Paco (the name Puck uses here in Spain) and I went out to eat with one of the historical fencers (Rorro) and his wife tonight–a delicious Italian dinner. I had gnocchi (pasta made of potatoes) which always makes me think of Leo, my host mom in Argentina. It was wonderful to go out with another couple, and we’re meeting Rorro tomorrow morning to go to the fencing practice up in the northern part of Madrid.
Signs like these were hung all over the city to announce La noche en blanco.
Last Saturday we went out for La noche en blanco. We started the night in the Plaza de Espana (just a couple of blocks from our house). There was a huge image of the full moon hanging from one of the buildings overlooking the plaza and fireworks.
The fireworks marked the beginning of the night on the town and did homage to the large image of the moon hanging from the building to the left.
The Plaza de España also has statues of Don Quijote and Sancho Panza, and in the photo you can see the full moon image behind it.
The Plaza de España is only a couple of blocks from our apartment.
There is also a photo of Paco in the Plaza Mayor where we sat at one of the cafes and had some coffee as the night got chilly and we got tired.
You can see the Plaza Mayor behind Puck. It is a gathering area in Spain where many activities have taken place over the years.
We were also pretty amused by the large rubber duckies in the fountains along the road in front of the Prado Museum. There are two photos of Neptune’s fountain. It was very cool to get to walk right up to the fountains because normally there is so much traffic it would be impossible.
The large rubber ducks reminded us of our friend Leigh's collection of duckies.
There were supposedly around a million people on the Madrid streets that night and diverse types of music on the air. They had images of lips on one of the buildings with the loud sound of “smacks” (noisy kisses). As they said, they were showering the streets with kisses.
Kisses for everyone! Imagine the loud smacking sounds.
A final image from our night out on the town:
We had a lot of fun wandering the streets of Madrid with thousands of other people.
We have Internet!
Finally, I have the opportunity to e-mail you from the comfort of my apartment in Madrid! They just hooked up our telephone, TV, and Internet today. It’s amazing how much difference that makes in life. It makes you realize how much Internet affects how we interact with others and find information today.
Puck and I had a good weekend. Saturday night was La Noche en Blanco (The White Night), and there were events taking place all over Madrid that night–music, art, theater, etc. We had a great time, and came home early…around 3 AM I think. I’ll post a few photos with more of a description in the next day or so.
This note is just to say: YEAH! Internet!
I am currently at the orientation for the Fulbright Program, and I’ll be staying in a dorm (with Internet) the next couple of nights. There are about 80 young people here – 4 who are teaching English in Andorra (a very small neighboring country). A cultural affairs officer of the US embassy in Spain spoke to us this morning.
Puck and I got our bags mostly unpacked yesterday, and he headed off to work this morning a little before I headed to the orientation. The last couple of days have been good. We’ve been slowly acquiring those many items one needs for an apartment. Our apartment was already furnished, so we started with the basics which is nice. On Monday and Tuesday, we explored our neighborhood and found little stores where we can buy food and household items. On Monday, we also made our way to southern Madrid where Puck will be working so he could meet his colleagues and familiarize himself with the area. Because Tuesday was a holiday in Madrid, we also found an Internet cafe near our house where Puck could do his work while I ran some errands.
Today we’ve had a few momentous steps. First, Puck headed off on his own to his workplace (he’s picking up Spanish quickly and has figured out the metro). Second, we ordered a package deal for our landline phone, Internet and TV. It looks like our apartment is scheduled to go wireless on the 25th. Two weeks! That seems so long. We also bought a TV last night that will be delivered on Friday. WooHoo! (Yes, delivered. When you don’t have a car, having something delivered–for free in this case–is delightful.)
We do have an elevator in our apartment building which is very nice, especially when you have a bunch of suitcases or are tired after strolling around Madrid. Our neighborhood has a fairly high Asian population–largely immigrants–with many stores run by them–including a few Chinese restaurants. We haven’t met our neighbors yet, but everyone we’ve seen has been nice. Our 2 windows face a parking area and the wall behind it. Surprisingly, this is kind of nice as there aren’t as many windows that can look into ours and we have a decent view of the sky over the wall.
The bedroom with 2 twins pushed together.
Our living room
The view from our apartment. Birds are often on the vines. It does kind of make you want a good mural though. 🙂
Just a short note from the hotel lobby as we pick up our luggage and wait for the taxi. After we left our home in Davis, Puck would joke that we were homeless. It is a strange feeling to not have a place to call your own, though staying with family meant we didn’t feel very homeless. Now, we have found a place in Madrid and are moving in today…papers signed and everything! WooHoo! We really like the neighborhood, and the apartment was a bit bigger than I remembered it being…(though still 30 square meters). Our friend Manuel approved the neighborhood too and came with us to the meeting for the contract.
Today (Sunday) was a good day. Our friend Manuel came to Madrid to see us and show us around a bit. We did a lot of walking and had a good time. He took us for some traditional Spanish tapas (type of appetizers), and we walked by the place where they have an open-air book market near the Prado, by several of the libraries, and through one of the botanical gardens. Manuel was a fountain of knowledge about buildings and the city’s history. He made us feel very welcome, and we chatted with his wife Chus by phone.
Manuel and Mary in front of one of the tapa restaurants.
Puck and Mary at the bar.
Manuel and Paco
Manuel told us tales of the city as we walked the streets. Here we are in the Plaza Mayor.
People for hundred of years watched spectacles from the balconies all around the plaza.