Madrid

When I first showed up to Madrid, around 4 or 5 PM on a Saturday, it seemed like a ghost town.  There were hardly any people in the main square.  At first I was really worried.  Then, I remembered, the Spanish take their siesta very seriously.  Especially when it is hot (it was over 90 degrees), and especially on the weekends.  By 8 PM, the streets were bustling, but 10 PM, they were packed!  Madrid is a lively, fun city.  Great for wandering the streets, and enjoying tapas! 

Some of the most notable things are the food.  I must mention the Museo del Jamon (museum of ham).  It’s not really a museum, but rather a store/restaurant with hundreds of hams hanging in the windows and over the bar.  For a few euros, you can get a full meal of numerous tapas, surrounding the theme of ham, cheese, and bread. 
And only 1 euro for a glass of wine.  Now, this is not ham like what we have in the US.  Rather, it is a much tastier cured meat, with numerous different varieties.  All served in a frenetic environment, with busy guys behind the counter handling non stop fast-paced orders.  It was as fun to watch the action as it was to eat the food. 

The other food I have to mention is the Churros y Chocolate.  (which happened to be the title of my 7th grade Spanish book).  The churros come with a drink that is more like melted chocolate than hot chocolate, as it is so thick, you could hardly even pour it.  Perfect for dipping churros into and spooning up the rest!  Yum. 


Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed in the Prado museum, so I have none to show, but that was a good museum, from which I learned a lot about the history of Spanish art and Spanish nobility. 

Next stop, Greece!  (which is awesome, but more about that soon).