Cayce and I arrived in Lisbon yesterday on an overnight train coming from Madrid. Our time in Madrid was great. We stayed with my friend Jimmy... he was an awesome host. Had food cooking for us when we arrived, which we couldn´t have been happier about after such a long train ride to Madrid. Upon arriving in Spain we quickly learned that not too many people speak English very well there. Although we did have our very useful phrasebook with us, it was so nice to have Jimmy as a translator. Ordering food would have been impossible without him. Madrid is a huge city with lots of people and Jimmy really made us feel more comfortable in it.
During our time in Madrid we were able to visit the more touristy spots of the city. Everywhere we wanted to go was so super easy to get to because of the Metro system they have. A bus arrives at each station every 3 minutes and we found the system to be pretty much fool-proof. We went to Puerta del Sol, the "center" of Spain. It was full of tourists, people selling purses, and impersonaters dressed as Minnie, Spider Man, and Pooh. We went to Plaza Mayor, a big square in Puerta del Sol that has a statue in the center and tons of outdoor dining. Very beautiful architecture throughout the whole city.
We were also able to visit two art museums, the Prado and Reina Sophia. The Prado features amazing European paintings and sculptures, we noticed work from as far back as 20 A.D. There were a lot of incredible paintings by Spanish artists Goya and Diego Velazquez. The Reina Sophia features more modern art and we were so excited to see the work of Picasso and Salvador Dali. Seeing Guernica by Picasso was definitely a highlight and something I will remember forever.
We also went to the Parque del Retiro. It is a huge public park in Madrid with a manmade lake and some beautiful monuments. People can take boats out on the lake or sit at one of the few cafes for lunch or drinks. It was such a pretty and relaxing place, somewhere I would go and sit everyday if I lived nearby. We had lunch there and met a lady that grew up in New York and moved to Madrid for the man she married. She was so interested to hear about our trip and gave us a few pointers. The MTV European Music Awards were also going on while we were in Madrid. They had a couple free concerts on a street right by the park, and we were able to make it to one of them. Their were tons of people there and it was unlike any show in the U.S. There were men on stilts passing out glowsticks and people drinking beer in the street.
The nightlife in Madrid is much different than anything I´ve ever experienced. The first night we were there we just went out for drinks with Jimmy. It was a very casual night and it was so nice to be able to enjoy our time and catch up with him and not have to worry about the bars closing. We ended up not leaving till after 3, in Seattle it is rare that the bars do last call any time after 1:30. Another night we went to a salsa dance club with Jimmy and his roommate who is from a town near Barcelona. Cayce and I were both pretty intimidated by the salsa dancing part of the night but realized when we got there that there isn´t much to it. We had a really fun time and did our best versions of "salsa dancing" until almost 6 in the morning. We learned that it is very normal in Madrid to stay out until that time. Some bars or breakfast places even open at 6 to catch those on their way home.
The food and flavors in Madrid were a little less than I expected. They eat tapas as their evening meal, rather than having one large meal for each person. Many of their tapas are fried and very salty. The typical menu had fried squid, fried pork legs, Spanish omelettes, empanadas, and fried sardines. I ventured out and tried a sardine, and I was very proud of Cayce for breaking her vegetarianism! They also have Mahou beer everywhere. Not too bad of a beer, pretty light and if you visit Madrid plan on drinking it.
Monday night we said goodbye to Jimmy and headed for the train. We arrived here in Lisbon yesterday morning, and I think this may be my favorite place so far. It is so beautiful here and the people are all really friendly. It is very hilly and you can see the water and beach from lots of places. Yesterday we got to know the city a little just walking around and today we are going to go to a couple sites. We are staying in a pretty nice hostel here called the Lisbon Old Town Hostel. We are planning on staying here for a while, possibly through the weekend, and then back to Spain to visit Seville, Granada, and Barcelona.
Hope all is well! Miss and love you all!
Cheers!
Nikki
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