historical religious bookstore which has spanned 4 generations. The reason is clear and all too common in longtime family businesses; the children no longer want to keep it going. Librería Religiosa Hernández is attempting to sell or rent the shop but as the service and items sold is so specific, detailed, personalized, and studied, there's little realistic hope it can stay open as it is. It's not simply the sale of religious items, either. Certified artisans work for the shop, creating and painting dolls and portraits, among many others things.

I've walked past this shop several times as it is just off Madrid's Puerta del Sol, nearly across from the also-now-closed Teatro Albéniz on the Calle de la Paz, 4. When tourists stray from the Puerta del Sol to explore Madrid's quaint, narrow streets, they'd inevitably pass this old book store and pause to examine the window dressing of cherubs, baby Jesus dolls and statues, books, and crucifixes. But while this historic Madrid bookstore closes, others remain open and can be found throughout the city, but undoubtedly their numbers will dwindle with time.

If you have an opportunity to visit the Librería Religiosa Hernández, do so quickly, at least before May, to see what a 158 year old shop looks like.

Librería Hernández
Calle de la Paz, 4

Article (in Spanish):
Somos Centro: "Librería Hernández, otro comercio centenario que se va"

How Bad is a 90 Cent Bottle of Spanish Wine?

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:13:57 +0100

This was PURELY a scientific study. No, REALLY, it was! Today, I was at my Madrid neighborhood supermarket doing my usual Friday shopping for the weekend. Since I always buy a bottle or two of wine, usually the reliable Rueda white wine, I found myself at the wine section.

Sure, I grabbed the usual bottle of Rueda but perused the others as well just out of curiosity. There, I saw a bottle of store-brand red wine for 61 Eurocents - on sale! I thought for a moment, "How bad could this swill be?" Upon further inspection of other "cheap wines", I found a non-store brand bottle of red wine for 90 Eurocents - NOT on sale - and decided to buy it with the intention of writing this blog posting - which I'm doing now with a slightly light-head while listening to RadiOlé flamenco music. Seemed fitting.

I chose the 90 Eurocent bottle of "Campo Bajo A.R." red wine, listed on the one-label as "Vino de Mesa" or, simply put, "Table Wine". What is table wine? Table wine is the inexpensive wine they give you when ordering the "menú del día" - the set lunch menu. Most often, they'll give you the option of drinking this basic table wine with "Casera" - carbonated water - in order to "cut" the basic-ness of the wine. Adding this water usually helps a lot.

Somewhat ominously, the wine's brand name, "Campo Bajo", or "Lower Fields", should have been indication enough to scare me away from even trying this cheap red wine but, as I said, this was in the name of science! And for me, being a former professional geologist, the study intrigued me.

So I bought the bottle and paused for a moment at the checkout line, wondering if the cashier thought, "Damn! This is one cheap bastard for buying such a cheap wine." Oh well. No matter. This is a blue-collar neighborhood so I'm sure I'm not the first one to buy it. Besides, this is a serious study! (uh-huh.)

What better wine to drink with leftover Chinese food than this one? Perfect! Upon opening it with corkscrew I was already prepared for the worst. "Sniff!" Well, it wasn't bad at all. Now, how does it taste? The first glass was fine, not strong at all, pretty easy to drink. So far so good. I'd finished my lunch and most (read: all) of the bottle and thought, "Okay. Now for the post-drink headache test." Two hours have passed and I still don't have a headache, and haven't taken a siesta, but still certainly feel the affects, while not overwhelming, of the 12% alcohol content.

So what is my summary? What is my official review? Okay. First I must say that I've often been called "cutre" for my simple pleasures so please keep this in mind. But without prematurely devaluing my review, I must say that the 90 Eurocent bottle of red Spanish table wine was not bad at all. It definitely exceeded my expectations. Really, I thought it'd be undrinkable but I was wrong. That is not to say it was better than a 1998 Rioja Reserva, far from it, but it was drinkable and fine.

Earlier this week I had lunch with a friend at the very exclusive (read: unknown) "Casa de Granada" rooftop restaurant (nice views!) near the Tirso de Molina metro station in downtown Madrid and the 9 Euro "menú del día" included a similar table wine. With that, without even asking, a bottle of Casera carbonated water was offered to accompany the wine. It was fine without the water but made even better with it so I imagine today's wine would've been the same.

So fear not the table wines given with the menús del día lunches in Madrid or throughout Spain. You'll often get - or be offered - a bottle of Casera water to accompany the wine. I'd say accept it, if only to try it with the wine or to have bottled water to finished your meal as they don't (usually) charge you for it.

FEAR NOT the cheap Spanish red wines. I wouldn't choose them for dinners or good lunches, but for a glass or two to accompany an average lunch they're just fine.

MONDAY UPDATE: Just 3 days after writing the above Madrid blog entry about "cheap" Spanish wine, I returned to my local supermarket to discover they've lowered the price of the same bottle of wine from 90 Eurocents to 81 Eurocents - and that's not even the sale price! Incredible.

Madrid Snow 11 January 2010

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:57:30 +0100

It literally snowed all night long last night but stopped by this morning. Enough fell to cause countless traffic jams and icy roads. I witnessed several cars sliding down hilly streets and people using cardboard to scrape off the snow from their windshields. The sun came out by noon but was still cold enough to keep much of it from melting.

Of course, the topic of the day was the weather. A few people in the bar this morning (where I had breakfast) were saying how they hadn't seen so much snow in 10 years. I didn't want to remind them that twice as much snow fell on Madrid City just January of last year. But the truth is, in my 4 years here I have never seen so many days of snow in one winter - and we're just getting started!

Schools were not closed but students were advised to stay home - although many were seen, by me, in downtown Madrid today throwing snowballs at one another. They were happy to have a free day on the first day back from Christmas vacation.

Seeing snow at any time in Madrid is, for me, refreshing. Back in Ohio, USA right now, surely there are several feet of snow in some places so this little "dusting" doesn't bother me. It does make me miss the snow more from the Midwest. I don't miss, however, the inevitable slushy, grimy aftermath. When I hear Madrileños amazed at this snow I just think, "This ain't nuttin', son." How many dozens of winter days in Ohio (each year!) did I have to walk through snow past my knees just to go get the mail?!

Here are a few of my mobile and normal digital camera photos taken today.

Video Below: Madrid's Retiro Park covered in snow. (video not mine)

Cabalgata de Reyes Magos in Madrid 2010

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:27:15 +0100

Today, 5 January, is the day before Magic Kings Day or "Dia de los Reyes Magos". It's this night when the Magic Kings bring all good boys and girls gifts, leaving them in their shoes and socks. Children not only leave a snack for the Three Wise Men but also water for the camels on which they arrive.

Today's also the day when the 3 Wise Men parade down neighborhood streets throughout Madrid in "carrozas" ("floats") "Cabalgatas de Reyes Magos". These started today at about 5:00pm.

There's also the BIG "Cabalgata de Reyes Magos" marching down the Paseo de la Castellana as I type this. (It's on the TV behind me) This big Cabalgata parade started at 6:30pm and will reach the Plaza de Cibeles at about 8:30pm.

As in all Cabalgatas, the Three Wise Men are represented; Melchor, Gaspar, & Baltasar. Oddly enough, King Baltasar, both on Madrid's wide Paseo de la Castellana as well as in my neighborhood Cabalgata, is represented as a black-face-painted white man. It's odd because I wonder why they couldn't have used an actual black man. Would that be racist? Or is it more racist to have a white man in black face paint? Hmmm... I'm racially confused. Does that make ME a racist???

Not only did the Kings throw tens of thousands of pieces of candies ("sin gluten") at the rabid, anxiously waiting children with their bags and upside-down umbrellas to catch them, but so did the Kings' helpers. Even I grabbed a few pieces. Many grandparents were seen scrambling in harm's way of the near-passing floats to grab candies (presumably) for their grandkids. I still wonder why a big deal is made about the candies being "sin gluten" (gluten free) as candy never (?) has gluten. Products which do often have gluten are products made from grains and meats.

The small, neighborhood Cabalgatas are usually quite short. My neighborhood parade only lasted about 15 minutes maximum, maybe only 10, and I waited 30 minutes for it to arrive. I must have looked odd standing there all by myself, an adult with camera in hand, waiting for the Cabalgata de Reyes. The "stars" of the parades are the Three Wise Men, all riding their own floats. Other floats contain children representing different associations, neighborhood associations, senior centers, and always an international float representing a number of different cultures. I had to wonder why a float of (children) Native American Indians with tee-pees were there, though.

I'd gone downtown earlier today to Madrid's Puerta del Sol's "La Mallorquina" pastry shop to buy the typical (and arguably the best) "Roscón de Reyes", the typical pastry for tomorrow's Dia de Reyes Magos. Luckily they had 5 people working feverishly to serve the ever-entering public. I was CERTAIN there'd be a long line outside the shop but there wasn't, only 8-10 people waiting at the counter making their orders & receiving their Roscón nearly immediately after being boxed up in a pretty pink octagonal box. But to get OUT of the shop I literally had to balance the box on my head, ever saying "Perdóname. Perdóname." to get through the oncoming tied of people. I must've been a sight. Tomorrow morning for breakfast we'll see who'll bite into the "prize", hoping the "second prize" isn't a trip to the dentist office for a broken tooth.

New Year's Eve to 2010 in Madrid

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 12:24:09 +0100

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.

Below: The countdown to 2010 with TVE Hosts Anne Igartiburu & Manuel Bandera

MadridMan's Christmas Eve Dinner 2009

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:45:25 +0100

I've just returned from a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner with Spanish friends, through and through. The dinner consisted of a tasty fish soup with rice. Delicious. At first reading, many Americans hear "fish soup" and immediately they furrow their brows and wrinkle their noses. I was the same way before moving to Spain.

Christmas Eve dinner was simple. It consisted of the first course, the fish soup, and later the array of fine embutidos of Jamón de Jabugo, Lomo de Bellota (all the best-of-the-best), langostinos (fat shrimp), berberechos (small clams), patés and Manchego cheese, torta del casar creamy cheese, blue cheese from Austurias, and a variety of breads. It was all delicious and we all partook while passing around the bottle of Spanish Cava.

The evening ended with conversation, turrón & polverones, and the children playing the Wii. Never ending fun. So now I'm home, writing this blog, and mentally preparing myself for tomorrow's Christmas Day lunch; a baked turkey, prepared by me as well as green bean casserole. Oh, and there'll be lots of red wine too. The guy from whom I buy my embutidos and cheeses "gifted" me a 12-year old bottle of Reserva Rioja red wine yesterday after buying the high-end jamón and lomo for tonight's dinner. What a nice detail.

Tomorrow's Christmas Day. I have a few gifts to open which were sent by my parent but that's all. Here in Spain, I'll have to wait 'til Magic Kings Day on the 6th of January.

Merry Christmas & Feliz Navidad, everyone!!

How it Feels to Win the Lottery

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:58:49 +0100

I've never won anything before. But last Tuesday it happened. I ACTUALLY won Spain's Christmas Lottery! Overwhelmed, jubilant, and in denial, I checked my numbers online once, twice, even a third time to be sure I wasn't mistaken. Nope. The numbers all checked out. I had just won the freakin' lottery!!!!

Word spread fast (by me). And before I knew it friends were calling, text messages and emails were received to congratulate me on my luck. Surprisingly to me and everyone, I even kept my dental appointment that day and, upon making the announcement, the entire staff was quickly hugging and kissing me with congratulations.

When I realized I held the winning numbers my mind started to wander. I started to daydream. "Hmm... What do other people do when they win the lottery?" I asked myself. I guess some buy new houses or renovate old ones, new cars for sure, wall-mounted state-of-the-art televisions in every room is a given, a new wardrobe, fancy meals at upscale restaurants, and, of course, "sharing the wealth" with family and those friends in need.

But I had to be careful. One shouldn't squander good fortune. I must be wise with my winnings. Maybe I should invest it. Maybe I should give it all to charity. Maybe I should put it under the mattress until I figure out what to do with this "found money".

Suddenly, I feel I'm walking among those whom I always thought were better than me simply because they had more money, faster, shinier cars, or trophy girlfriends. Suddenly, I feel they're no better than me at all. No, really, they never were better than me but the perception is always there when you don't have enough cash to buy exactly what you want and when you want it.

Now, after two days passing since Spain's Christmas Lottery, with nerves finally calming and mind more at ease with the realization, I've finally decided what to do with my lottery winnings so now I can relax. NOW the fun begins.

(Photo Above: Doesn't he look proud?!)

Oh, HOW MUCH did I win, you ask? My one décimo lottery ticket won 120 Euros!!!!!! But..... since I'm sharing that with 4 other people, my part comes to 24 Euros, just enough to buy me one really good lunch. And how much did I spend on lottery tickets to win those 24 Euros? Answer: 200 Euros. Oh well. Winning is winning, right?

Didn't I mention that thousands of people won something in Spain's Christmas Lottery?? Only a small few win big prizes, the largest (incredibly) being only 3 million and 1 million Euros. Amounts go down from there.

El Gordo 2009: Spain's Christmas Lottery

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:02:40 +0100

It's that time of year again. In some cases, people have lined up for hours to select their numbers for the 2009 edition of Spain's Christmas Lottery, all hoping to win "El Gordo", the largest of all prizes. A few will win, but most will lose, all enjoying the days of discussion leading up to the drawing as well as a few anxious hours in front of the TV on Tuesday morning as the tiny wooden balls are selected and their numbers sung in monotonous repetition by uniformed school children.

At 8am, December 22nd, Spain's lottery commission will host its annual Christmas lottery, "Lotería de Navidad de España", whose largest pay-outs go to the winners of "El Gordo" (1 chance in 85,000 to win "El Gordo"). Lesser numbers selected bring lesser winnings. Interestingly enough (at least to me), any number selected has a 15% chance of winning SOMETHING. 2.3 BILLION Euros is the total, overall payout of the combined winning numbers. Wow. The lottery usually lasts about 3 to 3.5 hours and can be watched locally on TVE (nearly all local channels cover it) or online at RTV.es.

Explanation of "How it works": Lottery tickets contain 5 numbers and there are 10 tickets for each number. The ten tickets of the same number are called "a series". So, for example, I could buy one ticket with the number 12345 or I could buy 3 tickets with the number of 123455. Or, if I chose, I could buy the entire 10-ticket series of 12345. Each individual ticket costs 20 Euros and is called "un décimo", or "one tenth" of the series. The entire series of any given number would then cost 200 Euros. So when a winning number comes up you would either win 1-tenth of the total winnings if you held ONE ticket or you would win 100% of the winnings if you held the entire series of 10-tickets.

Explanation of "The Drawing": Two big tumblers, one bigger than the other, contains thousands of tiny wooden balls. The child collecting the ball from the big tumbler calls out the lottery number in its entirety while the child collecting the ball from the small tumbler calls out the kind of prize associated with it which, in the vast majority of the cases, is "Mil Euros". When one of the larger prizes is won, anything larger than "Mil Euros", the children carry the balls over to the table of officials to verify the number and the associated prize. See video below of 2008's lottery when "El Gordo" is selected as well as the "normal chant" of "Mil Euros".

Funny (or stupid) story about how I bought my Christmas lottery tickets this year:
As I've now done for the last 2 years, I bought a number of tickets for me and some friends, all of which would share in any of the winnings. This year I went to the local lottery shop, where there was absolutely no line, and asked for 5 tickets all ending in the same number. (here's where my mistake was made) Obviously, unless two humans can read each others minds mistakes are often made in communication. So the woman at the counter did indeed give me 5 tickets which ended in my chosen number - but ALL 5 tickets were identical! My intention, understandably misunderstood by the clerk, was to have 5 tickets with distinct numbers but all ending in the same number. I'd already left and walked 50 meters before realizing my mistake. HMPH! Sure, if we win, we'll win 50% of the total sum for that series but it also lowers our chance of winning anything. 100 Euros down the drain? Probably, in whichever case. So I went back the next day and got 5 MORE tickets, ending in 5 different numbers, assuring that I'd get tickets from 5 different series and thereby INCREASING my chances of winning SOMETHING. So I spent 200 Euros for gifts to my friends on Christmas, none of which are likely to amount to anything but it's a nice, fun gift. And, as I'm told, it's "very Spanish" to gift Christmas lottery tickets to friends and family.

If you've bought your "décimos" for this years' Spanish Christmas Lottery, I wish you the best of luck. If not, enjoy watching it live for awhile. Sure, the repetition can get boring - I understand that - but the most fun comes NOT from watching the actual numbers chosen but the celebrations of the winners which usually takes place towards the end of the lottery or just afterwards. Then, you see people in bars with COPIES of their winning tickets, being showered with bottles of (cheap?) champagne, dancing among their (new) best friends or (now) close relatives. I also like the interviews during the lottery of people in the street telling what they would do should they win. The answers are almost identical every year; they'd buy a new house or pay off the old one, they'd quit their jobs, they'd pay bills, they'd help family and those less fortunate, and on and on. What I'd like to see are stories about past winners and how their lives actually changed with their new-found wealth. Did they really pay off the house? Did they really give money to poorer family members? Did the money make them crazy? Did they become cocaine addicts? Did they squander it all? Or did they start companies or invest it wisely for their future and the future generations?

Be sure to check back here on Tuesday for an UPDATE of the day's lottery drawings!

Useful/Interesting Links regarding Spain's Christmas Lottery:

"Spain's Christmas Lottery is still 'El Gordo'", 2009 article, in English, by Cristina Mateo-Yanguas.
"Asi es el Sorteo de "El Gordo": Graphical step-by-step procedure, IN SPANISH, of lottery number selection.
LOTTERY NUMBER CHECK and Christmas Lottery articles at ElPais.com (in Spanish).
elGordo.com: Check lottery ticket numbers (in Spanish) as well as BUY lottery tickets online.

MadridMan's 2008 Blog Entry about Spain's Christmas Lottery
MadridMan's 2007 Blog Entry about Spain's Christmas Lottery

Boring, Cold Friday Night in Madrid

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:50:08 +0100

People tend NOT to go out on very cold weekend nights. Well, that's what I thought. Sure, the terrazas were put away and few people were walking in the streets but the bars I saw were packed!

I was sitting home, feeling kind of bored and lonely, and just up-and-decided I'd go downtown. Plus, I was hungry and really had a craving for morcilla. It's been so long since I've had some. I asked a few people if they'd like to accompany and they all (okay, I only asked one person) said, "No way! It's too cold. Better to stay home." NOPE!

So I put on my shoes and coat and went down to catch the bus right at 10pm. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long although it's not ALL THAT cold, at least not for a Midwestern USA boy. "This ain't nuttin'!"

The bus dropped me off at its end-point, next to the Plaza de Oriente, Opera, Palacio Real and I made my way towards the streets between it and the Plaza de Santo Domingo - and there are LOTS. I chose one bar on the corner of Calle de San Martín and Calle de las Navas de Tolosa called "Restaurante Cervecería Doña Juana" - right across the street from the VALOR "chocolate" shop. Doña Juana was one of the few which had space at their bar and so I entered and ordered a beer, got a free tapa of salchichón on bread. Then I ordered a single, FAT croqueta de jamón and a "pincho de morcilla", which was 4 slices with bread for roughly 2.50€. Good stuff. Another caña and a plate of green olives accompanied it. A crowd of 20-somethings came in, all wearing Santa Claus hats, boisterous but friendly, and crowded around me. I was finished anyway so I decided to try someplace else.

I walked two doors downhill on the same Calle de San Martín to the Restaurante Mesón Las Descalzas. They too had the bar wide open and only one table occupied with a bunch of other 20-somethings. So I grabbed a stool, ordered a caña, and got the free tapa of black olives this time. Looking over the sign behind the bar I decided on the pincho de moruno (2.80€) which is skewered and roasted pork cubes with a slightly spicy sauce. More good stuff. While waiting for it to arrive I noticed the patatas bravas (3.10€) on the board behind the bar and almost wished I'd ordered that instead. So many delicious Spanish foods and so little time and space in my stomach! So then I ordered another caña and got a slice of tortilla de patas as the free tapa. I ate in peace here, watching a bad Hollywood Christmas comedy movie on TV and covertly eavesdropped on the table to 20-somethings until I finished my food.

Watching the clock, it was now about 11:10am and the last bus on my line left Plaza de Oriente at 11:30pm so I paid the bill and made my way back. And wouldn'tcha know it, just as I arrived the second-to-last bus was pulling away so I had to wait in the cold for the next one. Nor problem, jacket unzipped, cool but refreshing after my 4 beers, and a belly full of good, Spanish food.

On the short bus ride home we drove by the Parque de Atenas, the park which is between the Almudena Cathedral and the Puente de Segovia... and it was FULL of youngsters enjoying their Botellón. Man, they must have been A) Crazy, B) Freezing, C) Alcoholics, D) hoping to "hook up", or E) ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Now I'm back home, it's about 12:15am, and I may just go to bed.

Someone once asked me on Facebook, "Why do all your entries have to do with food, wine, and sleeping?" The answer is simple. Are there any better pleasures here in Spain?