El Rastro

Right, this is me finally getting round to getting my ass out of bed early enough on a Sunday to go to El Rastro, the huge weekly Madrid flea market and take pictures so I can write about it. I've been meaning to for ages but I'm always too lazy/hung over/tired on a Sunday morning to do it. But this morning me and my friend Melissa got up, shook off our Malasaña hangovers and headed over to Embajadores to see if it was even on on Easter Sunday. Easter's quite a big deal in Spain with parades and crying and all sorts (more so in the south though). I haven't actually seen any of the Madrid parades, partly because many of them have been rained off over the past couple of days. Anyway, I shouldn't have worried, the Rastro was in full swing and busy as ever when we arrived at around 12.

We headed straight for the notorious El Caprichio Extremeño tosta shop near the bottom of the market. I wrote about this place and it's baby eel tostas (toasts) a long way back when I first went to the Rastro. Well, now I finally got round to eating one. The 'gulas', a Madrid delicacy, are traditionally eel featuses, but, luckily(?) for me, far more common are imitation ones made out of reformed fish. Mmm. To be honest, looking down at them  on the little plastic tray through my still considerable hang over, they didn't exactly look appetising, but I'd been building up to this for a long time and I'd come this far so I pulled a face and took a bite.

 

Actually, they weren't that bad. A bit of a funny texture (they squish between your teeth but not quite all the way) and a mild fishy taste, but with a cup of sangria on hand to wash it all down it was ok and I polished it off eventually. Just try not to imagine them wriggling...

So then we headed off into the Rastro itself, past the more practical stalls at the bottom between Embajadores and Puerta de Toledo, and up the steep narrow streets lined with jumbled antique shops and people on the pavement selling all sorts of wierd and wonderful stuff. There's just too much to describe really, from paintings to gramaphones, crossbows to a life size bronze elk. It's part Camden market, part Marrakesh souk, part Salford scrapheap.

Other highlights include a frenzied little everything-€2 clothes stall that permenantly has people picking over it and a rusty old chastity belt complete with serrated holes (see below). I ended up spotting an old Super 8 video camera for €15 and thought 'why not'?

 

 

 And just in case you didn't think I'd eaten that tosta...



Ramos Linguistically Innocent
So, it turns out that although Sergio Ramos was holding the cup before it fell, it wasn't strictly his fault, as far as the Spanish language is concerned at least. The British press quoted him as shouting "The cup has fallen!", which sounds hilarious in English, but I'm told by someone knowledgeable in these matters that there is no word for 'drop' in Spanish. Things are much more passive in Spanish and hence you say "It fell from me" rather than "I dropped it". See? Not his fault.

Phrase of the day: ¡Ha caído! - It has fallen!

Tortilla II

So it seems the celebrations did go on late into the night in the city centre last night after Real won the Copa del Rey, even though Sergio Ramos managed to drop the cup under a bus! Sergio!

There was so much to write about yesterday I forgot about this. I cooked another tortilla the other night, and with the help of a non-stick pan (with a handle this time) and some advice from a half Spanish friend, it came out absolutely perfect. I think the main tips to take away are to put almost as much onion in as potato, which makes it nice and moist, and put it on a very low heat when putting the potato-egg mix back in the pan. A non-stick pan  does help considerably though too. Here it is, post flip.

Also, maybe it's that I'm looking a bit more tanned these days, but people keep asking me for directions recently. I've often been mistaken for a local in many European countries before, but not until recently in Spain, and my students laughed when I asked them if I looked Spanish in an exercise. Anyway, it's quite satisfying that I can actually direct them now too, as I'm currently doing the Rosetta Stone module on giving (and receiving) directions. Still a very long way to go with my Spanish though. Another reason to stay in Spain next year maybe.

Word of the day: Vela - Candle

Catch-Up

A fierce thunderstorm over Madrid tonight, with black clouds puctuated by purple-pink lightning illuminating the sky as I came out of Atocha station just after sun-down. So I have a lot of catching up to do as usual. I've been on holiday this week but nevertheless been busy with trips and friends and tricycles, as you will hear in a moment. Today though, I've been to El Escorial out to the west. It's where the Royal family used to have their second residence and also where Franco is buried, although his grave has been closed due to hero-worshipping nazis causing trouble. It's only a €6.40 return ticket from Atocha but a fairly long ride through lovely scenery (once you're out of the city) up to the foot of the western mountains. Again, props to Madrid's awesome public transport. Nice to see some mountains up close, El Escorial is high enough to give a good view out over the plateau, which provides a nice back-drop to the big and impressive old Monastery (must've housed a fair few monks) and pretty old town with a nice square for drinks and tapas. With all these trips out Madrid's surrounding towns, I'm beginning to see why a lot of guide books on the city feature large 'excursions' sections. All the old historical bits are actually in the towns surrounding Madrid which is a relatively new city really. When living there, it's also great to get away from the sheer bustle of the place occasionally too. It's not that big for it's six million strong population and it can feel crowded.

Anyway, because this post is a bit overdue, I have a few things to talk about. First up...

Toledo
Me and Kate went to Toledo for 24 hours at the weekend. It's a quick trip from Madrid - half an hour on the high speed Avant from Atocha station and only about €10 each way. I'd booked a hostal (hotel meets hostel) right in the old town for €25 per head too.

I'd been hearing about Toledo for a long time from students and also because it used to be the capital of Spain before Felipe II moved the royal court to Madrid in 1561. It's a beautiful old city on the high bank of a crook in the river that flows around it, and the surrounding scenery is beautiful and very Spanish. To be honest, we decided very early on not to run round seeing things too much so I can't really give you a full guide but we wandered around the narrow streets and tiny alleyways and saw the alcazar (fortress) and cathedral and had a walk down by the river which had some nice scenery (and some large cicadas that Kate was not a fan of...). Later on, looking for a vegan meal we stumbled across possibly the only vegetarian restuarant in old Toledo (they are not common in Spain), Madre Tierre, near the cathedral, which was good, not too expensive and busy with a nice atmosphere.

It's a really beautiful place, both the city's ancient architecture and it's surrounding countryside, and not too expensive to take a short trip from Madrid. I'm really enjoying these trips out to places and I think Segovia is definately next on the list, with it's roman viaduct and proximity to the mountains, but I definately want to go back to Toledo before I leave. Which brings me to...

Where next?
Lately I've been thinking a lot about what my next move is going to be. I'd been leaning more and more towards moving to London (note to self: must think of better blog titles) in September, but now the Easter holidays have arrived I feel like my time in Spain is running out, and to be honest I'm really really enjoying it here. Not only that but now I've started to really earn decent money for reasonable hours and pay off some debt as a result. Also, a move to London could well be more permanent for me and god, am I ready for that? I certainly do miss a lot of people in the UK though but I will be seeing them over the summer too. Barcelona is an idea currently being talked about by my friends here and that could be great. I think I'm going to start looking for a non-English teaching job in Barcelona and see if that is a possibility, although I'm not too hopeful really. Anyway, I've changed my mind about this about three times this week already so I suppose we'll have to see but it's certainly something weighing heavily on my mind. But now for something completely different...

The Tricycle
Second hand shops do not exist in Madrid, and neither do dumps. People just put their unwanted stuff out on the street for the obliging bin men to take away. Now, I don't like to see a good thing go to waste, and I'm also willing to wrestle large objects through the street and up into my apartment in the dead of night. So currently adorning my apartment, collected over the last few months, all for free, are three armchairs, a full length mirror, a clothes drying rack and an adult tricycle.

This adult tricycle. Now, in my opinion, this is probably the best thing ever, although not everyone seems to agree. I found it round the corner from my house, awaiting the bin men and just couldn't leave it to that fate. It was in great nick, no punctures or anything and with a bit of tinkering I took it down to the river for a spin, with a friend perched on the back chariot-racer style. I'm thinking a detachable cool box to go on the back and it's the ultimate picnic mobile! I think I will need to find it a parking space before my flatmates come back though. Oh and I nearly forgot...

The Prado
I finally went to the famous Prado museum yesterday, housing big collections of Spanish artists among other things. It's free on Tuesdays from 6-8pm and although there's a long queue, it files in pretty quickly. I can't pretend to really know anything about art, especially old portraits which tend to leave me rather non-plussed, but I do enjoy galleries like that where you sometimes really feel a connection to the cultural history of a particular place or humanity in general. I liked some of the Velazquez stuff, but what really impressed me was the eerie room containing Goya's black period paintings, which really suck you in. It's then amazing to see the contrast between this and his earlier stuff afterwards, which makes you reflect on a person as a totality over time.

Phew! I feel like I've not given these things the individual attention they deserve, but things feel like they're going at breakneck speed at the moment. Lots happening, lots to do, not much time to write about it! Still, it can only be a good thing that that's still how I feel after going on six months of living here.

Ps. As I've been writing this, Real Madrid beat Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, (the second of 4 episodes of 'El Classico' in 18 days), winning Real's first trophy for three years, and there is now a considerable amount of honking shouting, trumpeting and general celebrating going on outside on the street considering this neighbourhood is firm Atleti territory! Could get interesting...

Scorchio! (River, Roof, Retiro)

Phew, Easter is nearly here. It's feeling like a bit of a long slog at the moment, with none of those nice Spanish days off at this time of the year. Spain still being Spain though, most companies take the whole week off for Easter so that means a break for us English teachers too. I decided a while ago not to go home for the Easter break to save money (I was going to buy a €350 train ticket), so I'll still be in Madrid but have a bit of time to relax, see some stuff and do some sunbathing. It does mean that I'll miss out on seeing some friends and family, but I realised I'll be back in a couple of months anyway as most of my teaching contracts run out at the end of June and I've got a job sorted for the summer in the UK (working at festivals - can't wait, much needed change of scene from teaching English!), and I've got a group of mates visiting the week after (to avoid the royal wedding). I can't believe I've got so little time left to be honest. The last couple of months have absolutely flown by. Still, I suppose 2 and a half months is still quite a while left.

Highlights of the week have included a big picnic in Retiro park in the scorching heat, the scorching heat in general, some lovely sunsets from our roof and discovering some more of the newly-opened riverside area. The roof is still proving to be far and away the best thing about this apartment, and is really beautiful at sun-down, with swifts and swallows wheeling and diving over the rooftops and aerials and the mountains hazily visible in the distance.

The riverside area, which I wrote a bit about before, is still being worked on, but the entire west bank is now open, from Principe Pio right down to near Legazpi. With the spring freshly sprung, it's arrival is very timely and every time I've been down it, it's been packed with people. It's not just the weather though, it is great. One of the best municipal projects I've seen. Being out of the real city centre, it feels more like a beachfront, with kids playing in sandy (and amazing-looking) playgrounds by the side of the pathway. The pedestrian bridges across the river are creative and well designed, there's some nice artwork on the buildings (although more would be welcome) and, although much of the vegetation is still growing and they're having finishing touches put to them, the park areas look like they'll be great. Way to go Madrid! I was cycling along there on Sunday afternoon while an Atletico game was going on in the Vincente Calderon on the city side of the river and the atmosphere was great. It's got to be a massive extra reason to live in the south west of the city now.

I was also out in Malasaña on Saturday night, when we came across and joined in on a huge botellon (street drinking social) in a square near Tribunal. There must have been at least 200 people sitting around chatting. Great atmosphere despite the lack of chairs, tables or music, with the street vendors making very efficient waiters, until the policia arrived and everyone quickly picked themselves up and made a hasty exit in the opposite direction. I noticed that someone had found this blog the other week (I know, I need to get a life and stop checking this kind of thing) by searching "what goes on in a spanish square after dark" on Google which is a curious thing to want to know, but I suppose a lot of sitting down, drinking and eating is mainly the answer!

Word of the day: gente - people

Spanish Air

Maybe it's just that I'm finally getting my sense of smell back after quitting smoking in November, but walking back from watching Spurs get roundly beaten by Real Madrid (on TV, not at the Bernabeu) just now, I was taking deep lungfuls of the hot, vapor-heavy atmosphere hanging around from a scorching day, that smelled unmistakeably of what I've always known to myself as 'Spanish air'. You get it on maybe one or two nights a year in the UK but it's always there when you go on holiday to, for example, Spain. Until now, Madrid has been cold, occasionally rainy and often not unlike England in its climate and general feel, but now spring is really going for it and every time I step out of a building, day or night, I can't help smiling and just thinking, 'I'm in Spain!'

Spring, El Cuatro Torres and La Noche en Blanco

My afternoon classes were cancelled today so I decided to go and see Madrid's four skyscrapers, the cuatro torres, up near Plaza de Castilla. I had an errand to run on the way and plenty of time to kill so I took my bike. The weather's changed dramatically since the clocks went back (or forward, or whatever) last week and its now really hot and quite humid, so by the time I got to my first destination (after a lovely cycle through La Latina and down Calle Huertas), I was drenched in sweat. I'm going to mostly put this down to the temperature, but cycling up the busy Paseo Castellano is enough to make you perspire even on a cold day. The Spanish driving style certainly makes you use your brakes quite strongly on occasion, and roundabouts are taken at speed.

I'd been wanting to go have a look at the four towers for a while now after seeing them from afar all the time, something my girlfriend has just not been able to understand. I suppose it's quite a male thing... Anyway, when I finally got there via the Plaza de Castilla's leaning towers (it's probably the furthest north I've been in the city, apart from going to the airport), I have to admit she was right. They look a lot more impressive from far away and the area they're in is pretty, well, nothingy. It's not even horribly concreted like the area around the Torre Picasso, there's just nothing else there.

But not to worry, I was back on my bike and off back down the Paseo Castellano until I detoured to coast down through Malasaña and down GranVia to Plaza de España, which I've been wanting to do for ages too. From there I went by the Plaza Oriente and looped past the Palace and through to Opera, round Plaza Mayor to Plaza de Puerta de Cerrada with it's murals and sparrows from where I'm writing this now. The joy of cycling round a city! (After I'd written this on my way down the hill to my flat, another cyclist drew level to say "Madrid! Que bueno!" before speeding past). But enough of that for now, a post about cycling in Madrid coming soon.

Song and dance on the Cercanias

On Saturday I went out to Alcala de Heneres with some friends for El Noche en Blanco, some kind of fiesta the reason for which I'm still not quite sure of. They love a fiesta in Spain and any excuse will do really. After a picnic in Retiro in the overcast but warm afternoon and a fun half an hour Cercanias ride where our group had half the carriage singing along, and even dancing at one point, to Beatles songs (the security didn't really know what to make of this once they realised we weren't doing it for money), we arrived in the main square as darkness was falling at about 9pm to find a stage erected with a local flamenco show in full swing. The participants were evidently local enthusiasts rather than professionals, but that's all part of what's great about Spanish fiestas to me, they're very locally focussed and have a nice community feel to them.

Part of our reason for going was that Alcala is a UNESCO heritage site (and Cervantes birthplace) but, to be honest, it just reminded me very strongly of Chester in the UK. The centre of Valencia is much nicer! Still, the streets were full, the night was warm, and it was nice to sit on the street drinking beer and eating tapas. (Note: careful when asking a waiter for "muchos tapas", you might get more than you bargained for!).

With the hot weather and the lighter evenings, Madrid's terrazas have sprung back out, which brings so much more atmosphere to the streets in the evening. Even the little old bar opposite our flat has bought some tables and chairs. A recent exeptional find though, on a recommendation from a friend, is a rooftop terrace bar called Gaudeamus, on top of an old library on Calle Tribulete in Lavapies. A view over the rooftops and the old church-like stonework combined with good lighting and vegetation make it one of the best drinking spots I've found, and the prices aren't too bad either at €2.80 a decent sized caña. Recommended.

Finally, an update on Madrid's parrot situation. I don't know if this happens every year as it gets warmer but there are more and more of the little green fellas to be seen, or rather heard, near the centre of the city these days and they're a common sight, or rather sound, near our apartment. I'm beginning to see why people released them as pets, they have got quite a squawk on them.

Word of the day: Torres - Towers    (Fernando Torres? Ferdinand Towers)