Madrid

(will post a photo later today)

We have landed in our little apartment, a great space, a few blocks from Plaza Mayor. Laundry was first on the agenda and then menu of the day. We hit a joint down the street that looked crowded with locals (so far we haven’t eaten at one place recommended by our travel books). Menu of the day included a “Primero”, “Segundo”, drink, bread and dessert. We both ordered salads and I ordered red wine, Sharon ordered mineral water. My Segundo was fresh fish and Sharon’s was roasted chicken. Both came with homemade french fries, both were delicious. Our waiter was hilarious, reminded me of that actor who stars in the King of Queens (anyone remember his name?). He would give us no recommendations, but was humored by our questions about the food and poured wine into our glasses, seeming determined to empty the entire bottle on us. We’ve come to the conclusion that wine is cheaper than water here. In fact, at the dorm in Avila (yes it was a dorm with plenty of older teens residing there…not to mention monks…) served wine to all its inhabitants lunch and dinner (not breakfast, thankfully).