Puente

Puente means bridge, and it is that special day when Spaniards say, "Hey, it's Monday or Friday and there is a holiday tomorrow or there was one yesterday, so let's not have work or school or anything but an extended weekend!" That's right, no silly "observed" days for those inconvenient holidays that are tied to a number of the month (President's Day, I am looking at you). Instead, the powers that be (I'd like to think it was some past King who had this brainstorm) acknowledge the reality of productivity and give us the day off. This one (October 11-12) is in celebration of a few things that I enumerated in an earlier blog post: Columbus, Hispanic-ness, the Virgin on the Column, and the military.

So how did I spend my puente? On Monday, I had planned to do a day trip to a little pueblo outside Madrid, but the weather was meh and I had no one to go with, so instead I spent a couple of hours at Retiro (that one big park) reading and people watching and being probably as cold as I have been so far in Madrid, and then I went to the movies. I saw "Amador," which is like... well, the closest thing I can think of to compare it to is "Weekend at Bernie's," but more sensitive. Times infinity.

Roller Skating Dancing Man in Retiro

Palacio Cristal in Retiro

El Angel Caído - probably the only statue of the devil in the world

Tuesday was the big military parade, presided over by the King/Royal Family. Let me tell you, I WAS NOT PREPARED. This was so impressive and at the same time so WEIRD for an American to watch. I was expecting police cars and firetrucks, of which there were some, and a couple bands and some marching. THERE WERE TANKS, people. And rockets. And every soldier marching with arms swinging hugely (at least they weren't goose-stepping). Still, I had the distinct feeling I was in Red Square or something twenty years ago. And there were bands, one of which was on horseback. And then at the end, there were about 10 million black sedans that rolled through, one in which the Queen was clearly visible, and the others, which had mostly blacked out windows, held the Princes and Princesses and the King and the Prime Minister. So it's safe to say that I had a close encounter of the royal kind today with the thousands of other people along the parade route, but didn't know it until some little girl was explaining it to her mother. Thank you, Spanish eavesdropping.

That's like a Spanish flag in the sky, if the yellow were more yellow

Is it just me, or do these guys look straight outta Empire Strikes Back?

THAT IS A TANK ON THE STREET

Marching Band on horses. BU, get on this idea now.
Loving the bayonets and the arm swings. What is this, 1914?