missed the Prado again

Tue, March 21 - We got as far as walking to it, but between getting up late, traveling about, eating, and checking things along the way it was already 5pm by the time we got there. I had to meet up with Angela after work, at 6:30, which left me with only enough time to walk the Paseo del Prado, but not go inside the building itself! I think this is the 3rd time I plan on going, and end up canceling. Tomorrow I have all day to myself, and I am really pushing to wake up early and go!

I organized some pics taken over the weekend. Unfortunately it isn't a great representation of all the things that happened. Maybe I should get a cell asap just so i have a small, portable camera.

Monday was a quiet day, walked all the way from home to Huertas, the gay neighborhood, passing through the infamous Calle de la Montera. Things were quiet on a Monday night, but I observed enough of the russian prostitutes lining the streets to get a feel of the aggressive desperation of the place. Huertas itself is a much more relaxed, fun atmosphere. I have yet to observe the actual nightlife there, but I'm hoping to make it before leaving.

More things to keep in mind when traveling to Spain:

If you drive, be ready for a whole new education on the concept. Street lights are often to be found at the entrance of a block, not just at the end of it. They're kind of optional anyways. If you are a pedestrian, absolutely stick to the red walk light, and do not think that just because the walk light has turned green you can go across. Many cars will still drive through at full speed for several seconds! I thought I was a pro at jaywalking in NYC, and taxi drivers were the worse there. The average driver here is definitely worse than a cab in NYC. Parking is also completely redefined here.

In the USA, pocket change is to be avoided, and is usually stored in a piggy bank at the end of each day. In Spain, we were stuck at the train station on the outskirts of Madrid with a ticket machine that only accepted coins. And not just coins. Exact change. No bills option. No change machine. No ticket window option. A vending machine nearby was no help. Thankfully, we found enough euros scattered amid pounds and other denominations that littered the floor of the car to add up to two tickets!

Things I didn't need to bring with me: so many clothes. I haven't used nearly enough shirts to justify all the bunch I have. 4 pairs of pants are handy, though. I do have easy access to do laundry... Maybe that makes a difference.

Things I am thankful I brought: the clubbing gear. A set of clothes, make-up, and accessories to feel like a local experiencing the nightlife, and not a tourist with sandals and only comfy walk-around gear on.

Things I wish I had brought: a more versatile bag for daily side-trips; a cell phone or at least a watch. Individual city guides rather than this huge Western Europe book (although it does have all the essentials, it has come in very handy! i wish it came in modules, so i could take with me only those pages i needed...)

Things I wish were different: easier shopping. I have no good idea of where to go find a real-sized supermarket, clothes, or other essentials. There are so many tiny places one next to the other, it's too cluttered to make good sense of things. Many stores will be tiny, low-visibility doors down narrow alleys. I have no clue how people find some of these places! The only way this has helped me is by preventing me from buying things, keeping my budget in check!

Random situations: I speak "Spanish" and "English". This allows me to communicate both with my hosts and the locals. Unfortunately, we're talking British English vs. American English, and Spain Spanish vs American Spanish. And the cultural differences also make for new concepts and words I need to learn from scratch. For example, the wide variety of bread makes it so that you can't just ask for a sandwich in a restaurant. You have to figure out if it'll be a "bocadillo", "baguette", "sandwich", "mondato", or "montadillo"... and I'm sure I'm missing some terms (the main diff is size, I think. But also type of bread.) I feel like my knowledge of these languages has suddenly halved. At least Italian there is only one. Well, if you exclude the 20+ different dialects from every region. But they're technically separate languages.

Overall, I am mad lucky to have a fabulous, energetic, vibrating hostess that gives me access to her place at all hours with no complaints, and knows all the right people that know all the nightlife, and a cool, versatile, computer super-user, daring, fellow world-traveler, willing to squeeze his broke bank account and go through sleep deprivation to make time and money to share some randomness with me. And Ariel is the coolest Spanish, cracks, and clap music teacher around. He's an amazing 6-yrs-old! Hurray for a wonderful first week! :D Now I just have to get some more touristy kinda things in, to experience the classic side of this culture. Prado, here I come!