On Mom's first night in Madrid she treated Sonya and me
to an authentic Flamenco show. I had not been to one yet, and we definitely picked the right venue: the Cardamomo. The dancers were magnificent, and their talent was unbelievable! It
was a fun night and a great way to say "Bienvenidos a Madrid"...(WELCOME TO MADRID). The dancing was intense and really displayed the passion of the Spanish people.
The next morning Mom and I took the teleférico, or cable car, to Casa del Campo, where we went to see the Parque Zoológico (ZOO). It started as a beautiful, warm day. We enjoyed all of the fun animals and the atmosphere at the Madrid Zoo. We concluded that we liked it much more than any zoo we had been to before! It was very awesome. And luckily, there were baby
animals scattered all over the zoo-from a tiny baboon, to a rhino, to a little mountain goat, which was very enjoyable. By the end of our time at the park, we were thoroughly fascinated. As it started to rain we thought it would be the ideal time to head back home. What started as rain turned into a downpour. If only you could see the unmarked, gravel paths we had to climb uphill in order to find the teleférico station...and if only you could have seen us by the end of that journey ;-)
On Easter Sunday, Mom and I went to the Rastro--the famous flea market in Madrid. Streets are lined with booths selling anything you could imagine--and we both found some things to take home! We also toured the La Latina neighborhood and stopped at the incredible Basilica San Francisco to witness part of a Spanish church service. Very fascinating and such a beautiful and intricate basilica! The next few days consisted of lots of shopping around (Mom
loved all the shoe stores, as you'll see by her purchases)...and enjoying the perfect sunny weather. Monday night Mom and I went on a tapas tour. Our tour guide James made the night very fun and interesting-as did our companions Stewart, Herbert, Alex, and Lauren. We tried everything from great red wine, to octopus with potatoes, to blood sausage (black pudding), tripe, and many other adventurous food choices. It was a fun night of trying things that I would never dare trying on my own!!
While I was in class, Mom was feeling adventurous and conquered many missions all by herself. She was so good at navigating and finding cool new places! She introduced me to a coffee shop, some clothing stores, and a bread shop, none of which I had previous knowledge of-but all of which are right in my neighborhood. (Thanks Mom!) One morning we took the Madrid Vision bus around the city and saw sites from the top of the big red bus. We also went to the convent where nuns sell sweets.
It was not easy to find, but when we did finally figure it out it was very rewarding! We got a generous bag of lemon cookies from the monjas--who are not allowed to see you. The cookies came on a turn table in the wall, which was pretty sweet.Other highlights of the week with my Mom included bringing her to Chocolatería San Gines--the renowned locale for churros con chocolate, which we both enjoyed. We also soaked up the sun and rented a row-boat at El Parque de Buen Retiro (a huge, fabulous park). We were also able to spend time at the famous Prado Museum, in which we were able to find several pieces of
art that interested us. I also had the privilege of showing my Mom how my friends and I like to spend our Wednesday afternoons-cheap drinks and sandwiches at Cien Montaditos! EuroMania! We hit all of the biggest sites in Madrid and just enjoyed spending time with each other.
I feel so fortunate that Mom was able to visit--all of my friends were jealous and I feel pretty lucky to have had time to spend with her. It had been a long time since I had patted her face...and it was great to see her. Now I am anxiously waiting to return home to see the rest of the family! I can't believe I'll be back in Minnesota in just 75 days...time sure has flown!
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