Day 2 started with a typical Spanish breakfast, some delicious pan with cheese and a selection of meat, excellent coffee, juices and croissants.
Everyone was on time (yay!) and we were off on a driving tour of Madrid with our local city guide, Berta. We drove by Las Ventas bull ring, saw the most affluent neighborhood of Salamanca and made our way to the Palacio Real. King Felipe is currently visiting the US, making it possible to see some of the 2800 rooms of this luxurious palace.
Onto the local market we went to pick up some food for a picnic at the gorgeous Parque de Retiro. Let's be honest, when given an option to make smart decisions not everyone takes it. We had a fair share of Pringles, chocolate cookies, Oreos that some students called lunch. Others took the time to choose a good piece of lomo, chorizo, jamon and did a tasting of various cheeses and fruits. Have I mentioned how hot it is? I promised months ago that heat will be an issue and unfortunately, I was right. Why do I mention this now? It's so important to choose good meals so that we can give our bodies the energy it needs to walk (8+ miles today?) and handle the crazy heat. Moral of the story: tomorrow we all will make better food choices!
After a relaxing picnic (in the shade!), we split into two groups. Real Madrid lovers went to Santiago Barnabeu to see the famed team's home stadium while the rest of us "raced" in rowboat. And by race I mean, try to figure out how to navigate the thing so we weren't just doing loopies. Ok, maybe that was just our boat.
We split into two groups once again, with one heading back to the hotel, while others to Teleférico Cable Car to get a view of Madrid from afar. A few pics later we got back to the hotel via Madrid Metro, just like locals.
Dinner was meatballs and rice (mixed reviews but maybe better than yesterday?) followed by an incredible flamenco show. I have seen Flamenco all over Spain, but seeing how the dance comes from the South it is not uncommon to find less than authentic experience elsewhere. Las Carboneras didn't disappoint! Powerful expressions, precise movements and high energy created a quality show consisting of three female and one male dancers.
The eve ended with some people heading back to the hotel, while others cooling off with ice cream at Mercado de San Miguel. Think of San Jose's San Pedro Market meets San Francisco's Ferry Building. Now make it fancier and open almost 24/7 and you have yourself Mercado de San Miguel. I'd like to just eat there for a week nonstop but that's unlikely to happen.
Tomorrow we are off to Toledo, Spain's religious capital and then back in Madrid for a pick of several activities.
Toledo is a capital of marzipan and weaponry of course. Don't forget to get a marzipan cake.
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