Madrid was by far our favorite destination. The capital city not only offered a taste of cultural and political importance, but it also surrounded us with a true sense of life in Spain. Because of the strong sense of tradition and authenticity, the Spaniards in Madrid were not as friendly and open as the other cities, except for Dave's pink scarf-wearing secret admirer (he was happy to show Dave the way to Museo Del Prado...LOL). A perfect example is getting directions from the locals. The difficulty level was amazing. The directions were some how always lost in translation, left really meant right and vice versa, which helped contribute to our endless walkathon. We also feared that the Siesta period would interfere with our schedule; however, we hardly saw any signs of places closing down in the afternoon (i guess blame it on the economy and the fact that there were days we didn't wake up until 4pm....maybe that explains it). The dining service was extreeeeeeeeemmmmelllly slooooowwwwww. However, the timeless approach allowed us to enjoy the moment, so I can't complain too much. The Asian community was a culture shock to us. It felt like we were at the bottom of the food chain. The only places you found Asians at: convenience stores (called Frutos Secos - we owned all of them), a few Chinese restaurants, and street vendors selling Jamon sandwiches @ 4AM in the morning...WTF. Whereever we went, we stuck out like a sore thumb.
Regardless, we still live by to the tunes of ¡Hala Madrid! (Hail Madrid!). It is in Madrid, we were able to get sick of Tapas, experienced our only museum visit in Spain, witnessed an amazing bullfighting event, and journeyed in and out of numerous plazas. Because only in Spain, is "Where Madrid Happens"....
Museo Del Prado - Standing In Line
La Plaza de Santa Ana - Terrrace Cafe
Plaza Mayor - Casa de la Panadería
Plaza De Torres De Madrid
Plaza De Torres De Madrid - Put Your Horns Up
Plaza De Torres De Madrid - The Battle Field
Matador On His Knees
Catedral de la Almudena
A Peak of The Royal Palace
BANG BANG!
Palacio Real de Madrid
I Present: The 3 PERVETERS
Catedral de la Almudena - The Aisle
Catedral de la Almudena - Angels of The Church
Catedral de la Almudena - Church Pews
Catedral de la Almudena - The Cross
Catedral de la Almudena - Stained Glass
Temple of Debod
Next Stop
Estadio Santiago Bernabeu - Where Real Madrid Happens
Chris On A Kiddy Ride
Mario Kart
Next Stop Valencia....stay tuned!
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3 comments:
sounds like you guys had a great time. thanks for sharing the pics
I've still yet to sit down and peruse through all your Spain pics... HECK! I haven't even sat down and looked through all my Beijing pics!
Which brings up a good question, Can I post my Beijing pics on your blog site? Haha... Or would that be stepping over my commenting priviliges? Come to think of it, shouldn't there be some sort of Blogger-Commenter Space Borrower agreement?
FYI, I don't sign anything unless it's been notarized.
It seems you guys enjoyed your trip. Getting to deal with diverse cultures isn't easy but it can definetly be don. By the way, it's not "Plaza de Torres" it's "Plaza de TOROS"
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