Guernica in Madrid

(Guernica image courtesy of Wikipedia)

The trip to Madrid wasn't pleasant. Too many rude people in suits. I mean, seriously, we'll all get to the destination at the same time, and nobody is going to steal your seat.

Anyway, the flight was uneventful. It was difficult for me to stay awake and I wished it was longer.

The cab ride cost 30€ flat rate. But i didn't have much choice. The Aerocity website said that 4pm was past their time and I would have to call them. Yeah, right.

The taxi driver looked nervous when we arrived near my hostal. I thought I was lucky to find a hostal room with a private bathroom, but I later found out that a hostal is not the same as a youth hostel. I also later found that the area where the hostal was is Madrid's Red Light District (no wonder the cabbie was nervous). But the room was very nice, much better than most US hotels at that price.

I went to a bar/restaurant a half a block away and the waiter was very welcoming. I ordered paella con pollo. Then he called me guapa when he brought it to my table. I swear Spanish men are such big flirts.

So I had my paella while watching futbol with the locals. It was pretty good and a decent size. I was very full even though the waiter assured me it's for one person, not two.

I ordered my ticket for the Madrid City Tour bus online and thankfully the hostal had a business center with computers and printers, because I had to print the voucher to exchange for a ticket on the bus. It took me maybe an hour to figure out how to print it from a website on my tablet, then I realized I could use AirDroid.

More Museo de Reina Sofia pictures in Smugmug.

The next day, I took the tour bus to the Museo Reina Sofia to see Guernica. I spent 4-5 hours on the second floor only. There was more on the first floor and the fourth floor but I was starting to feel woozy and it was getting late.

I decided on a Lizarran restaurant (it seems to be a chain of tapas restaurants) about a block away. I ordered a racion de arroz con something y longaniza. The waiter was very friendly and always smiling but he kept talking fast and I didn't understand a word he said. But I got the right order.

The serving size was maybe half a plate. The rice was the same as the paella rice the night before, but they included a half a lemon, so I tried squeezing that over the rice and it turned out to be very good!

So from now on, paella with lemon. :)

Like the previous night, not much meat in it. And Spanish longaniza is not the same as Filipino longanisa.

More Madrid bus tour pictures in Smugmug.

I wanted to see the Palacio Reial but it was already late, so I just took the Ruta 2 in its entirety and then the rest of Ruta 1 until the stop near my hotel.

It was a tad chilly and windy. I was wearing only a light cardigan with a tank top, while everyone else was wearing winter jackets. (!!!) But I braved the upper deck of the bus to be able to take pictures.

For dinner, a sandwich from Pan & Company and poptots, which are cake-like doughnut holes covered with chocolate. Mmmmm. Para llevar.