Sorry about the introductory qualifier, but I just want to say I do have some pictures. However, the wireless connection in Philly is so terrible that I'll have to post them later!
After the long flight and all the afternoon walking, my legs were tired. When I got back to the hotel, I made a huge bubble bath and soaked in it, then slowly did my nails (this is a luxury to me now; it's impossible to do my nails with Teo around)! Just as I finished, the phone rang. A wave of terror came over me: I was planning to relax some more, then go to bed! Who could be calling? Will it be a last-minute request to work tonight? To network with the visiting scientists? Oh God, I didn't think I had it in me. I let the phone ring and didn't answer. I had my computer, so I started to email Kevin and ask him what I should do (sure I was tired, but this was a work trip...they didn't pay my way over here so I could lie in bed!)....then, it rang again! I decided I should pick it up.
It was my dear colleague Antonio. Antonio is a little older than me, is an absolute teddy bear of a Spaniard, loves to socialize, and lives in Madrid. I could hear the excitement in his voice that I answered. "Emma" he said, with a strong Spanish accent. "If you're not too tired, I'd like to take you around my city, we'll have some drinks and take some tapas, and it will be a good time. Are you too tired?" Of course I immediately said "no! I'll be down in the lobby in 15 minutes." As the words came out of my mouth, I was already regretting it. I would be exhausted the next day, which was going to be extremely long and intense! But I was not going to disappoint Antonio, who was clearly so excited to have all his friends and colleagues in his city. I pulled myself together, got dressed, and put some bright lipstick on. That always makes me feel better.
When I got to the lobby, there were three other men with him. One from Barcelona, one from The Netherlands, one from Switzerland and one from South Africa. And me. What a mix! As soon as we started walking, and Marcos started gently talking to me with the most dreamy Spanish accent, I immediately knew I had made the right decision, and would never have forgiven myself if I spent my first night in Madrid in my room!!
What an unforgettable evening we had. It was absolutely one of the best nights of my life. I love Spanish people. We walked for hours, literally, from about 5 to 10. We sampled from all over the city, and Antonio took us to all the best spots.
First stop: the "meat museum." Sounds weird, but it's more like a very high end deli with more types of cured meat than you could ever imagine, cheese, and wine. Of course, the first meat that caught my eye was called pata negra, is considered to some to be the best ham in the world, and was, no joke, 90 Euro per kilo! Antonio grabbed my arm and said "we try that one." Then he got a twinkle in his eye and said "how about some sherry with it?" Yes please!! And that was only the beginning. We slowly ate the thinly sliced and very divine pork, which comes from an Iberian pig that eats mainly acorns (bellota in Spanish). The meat is very red and extremely flavorful, and the marbling is thin, uniform, and almost clear. I was dying over the taste, and how well it went with the sherry, when I looked over and Antonio, who had a lukewarm look on his face. "It's good, but not as good as I had expected. There is better meat elsewhere, let's go!" So off we went to the next stop, and Antonio proved his point there.
Second stop: a market called Mercado de San Miguel. Antonio explained that this used to be an old, stinky and dirty market that smelled like fish. One day, someone decided to clean it up and started this very unique sort-of gourmet food court, but that really doesn't describe the elegance of it. It is a food court in the sense that it is enclosed, with counters all around and some tables in the middle (most of them without chairs). Each food counter has a different type of food: wine, cheese, olives, more olives, more olives, seafood, cured meat, raw oysters, you name it. Antonio walked us around the entire place, then told us to go stand at a table and he would bring food. He brought us wine, plates of meat, olives, cheese, and even some "pork crackling" as my new South African friend Benny called it, which went surprisingly well with the wine. Benny said when he was a boy, he used to put crackling in his porridge and that it was absolutely divine! We stood for a long time talking, eating, and raving about the flavor. We could all taste the difference in this meat, which was also "Bellota" but much more flavorful.
After the market, we decided to walk. A lot. We walked all over the old part of the city. Antonio stopped a lot to explain the history, and give us neat little bits of trivia. For example, the copper statue of a horse on its hind legs was made in the 1600’s. At that time, the sculpture did not know how he was going to make this huge and heavy horse standing on its hind legs without the whole thing crashing down. He consulted with Galileo, who suggested that the hind legs should be solid copper, and the entire front half of the horse, which is mostly up in the air, hollow. What genius! The palace is the second largest in the world, second to the palaces of St. Petersburg in Russia. It has never been attacked, so almost all of the furniture and décor are original (that’s right, like 300 years old). I really wanted to go in (it’s partly a museum now), but it was closed. We peaked in the back, where the king has parades and horse performances. Next we saw the old city hall - there is now a very grand (and ugly, according to Antonio, who doesn't seem to like the Mayor very much) one right near the Ritz. The mayor thought the old one was too small! I thought the old one was much more beautiful.
After all the walking, we needed some more to drink. Antonio led us down a very narrow and old road, and said “it’s ugly, but this is where the best tapas are.” The street was lined with these little dark, almost dungeon-like old restaurants. They were very specific: one said “mushrooms” and the one next to that said “tortillas.” Antonio was very excited to have a tortilla. We entered into the tiny door, and the old Spanish chef (actually all the workers in the restaurants were older men) was just heating up the oven, at 8:30pm! So we went next door to have some mushrooms and some wine. The mushrooms blew all of my expectations. They were upside-down caps, stuffed with a little cube of chorizo, and sprinkled with garlic and parsley. The chef was just putting the first batch on when we walked in. He grilled them slowly on the hot cooktop, and served them to us with some of the vino de casa. Honestly I think those mushrooms have destroyed me. I don’t think I’ll ever taste a mushroom that good unless I go back that that place. "Fantástico!" As Uncle Jerry would say.
After the mushrooms, we went back to the tortilla place. Antonio was very excited and asked the chef if the out-of-towners could watch. I saw eggs, potatoes, and garlic and started to get confused. “Antonio” I said, “I thought we were having tortillas.” “Ah…Emma, tonight we will have real tortillas! The best in Madrid. The Mexican tortillas are not the original.” What an amazing thing! We sat at these tiny short old tables, about the size of Sapphie and Teo’s table at home. Out came the wine, some beer for Marcos, and the tortillas. Imagine an omelet with potatoes and garlic (no cheese!), that is full of flavor and has the most delicate texture. Apparently it’s almost like paella because you have to know when it’s done, then stop touching it and just leave it in the skillet. Then a couple of flips in the air, and it’s ready to eat!
We laughed, we drank, and ate until our bellies were stuffed. Benny commented that even though we hadn’t eaten a large amount, he felt more satisfied than he does after a huge sit-down meal. “This is something I could really take home,” he said. Benny is so cute. He’s a real South African, if you’ve ever met one: extremely friendly, curious, engaged, and very easy to talk to. It was a pleasure to meet and spend time with such wonderful people!
In ecstasy, we slowly walked back to the hotel. I felt like I was on top of the world, and so glad that I had been given such an amazing opportunity to experience this amazing city, the people, their unforgettable food, and their unique and fabulously social food culture. Muchos gracias, Madrid!
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