For lack of a better word, I will say this is my first "normal" weekend in Madrid in about 5 weeks. WHAT?! I know, right? Ever since my birthday I have been going, going, going, and I finally decided to slow down (but just a little) this week/weekend. I also started running again in Retiro, which I haven't done in years and I'm kicking myself for not taking advantage of the precious park.
Well, its been raining here in Madrid, boo. It feels more like fall these days than spring. This weekend is a puente...well those of us at IES don't have a puente, but the rest of the world does. Since Tuesday and Wednesday are holidays (one national and the other a Madrid holiday) a lot of people don't have school/work on Monday either. So essentially its a 6 day weekend for me, (minus the 3 classes I have on Monday).
This weekend I decided it was finally time to go on that hike I had been meaning to go on since I got to Madrid. I'm starting to feel the semi city suffocation and have strong yearnings for fresh mountain air. So, rain or shine, it was decided that I, and whatever friends wants to join me, would go on a hike to Manzanares el Real, about an hour bus ride from Madrid. It goes along the Manzanares river, which runs through Madrid. It was great. Just what I needed to get out of the city. We took the bus to the little pueblo, and unfortunately the tourism office was closed so we couldn't get information on how to proceed to the hiking trails. Regardless, we started walking, asked around a few times, and eventually happened upon an information and education center that gave us a good idea of where to go.
 |
| Manzanares el Real |
 |
| horse we found along the way |
 |
| Map of the area. We started in the bottom left and looped around to the right to follow the river back down |
 |
| The trail was called Canto Chochino |
We started on the trail, surrounded by pine and trees in a kind of forested area. The plan was to climb up and then make our way down to the river valley. It worked, minus a few detours along the way. We also got some great views along the way! It was good mix of walking/hiking and there were plenty of boulders and rocks to climb up and around. I even got a boo boo on my leg by slipping down a rock (since it was so wet and slimy) but that made me happy, since it can't quite be a Lily hike without a booboo or two.
 |
View. Too bad it was so cloudy
|
 |
| The really pretty, squishy mosses |
In the middle of the hike we came across a little restaurant in the middle of the trail. We stopped and had our haphazardly shared picnic lunch: bread, cheese, bread sticks, carrots, fruit...
 |
| The little restaurant |
 |
| Slippery rocks. |
 |
View from the tall rock I climbed. You can see Maddie (the little speck) down by the water.
|
 |
| Another view from the rock. David is the little speck in the middle. |
We eventually made the loop and came back to the opposite side of the little pueblo and walked through it to get back to the bus. After the great day of hiking, we all passed out on the bus ride back, woke up, scrambled to the metro, where I got to dance the macarena with a bachelorette party that inhabited our car, and then made it home, sprinting all the way since I had to pee really really badly (I love my camel-back bladder, but trips with it always seem to end this way).
 |
| poppy-like flowers. |
 |
The hiking crew. Me, Maddie, Molly, Julie, David.
|
Woke up Saturday very tired. It was also raining and cold, so I called it an inside day and did some much needed homework to prepare for finals. I had lunch with Pilar and Sergey, and Pilar made an interesting pasta salad she had told me about before. One of the weirdest combinations I have had: macaroni pasta, imitation crab, apple, canned pineapple, corn, cheese, yogurt sauce, and gula. So now is probably where you all are asking, "Whats gula?" Well, Pilar tried to explain and I understood that it came from the sea. So then when I looked it up, the best translation I got was, are you ready...? MINI EELS! They totally looked like it too, like little wormy parasites or even gray and white short noodles. Didn't taste bad, and it wasn't too hard to eat, especially mixed in the pasta. Pilar also made her famous strawberries, but true to form, she has to somehow manage to take the nutritional benefit out, so she blends some strawberries with sugar and pours it over the cut up berries. They were already so sweet, making the sauce is completely unnecessary!!
After lunch, I took a nap, like a good Spainaird. Then I got so stir crazy I decided to go for a paseo in Retiro. I can't believe how much the park has filed out! With the moisture and water from the rain and the sun popping through, I felt like I was in a jungle! Everything is so lush and green and it felt GREAT to be out in the fresh air.
On the way home, I stopped in for a haircut. Scary, I know. The first time in 3-4 years that anyone but Aunt Yvonne has cut my hair! Anyway, it was a professional place, but also students maybe do some the haircuts... Interesting experience. Yo pay for every little thing, wash, shampoo, conditioner, cut, dry, styling, and I was given a silly disposable smock to wear under the normal covering they give you. I got my hair washed, always a relaxing feeling and something I've missed since normally my haircuts take place in Aunt Yvonne's kitchen or on the patio. Then they wrapped me up in a silly turban/disposable towel. It wasn't too hard to explain how I wanted my hair cut in Spanish, but still a little nerve wracking. The lady who cut my hair kind of scared me with her style. I would call it a butcher. There wasn't much finesse and she cut pretty large chunks at a time. I think it looks okay, but since I didn't spring to get it dried and styled, we'll see tomorrow when I wake up. Also, in the end the lady who washed it put conditioner in (an extra 3 euro) so I was short 95 cents at the end. But I think since I'm a foreigner (and so darn cute!) the desk lady let me slide.
Today, I went to church! I've been kind of laying low around the house and I think Pilar feels bad that I haven't been going out as much as I normally do (but I really need the rest) so she invited me to go out with them after mass and after i went on a run. As I was running, I thought, why not just join them at church?! So I ran home faster than normal, got ready in no time, and joined Pilar, Sergey, and Jorge (Sergey's cousin) at church. Pilar's parents were also there. It was a nice experience, I didn't understand much since I didn't really try too hard to pay attention. We sat in the balcony and there was group that played guitar during the songs, which was really nice. Then we went to a bar for a drink, and then, I broke the one rule I made here...Never go to a chain that I can go to in America. We went to Burger King. Kill me. Sergey really likes it, so thats where we went for family Sunday lunch. Oy!
But I guess if a weekend in Madrid had to be low key and semi normal...this would be it!
No comments:
Post a Comment