"I like your friends better than my friends"

As cliche as it may be March definitely came in like a lion here in Spain. The weather has been averaging 65 degrees, the children have decided that they're done with school, AND Kristen came to visit. After a particularly crazy couple of days at school it was nice to finally have some 'home' around me. I completely understand that the children want to be outside in the sunshine, I definitely remember those days at school too, problem is that here in Spain those days start in March instead of May. There has been a lot of yelling and more unruliness than usual. Hard to believe that's even possible, I know! This is also around the time that my body decided to shut down so my patience were gone to begin with.

Anyways, Kristen came in on a Wednesday and she finally gave me the chance to take the new metro out to Terminal 4. Funny story: I saw one of my adult students at the arrival gate getting off a flight. I didn't want to leave my spot in line so I figured I would just tell him about it in class later that night. Well, its a good thing I didn't because when I saw him a few weeks later (he canceled class of course) he said it was his twin brother! That could have been wicked awkward. I'm going to recount Kristen's time here by day:

Day 1:
On the way home from the airport and for the rest of the day we caught up on gossip, clearly. Since my class canceled we went to Retiro for the usual see Madrid routine stop. Although, it was quite interesting because we got to the lake and were met with a freezing rain storm for about 20 minutes. Fun! The park still looked amazing because the sun was setting and that always changes everything. From there we took one of the back exits out of the park and walked the Paseo del Prado (aka Where Monique was almost robbed). We walked the whole way down to Atocha and then back up the opposite side of the park. This may sound like a nice little walk, but in reality its about ten miles. The weather cleared up so it was pleasant and we saw a lot of the city.

Day 2:
I had school so Kristen set off on her own little adventure that involved the Prado and shopping. She was in her element. After my night class I met her and my roommate at one of our local bars, Bo'finns for dinner and drinks. I certainly know how to pick them because we quickly discovered that there was a men's rugby team from New Zealand celebrating their completion of a two week circuit in Madrid at the bar. Fact: Rugby follows me everywhere. With that said, it was a fun night.

Day 3:
We did Sol, the Palace, and Plaza Mayor. The norm. With the construction at the Palace still it doesn't give as good a view as it did two years ago but its impressive nonetheless. Plaza Mayor was perfect because everyone was just sitting out drinking and eating. Very Spanish. I hear that come Spring time the Plaza is packed with people enjoying the sunshine and each other. Sol was crowded as usual but its the center of Spain so you have to expect that always. The night was wicked lame because I was still feeling horrible and wanted to preserve myself for Saturday night. Kristen and I spent the night acting like idiots in my apartment for no particular reason.

Day 4:
This Saturday night was one of the greatest in the history of my time in Spain. Kristen, Lisa and I got ready together for a continuation of Juanma's birthday. We all met at a Mexican restaurant in Chueca for dinner reservations at around 11. But in true Spanish style that meant that we didn't get our table until 1230ish. While we waited outside we felt like we were on display because the Spaniards closed us in to the middle of the circle. There was no escape, we were the centers of attention. After we were seated we all agreed upon an all you can eat and drink price for the next 2 and half hours. I'm proud to say that the sixteen of us put back enough beer and pitchers of alcohol to quench the thirst of a small army.
After they closed the restaurant around us we headed off to the next bar. We met up with some other teachers from my school and then all got in cabs to head to 69 Petals, a club. The music was fantastic, and listening to Spaniards try to sing American classics made it even better. I served as translator most of the night because Kristen's a little rusty on her MBC trained Spanish. Antonio, who used to work at the school last year and who I've written about before because of his intense Sevillian accent, would say something and then expect me to translate the whole night. I have to say I'm quite proud of myself because on average most Spaniards don't understand him. My Spanish is definitely favoring a southern accent, or at least my understanding. We spent the rest of the night dancing and singing, all around craziness.
At around 6 when the bar closed the seven of us that were left took off for home. Just the walk to the metro was a challenge but we managed. After a successful night Kristen and I strolled into my apartment around 7am. By far one of the best nights ever.

Day 5:
Kristen and I rallied. We got up early and headed off to the Rastro, the outdoor flea market. We both bought new earrings and took in some of that Madrid sun. Its popular after the Rastro to find your way into one of the local restaurants. I had a delicious house dish of paella and she was introduced to croquetas. We came back home and caught up on our sleep. At night we went out, finally, to this amazing sushi restaurant near my apartment. The food was great and we were there on 'date night' which was even better, haha. It was a great end to a wonderful visit!


Oh, and in case you're wondering why I love it here so much, here's a video from that Saturday night:




Negative: Little sunburns.

Positive: 6 packs of American gum!