a day on a rollercoaster

Today was quite an interesting day. For some reason, it is hard for me to get out of the hotel before 11 or so in Madrid. It may be that I try to stay awake like a Madridileño, or that last night was a bit more than frustrating.

Regardless, I bought a SIM card for my cell phone and a new mouse for my computer. I toured the famous Prado Museum, and saw works by Goya, Velázquez, Poussin, Rembrandt, and many more that I'm sure Anna knows. Sorry, no photos allowed.

Paseo del Prado (stroll of the Prado). park in front of the museums.

the Prado.

the Ritz - Anna, tell Kelly I thought of her.

And to my amusement.. 

a Starbucks.. and just a few blocks from McDonald's. really, Madrid?

After searching for the last couple of days, I finally found what I have been missing in Madrid.. A tapas crawl!! I met Heather of Adventurous Appetites at the Puerta del Sol and made six new friends!

what a great pic. notice the bear and berry tree statue.

bear and berry tree. official symbol of Madrid.

On the southern side of the Puerta del Sol lies the center of Spain, kilometer 0. This spot was determined to be kilometer zero in the 1500's (I think???). While not completely accurate with modern technology, it was pretty close - only about 5 miles difference.

From here we began the tour. First stop was for some apple cider prepared northern Spain style. It is poured into the glass about four feet up, to get some air into it.. mix it up a bit.

brian and leigh anne (honeymooners from new york) hold the bottle.

We took another picture with Brian not covering the label, but this one is better. Next we stopped in to a random restaurant to try Licor de Madroño, liqueur made from the berries of the famous "berry tree". It was served in a wafer-like cup with a chocolate inside.

Heather claims it is a well-kept secret and only sold in two bars in Madrid. Yummy.

For some reason, I stopped taking pictures here. I hate that I didn't get a group shot! The group consisted of Heather, our guide (born in California, has lived in Madrid for 12 years); Brian and Leigh Anne [sorry about spelling!] (honey-mooners, New Yorkers, attorneys); Sabra (from Washington state, now lives in Cambridge, England); Allison and Chris (from Seattle, friends of Sabra, visiting Madrid on work conference; and Deiter (German gentleman vacationing for a week).

After the berry liqueur, we went to a bar, had wine/beer, and shared tapas of fried mushroom pastry/things, a ham pastry and salmon ceviche. Next, we went to our final destination, a restaurant specializing in squid. (Sorry I don't know the Spanish name for it.) With another glass of wine, we shared tuna with tomatoes and red peppers, cheese with bread and oil, squid with potatoes, mushrooms sauteed with an excellent cream sauce, and large prawns. What a great experience!

It's 3 am here, I must go to bed. Tomorrow I am planning on visiting with Tim all day, then Barcelona in the evening! See you tomorrow from La Ramblas!

p.s. this is a pretty hotel called the Penthouse.

Heather said a couple on a tour was staying there.. Obviously the room had three light settings: on and off, of course, and "sexy" - which were purple lights. Hah. Too funny.