Last weekend the program took us to Córdoba, which was beautiful. We spent most of the first day in the old part of the city surrounding the mosque-cum-cathedral and in the Jewish Quarter, which was characterized by narrow streets and patios inside houses which we could see but not enjoy. Saturday we walked around the more modern (and Christian) part, but also saw some ruins of a Roman temple and a refurbished Roman bridge. Photos are on Facebook for the curious.
What really stood out about Córdoba, though, was the food. We had berenjenas fritas (fried eggplant sticks that look like extra long and greenish french fries) and Paola and Laura were brave enough to try rabos de toro (ox tail). Other fried vegetables, gazpacho (it was killer hot outside), fancy ice cream, and Andalusian cheese rounded out my culinary experience of the weekend.
When we got back to Madrid on Saturday, we opted for something a little more familiar for our palates, and went to eat Indian food in Lavapies (literally, wash feet, but its a neighborhood in Madrid with lots of ethnic restaurants). We found one for dinner, but much to our surprise our food was more sweet than spicy. We chalked this up to wussy Spanish palates who cannot handle spicy, and wondered if maybe next time we should tell them we are American and they do not have to de-spice-ify Indian food for us.
Sunday, we went to the Rastro (literally "trace"), which is a HUGE open-air market that sells...everything. Antiques, jewelry, crafts, old books, electronics, clothes, and sporting goods were just some of the things we browsed. I bought a pair of earrings, Stacy bought a hat, and Laura bought something that would prove useful that night - a Real Madrid scarf.
The Real Madrid game was much more fun that I had imagined, and the rules of the stadium much stranger. My señora told me that most people bring in food, so she packed me a sandwich and some fruit because the game was going to happen right about dinner time (9pm). She told me that during half time the whole stadium pulls out their bocadillos (sandwiches) to eat them because there is no halftime entertainment. Well, turns out she was right, and I looked like a true madrileña with my bocadillo wrapped in tin foil in the stands. They also love to eat pipas (sunflower seeds), which was evident by the husks ALL OVER EVERYTHING. Finally, and this was the weirdest for me, is that they wouldn't let me bring in my waterbottle because it was metal. Really? What am I going to do, chuck it onto the field or something? Only plastic and disposable allowed, apparently. So I had to leave it by the turnstiles and retreive it after the game (from some official's bag. Glad I got there in time, eh?).
This weekend I'm making a quick trip to London with some friends so that my señora can go to Andorra to visit her grandkids over the long weekend. We're only spending 3 of the 5 days in London because of the expense, so I'll be fitting as much as possible into each day (which should make for some pretty exciting blogging when I return). There is also a parade on Tuesday that I'm thinking of going to, which celebrates... I'm not sure what. This weekend is 1) Columbus Day, which BU gives us off, 2) Something about Independence, which is what the parade is for, and 3) the Fiesta de Pilar, which is something about Saint James seeing a virgin on a column (pilar) and she is the patroness saint of Spain. I guess either way, it's nice to have a long weekend.
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