Sunday, February 16
We drove up to Portland today, in a sensible white Toyota, through two hours of steady rain. Not much fun. But then, after we checked into our sensible hotel, the Andees met us for dinner, which was nicer. It was still raining though.
Monday, February 17
We got up early and drove through the rain to the airport, where we dropped off the Toyota just before 5:00 a.m. A tediously long tunnel led us finally into the newly renovated main terminal, which is a sight to see. By 7:15 we were in the air headed for New York.
We deplaned into Concourse B at JFK. Having had a skimpy breakfast, we were quite ready for lunch. But was Concourse B ready for us? What a sad sack collection of eateries. Somehow we made do. Four hours after that, we had a really good dinner* on our Delta flight to Madrid, which did much to boost our spirits.
*except for the dessert of which E did NOT approve
Tuesday, February 18
Our plane arrived at Barajas airport at dawn, just in time for a pretty sunrise under a still bright three quarter moon. When we got out of the plane, our part of the terminal was mostly empty. It was a long way from the gate to Immigration, but a good walk was just the thing at that point. And when we got to the immigration hall, there were no lines at all, just five or six somewhat bored looking officers, who may have been glad to see someone show up. How often does that happen?! Before long we were through customs and back into the real world, dragging our luggage along with us, looking for an airport cafe that we knew had to be there somewhere. When we found it, we ordered some much anticipated Spanish coffee and pastries and sat down to contemplate our next move.
We made sure our phones were working and then mapped out a Metro route to get from the airport to our short term rental, located in a part of old Madrid. That was all very well, but when we eventually got off the Metro in the proper area, we were unpleasantly reminded that Metro stops in the old town do not necessarily include escalators or elevators. Yuck. Our suitcases were equipped with air tags but not with anti-gravity modules . We got our exercise dragging them up a couple of flights. Then we took a taxi for the last leg.
By noon we were safely settled into our little apartment. Then it was nap time. It’s amazing how comfortable a bed can be after twenty-three hours of traveling.
The apartment also features a couple of minorish plumbing problems, a vacuum cleaner, lots of storage space, and a mop bucket that is accompanied by a mop handle that has no mop at the end. Interesting.
We are in a neighborhood called Chueca, named after a 19th century Spanish composer. It is inside the old city walls and is situated near a number of massive neoclassical government buildings that were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite having such distinguished neighbors, by the 1940’s Chueca had fallen upon hard times and become a place where sensible people did not go. In the sixties, hippies and artists lived here, but by the seventies it was famous mostly for drug trafficking or worse. In the eighties and nineties, it gradually became a gay neighborhood and gentrification began. It is now a major tourist and entertainment area.
Our place is not right in the center of things, but on Friday and Saturday nights we heard enough revelry to know that we weren’t in Corvallis anymore.
Wednesday, February 19th
We located a likely looking grocery store and began stocking up on things that we need. E worked on the challenges involved in buying and weighing produce so as to make things easy at the checkout counter. M got some wine and noted that prices seemed very low. Exchange rates are okay these days; the euro and the dollar are almost exactly equal. We got a take-out tortilla* that we can live on for a day or two.
*In Spanish cooking a tortilla is a thick omelet containing potato and other vegetables, typically served cut into wedges that resemble slices of pie.
Thursday, February 20th
More shopping today, to get the things we didn’t get yesterday. (There’s a limit to how much you can buy when you’re afoot and several blocks from home. ) Besides staples and other boring things, we got a litre of orange juice from one of those machines that squeezes the oranges and fills your bottle while you wait. Was it delicious? Yes.
We also searched out a vintage clothing place and E got herself a sweater to wear around the house, so as to keep her other sweaters nice for going out.
We are quite jet lagged these days, falling asleep at odd hours, etc. We don’t accomplish all that much.
Friday, February 21st
The Spanish midday meal is eaten at around 2:30 PM. It’s called comida and is generally much more substantial than the meal that we call lunch. (It is also more likely to include wine.) Today we went to see Leslie and Marciano and had comida there. The meal began with aperitivos consisting of olives, cheese, crackers and jamón serrano, followed by a squash soup, and then by chicken Alfredo. For dessert we had fresh pineapple and cream. It was great to be with them again. E and L met many years ago while E was teaching English in Madrid and have enjoyed keeping in touch over the years. L and M’s children are grown and gone, but they have left behind some lovely pets with whom we enjoyed socializing.
Saturday, February 22nd
Today we met Manolo, who invited us to join him at place called Macareno, a bar and cafe just twenty minutes walk from our apartment. Manolo was born and bred in Madrid and knows dozens of places where a person can make a more informal comida from tapas and drinks of some kind. Like most of the places Manolo has taken us, Macareno seemed tiny, with just a few cramped tables and not that many square feet of standing room, but it is a hidden gem for ambience and food. We found it by following directions on our phones. Siri led us from our apartment along a series of crowded streets, then onto a less crowded cross street, and finally onto a street that was mostly empty. But when we found Macareno and went inside, the place was jammed. Manolo had told us to arrive at 1:00—quite early to be eating—in hopes of possibly getting a table, but that was out of the question. We were able commandeer a couple feet of bar space and one stool and made do with that.
We started with vermut and a big serving of potatoes in garlic mayonnaise sauce. We went on to share some tortilla and then some skewers with anchovies, olives and mild peppers. Our bartender, Alberto, who seemed to know Manolo well, then threw in a big glass of banana wine. Then it was time for more vermut and some really delicious croquettes flavored with jamón serrano and truffles. It was after 2:00 when we left. El Macareno was still packed with customers; the difference now was that there was also a crowd lined up outside the door. Otherwise the street was still empty.
In the evening E had a nice catch up phone call with her friend Margo who has had some health challenges lately but is doing very well. This year is the 60th anniversary of their study abroad year in Puerto Rico, arranged by SUNY Albany.
Sunday, February 23rd
For today’s comida we were invited to Marga’s place. (No, not Margo, Marga) This involved a subway ride and several blocks of walking. We are so unused to urban navigation! Even with the help of our phones, we are often unsure, and yet, so far, we have always managed to arrive on time. The weather has been very cooperative, mostly cloudy with occasional sunshine and temps in the 50’s, which makes for quite pleasant walking.
It was great to see Marga, along with her son, daughter, son-in-law and grandson. Her son P, who was born in Chicago, also happens to be E’s godson. E and Marga’s husbands were Fulbright students at the University of Chicago and money was tight, but they managed to have a social life by taking turns hosting dinners in their tiny apartments. E remembers that baby P had to nap in the closet when his parents brought him to E and R’s studio apartment for dinner.
Monday, February 24th
The goal for today was to decide on a venue for E’s birthday dinner. A couple of our friends recommended a place called La Maruca, so off we went to try and find the place and see what it was like. It turned out to be quite nice. After talking for a while with the hostess E found the place very suitable and the reservation was duly made. Not too surprisingly, one topic of their discussion was the matter of dessert. M believes that he overheard the words “torta de limón.”
Both of us slept well last night and we are finally starting to feel a little more normal. There is an archaeological museum just twenty minutes walk from us and we hope to maybe get over there tomorrow.