Mad Madrid

the flight from TO was okay.  it was an old plane (Air France).  the seats were tight and every few rows shared a small tv screen.  it didnt matter because they only played one movie (Shrek) and i had to sleep the second half of the flight, which i had no problem doing. 

to my surprise, it was very good

i had no problem transferring from Paris to Madrid except for the four hours wait.  there was no place to lie down and i didnt have enough sleep.  i walked around the duty free, bought a sandwich, read and then it was time to board the plane.  as soon as i got on the flight to Madrid i crashed.  it was two hours and i only woke up to have the mozerlla and tomato sandwich they served us. 

once again, no issues from Madrid Airport to my private room ;) the place i am staying at is central and exceeds my expectation.  i expected hostel like quality but it was more like a cozy hotel floor.  anyway, i rested a bit because i was tired and hot and then walked to the Museuo del Prado.  it was 5:30 by then and it closes at 8.  this is Spain’s most famous museum.  it had paintings from the sixteenth to the twentieth century and some sculptures.  i saw a lot of famous paintings that i didnt know they were in Madrid.  the most memorable were Goya's death paintings.  the museum is very neat and they have a nice collection.  i couldnt make it past the first floor.  i might go again tomorrow if i can make it. they close early tomorrow because it is sunday and i have other sites that i want to see. 

after the museum tour, i had to rest again.  i still dont have my full energy after the tirp.  i got some sleep here and there but not enough apparently. plus my feel were killing me.  then i headed to Madrid's version of Central Park.  it is called Parque del Buen Retiro, which means park of the pleasent retreat.  after seeing major green spaces in Europe, i suspect the New York copied Europe and not the other way around.  it is too bad Toronto doesnt have a green space like that.  the park is really huge.  i would say it is about 5 blocks by 7 blocks. it has a big pond.  you can rent a small boat and go rowing around the pond.  there were also street performers, restaurants, cafes, rollerblading and biking lanes....it is fun to spend time there and relax.  plenty of green and shade to take a nap. i didnt do that (yet).  i wanted to cover more ground before i rested.  they have famous piaza's there but i forget their name. 

after the park, i wanted to take the metro back to my area, which is not very far but i wanted to save time and i didnt want to walk new ground at night (9:30 pm). i headed to the nearest metro, which by the way is very clean, neat and air conditioned, but it turns out that that station is under renovation.  Annnndddd, the closest one was also under renovation... Grrrrr, i had to walk away from my destination for about 15 minutes to get to an open metro [i know, i know: i should have just walked instead of take the metro home....whatever].   anyway, i got to my area and i stopped for a traditional Spanish dish for dinner: Seafood Paella.  it is basically fried rice with shrimp, muscles, squid, pawns and some peppers.  That is not something i would normally order, but i had to try it.  to my surprise, it was very good.  the rice is served in a clay pan and as a result it becomes a bit crispy.  i might order it again tomorrow :) ~ for desert: a strawberry and chocolate gilato.....mmmmmm (even though the chocolate was a bit bitter)

i walked a bit more around the royal palace just to see what it looks like at night.  that area is very tourist friendly.  guitar and violin players, restaurants, people walking around in the coolness of the night, couples making out...etc etc etc. i am going there tomorrow morning to visit it from the inside.

overall, Madrid is up there, even though i havent walked its streets properly.  but it is a big city, not crowded, good atmosphere, great weather, reliable transportation system.  nothing really stands out as negative in my memory.  may be when thing: when i arrived at around 4, it felt like a ghost town.  i guess it was the fiesta hour.  nonetheless, i am look forward to spending another day there tomorrow. i have more stops and a bullfighting corrida to watch :)