I am dumb in that there are no posts really about Madrid, just about stuff I do in Madrid which makes very little sense to someone who is just visiting.
My mom came out and visited me this past week so we did a LOT of tourist-y stuff I had been saving for her. These include (but are not limited too): Palacio Real, Bull fight, Flamenco, the restaurante El Botin, the Cathedral in Toledo (yes I went back to Toledo), etc. etc.
and yes, some shopping and Starbucks were there too ;) It doesnt help that we ate out every meal except one, i must've gained 5 lbs in one week... (but the restautante "Cocinado con dos fogones" near Plaza de Espana is one of my favorite places EVER! if you have time / are hungry for some amazing fusion food, definitely try to go there...)
Palacio Real: It's only 3.50 euros for students (with a guide) so it's a pretty sweet deal, and an amazingly beautiful building (also has 2,500 rooms!) definitely worth a visit, even if it's only for 2 hrs.
Bull fights: It's a slightly controversial tradition in Madrid (some animal rights groups oppose it, and I'll admit it was upsetting for me to see people get such pleasure from killing a confused and harassed animal). At the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas (beautiful stadium) there are shows practically every day with cheap nosebleed tickets from 4.80 euros. Six bulls ("toros") are killed by famous bull fighters ("toreros", though "matadors" is used in other countries as well), but there are lots of stages to the death: three novices go and exhaust the bull by making him run and attack flags, two men on horses spear the shoulder blades so he starts to lose blood, then more run and throw decorative spike things into the wound, and finally the torero stabs him. It's sad!!! We left at half time.
Flamenco: There are some traditional shows that run 30 euros + but we went to a "tablau" with modern flamenco for 10 euros (copa included). Beautiful! Not as sensual as tango but a lot "Sexier" than I thought. And the ending poses are so dramatic! The foot work and the use of the castanets is really impressive :)
El Botin: According to the Guiness Book of World Records, El Botin (near the Plaza Mayor) is the oldest restaurante in the world (1725). While I don't know how sure that is, I did like the restaurant itself, and we got an amazing bottle of wine (Tobia? I hope I can get it in the states!). Unfortunately the "specialties" of the house are mostly baby animals (suckling pigs, lamb, baby eels, etc.) and for a former vegetarian it was especially hard... I didn't really think about what it would mean when I ordered the suckling pig (which everyone recommends!), but I couldn't really eat it... it was so tender! TOO tender. And all I could think of was Wilbert II, the fetal pig I had to dissect in bio in high school...
Toledo: I already did a blog about this but I WILL say if you go there you NEED to go to the cathedral. it's expensive but gorgeous, with some FABULOUS paintings inside. Even better when the organ is playing (warning: if you bring your mother she may get emotional about how pretty the music is).
Another highlight (though not a tourist activity) was having my mom over for dinner with my host family. My host parents (they are around 30 so NOT "parental") were so amazing and prepared a great meal. My mom, when practicing her introductions to them in Spanish, kept referring to herself as my "wife" and not "mother", and when she did introduce herself she said "cansada" ("tired") rather than "encantada" ("enchanted"). So essentially she shook their hands saying "tired, tired". And then they brought out the homemade liquors (most of which I cannot drink, they are too strong or weird!) and my mother took 'em like a pro.
It was absolutely amazing having my mom here for a week (and not just cuz she took me shopping, bought me tapas and carried back a lot of stuff from Madrid for me :)) (love you mommy!)
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