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Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Happening Upon Things

THURSDAY

After returning from our day trip to Toledo, we rested in the apartment after a long day of walking up and down the hills and cobblestone roads of that ancient town. I started to get hungry and decided to go out in the Chueca neighborhood and search for a "take out" place that is not McDonald's (there are a many of these around Madrid, and the world for that matter. In my travels, I usually avoid them as I do in the USA).
The Cafe y Te restaurant downstairs was closed as it was after ten pm (2200 in European and military time). So I would go searching and wandering, leaving my wife to her book. This is something that I love to do in a new place. Exploring new places and discovering new things. As I stepped outside into the cool crisp evening, there was a festive mood and lots of people, mostly younger moving about and chattering, laughing, shopping and generally enjoying the evening. I headed up Fuencarral street towards the Tribunal Metro station, looking at the various cafes and bars that were open to see if there was anything I could grab to take back to the apartment. Eschewing the colmado, or type of convenience store, usually owned by Chinese Spaniards, I proceeded towards "our" bakery we had discovered earlier in the week on the off chance that it would still be open. It wasn't, but as I walked up the side street, Calle San Joaquin, I couldn't help but notice a small restaurant that was tastefully decorated and abuzz with activity. I stopped to read the menu and took notice of some of the plates the diners by the window were enjoying. I quickly decided that tomorrow night, our last night here, we would try this lovely place out.
I ended up going to an Italian take out place that was packed with the evenings revelers getting their munchies. I chose an "Italiano" sandwich and a big, fat, cannoli. There was a sign on the cooler window proclaiming that the cannoli was made famous in "The Godfather" ("leave the gun, take the cannolies"). My wife later would accuse me of trying to hide it when I got back to the apartment so I could enjoy it all myself....but there is no truth to this. The sandwich AND the cannoli were delicious and did the trick. The place is owned by a Sicilian who obviously does very well from what I could see at least that evening.
So the next day, Friday after a leisurely morning, coffee and pastry, we took a tour of the northern, more modern part of Madrid. This also included some of the more exclusive neighborhoods and foreign embassies, including the USA's. Traffic was thick and the going slow, but we enjoyed our tour atop our open air tour bus. We ended up near the Paza Del Sol, which was packed. We shopped in the Corte Inglese, the largest department store in Madrid, with locations all over the city. We purchased some small gifts and walked up the pedestrian walkway towards the Gran Via station amid a cacophony of music emanating from groups of street musicians, a string quartet here and a jazzy eclectic and raucous group of eleven. This band was cookin'! Five saxophones (one tenor), two stand up basses, three accordions and one guitar. They drew a crowd, including us and you couldn't help but toe tap and smile as they let loose with big band, jazz and contemporary sounds. We were happy to donate a few Euros to there hat!
We continued up to Gran Via and were soon back at the apartment, resting up for our ten pm departure to start our "night on the town" on our last day in Madrid.

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