Dear Madrid! I will miss you! Why am I saying this? Well, it’s my last week in Madrid and I’m having mixed feelings. I don’t want to leave this beautiful place with amazing people, but I’m looking forward to seeing my family again. Living, working and going to school here has become my normal routine for the past 4 moths and I know that I have to get used to another life once I’m back in the Netherlands again. Madrid has been an amazing experience and I can look back at this adventure fondly. An adventure is a mystery and you never know how it’s going to turn out. I have experienced a lot of things, good and bad, but the bad didn’t make my stay in Madrid any worse.

Yesterday I had my last Spanish class and I have received my certificate. I really enjoyed taking my classes and I will miss it. One thing I learned is that learning Spanish in a not native country is not as good as learning in a native speaking country. When I left The Netherlands my European level was between A2 and B1, but now that I have had my classes in Madrid I know I wasn’t even close to that level. Now I can say I’m between A2 and B1 and I’m very proud of my achievement. Entiendo y hablo español mejor que cuando llugué aqui. I will continue my Spanish in The Netherlands on B1 level and hopefully in a few years I’ll speak fluent Spanish.

My suitcase is already packed and my room is getting emptier by the minute. This means the ‘going away day’ is almost here. So, look back with me at my most funny and frustrating learning moments in Madrid and see if I have achieved my goals.

What did I learn most?

I have learned a lot about the language but to give an answer to the question I have also learned a lot about the culture and cuisine of Spain. Spanish people disfrutar de la vida and I love that! Tapas became one of my favorite ways of eating and I will make them at home definitely. I’ve got so used to the Spanish life that I enjoy living it, it will be a big adjustment when I get back home.

What was my most funny moment?

My funniest moment is probably the day that my abono didn’t work. It wasn’t fun that my abono decided to be ‘out of order’, but the part where I started communicating through a phone and computer screen with the lady behind the desk was. Google Translate was such help that day for me. I have mentioned this is my second blog and I had such a laugh there.

Also my first visit to the doctor’s office was fun even though I was ill. While examining me, she decided to teach me medical terms in a funny way and I even forgot I was ill at that moment. Thinking back about that moment, I learned a lot of important words that I could use for my other visits to el medico.

What was my most frustrating moment?

My most frustrating moment was when I had to wait forever to get my abono fixed at ‘consorcio transporte publico’. More than 30 people were waiting before me and only one person was working there. This was the low point of my trip and I don’t ever want to go there again. Another frustrating moment was when I had to go to the hospital and there were no door numbers. I arrived late and missed my appointment and eventually waited for an hour to make a new one and get declined because I don’t have a tarjeta sanitaria. Frustrations, frustrations, frustrations!

What is the best thing I did while being here?

The best thing I did was exploring Madrid. Taking trips through the city was one of my favorite pastimes. I have seen a lot of the city, but I believe there is more to see, so I’ll definitely come back. Another thing is spending sunny days in Retiro Park. Enjoying the weather and the beauty of Retiro was also on my list of favorite moments.

What do I like about Madrid the most?

I love the architecture. The buildings are incredible and the parks beautiful. Walking through Madrid is definite eye candy. There is always something to see.

What will I miss the most?

LLAO LLAO & bocaditos! Ice cream shop llao llao is my favorite place I love that yoghurt ice cream with all those delicious toppings! I have to eat it at least once a week, because it’s so good. There is no llao llao in The Netherlands, so I won’t be able to eat my favorite ice cream. About the bocaditos, I have to learn how to make them, because I am addicted to them. I will also miss the beauty of Madrid, the way of life, the easygoing people and the culture.

Did I achieve my goal?

YES! YES! YES! My goal was to improve my Spanish in 4 months and it certainly has improved. Going to school helped me improve my Spanish, but the day to day life made sure it improved more. For example: my visits to the doctor’s office helped a lot. You see it isn’t always bad to go to the doctor; it is good for your health and your language.

Hope you all enjoyed reading my blogs. I had a great time writing them for you and sharing my experiences. Gracias por leer!

Adios!

Dragana

Now, this, our culinary club that meets each week to explore the multiple pockets of gastronomic gems around Madrid was not always the juggernaut that you now see before you today, no no! You may ask “So where did it all begin?” Well, two Irish men walk into a bar… Only joking, well partly!  It was started by two friends who stepped out to lunch one day, meandered down Lavapies and stumbled on a restaurant that offered a 3 course meal and all wine included for €10, “why not” said one Irish man to another. That afternoon, galaxies were knocked out of orbit as the brainstorming came thick and fast as the seed was sewn and MMDDMM became real.

Two years on as we celebrate our anniversary, we look back at well over 100 restaurants rated and reviewed and all the fun in between with many post lunch watering holes discovered and many friends met along the way. So, “how ironic” you might say, that it was that this, the very first restaurant that those two Irish lads wandered into that faithful day was so aptly named, El Económico.

As it was early days and the reviewing process was only a twinkle in our eye, they escaped without evaluation of what it is that “menu del dia” means to them. So it was only fair to go back to where it all began and fill in such a paramount piece of this pabulum puzzle before we turn to what lies before us on this appetising adventure.

This week, El Económico Soidemersol on Calle Argumosa, a stone throw for Metro Lavapies, was our pre-determined diner and so with the troops in tow we descended on this lunchtime local to sample that which we have seen before but never reported, their menu of the day. So, what was on offer? Well, veggie soup, arroz a la Cubana and salad for firsts with beef stew and Calamares Andaluza for mains with plenty of grape goodness to wash it all down and all for €9. The food was hot, which you may think is an absurd aspect to point out but you´d be surprised by how many restaurants fall short on this fundamental property of the food they serve (obviously, we´re not referring to gaspacho, salmorecho, ect.). The choices however were limited but the quality was pretty okay and the service was certainly friendly and efficient. All this said, it really only made for a better than average experience and when all votes were tallied the best they could come away with was a 3.75 out of 5. So not mind blowing stuff and nor was it as galaxy displacing as we´d thought it was two years previous but they will send you on your way with a full tummy and a smile on your face.

We bade our fair wells and continued our journey along the Camino de MMDDMM as we´d done that first day and headed towards Plaza Lavapies. Deciding to take advantage of the sun drenched terraces for some thirst quenchers before then diving in and out of the sporadic showers that loomed overhead with the ever essential pit stops while en route to one of our favourites… Rastro bar. It was here that we decided to park our saddles for the night as dusk descended on the gang and another fine days dining.

Next week´s adventure shall be posted forth with but until then… I raise my glass to all of you fine people who´ve been a part of what has become and thank you for all of your help and participation, so here´s to you all, cheers!

But before we commence our celebrations of La Semana del San MMDDMM, this week´s adventure must be accounted for. COME ON DOWN La Pomerada on Calle Conde Duque 3. Two minutes strolling distance from Plaza de España, La Pomerada is another bastion of one of Spain´s most celebrated culinary comunidades, Asturias. Blue and yellow flags and bottles of natural cider greet you upon entering this tastefully decorated and spacious eatery. All that is missing is a picture of Asturias´ favourite son, San Fernando Alonso. Once ensconced at our banquet table, we quickly perused our options. 7 starters and 7 mains at a reasonable €9.50. Our choices were ample but the menu consisted of a roll call of all the usual suspects; salads, cremas, filetes, meatballs. We enjoy a different restaurant´s interpretation of a classic but we also liked to be surprised sometimes.

La Pomarada´s dining hall had more than sufficient space to ensure no elbow wars broke out as we tucked in to our first courses. However, a common complaint we´ve made throughout our numerous reviews cropped up, AGAIN. Food temperature. Those of us who chose the crema were served mildly warm dishes. You know how we feel about microwaves but this is one area where it is of much benefit. And the gazpacho should have been re-labelled sopa de tomate, although they didn´t skimp on the usual gazpacho extras. Our second dishes did help turn things around as they were simply HUGE. The secreto iberico was a hefty slab of meat, the albondigas were the biggest balls i´ve seen in a while, and the fish looked like it had been working out before jumping into the oven. And all with a healthy helping of home made fries.

Servicewise, La Pomerada´s camareros were just about competent enough. All requests for mas mantequilla and casera were met post haste. But if someone asks you to reheat their crema, please return said crema to the correct customer. Not that difficult really. The food was good but not good good. They´ve got the quantity angle down ( I was practically bursting at the seams ), but they need a few tweaks in the quality department. Ambiance and decor were quality with a healthy mixture of business bodies and obreros passing through, coupled with our usual self generated ribald racousness and banter. All these ingredients add up to a slightly generous 3.5 out of 5. You´ll leave stuffed but you might have to bring a microwave with you.

With no nasty hidden extras hidden on the bill, we excused ourselves and made our way up to Plaza Guardias de Corps where we basked on La Cajita de Nori´s terraza and worked on our tans and blood alcohol level. With the sun slowly melting away, an executive decision was made to continue the fun in one of our favourite hangouts, J&J´s. The rest of the night, a happy dreamy haze.

As mentioned previously, next week is our birthday. We encourage you all to come along and see where this juggernaut was first concieved. Even if you can´t make it to lunch, we will be cruising through Madrid´s city centre post feast, sampling as much grain and grape as is humanly possible. Come on, you know you want to . And before we wrap up, may i just say a big thank you to ALL of you for your continuous donations to our swearing is caring movement and a special thank you to the head of our media department, Alitas. Her Tarantino-esque productions of where your money goes should be enjoyed by all. Until next time MMDDMMers.

Now it is rare to come across Scottish gastronomy but as we were armed with the tools for the task and a hunger for haggis it´d be fair to say we were fit for the fight and wandered up into the highlands of Madrid to a disclosed vantage point by metro Tetuan to a calle known to many as General Margallo, St. Andrew´s Cross was where we were going to replenish our famished food foragers.

Surrounded by those who work and play in this, the business district of Madrid and distinctly recognisable by their plumage and strut, not too dissimilar to that of a pheasant, it was just as well we had called on reinforcements from as far away as Dublin, Asturias, Tennessee and somewhere that even they themselves cannot even tell you (a-hem Cristina). We were welcomed with open arms and a smile and led to our table. It was evident that this was quite the popular local to meet, greet and eat as many a table had already been taken.

We were swiftly provided with our menu´s, bread and beverages. We were satisfied; the choices for our first course were plentiful with at least 15 to choose from and 5 for mains for €11.50. It all looked good until we found that there were no Scottish dishes on the menu, in fact one of our options was German sausages with sauerkraut?! Had the influence of the Spanish bailout from German banks fed so far into the culture as its cuisine?!?! This moment of ponder came to pass as the wine hit my glass and we proceeded to chow down. Before we knew it we had called for the bill and were sipping our coffees while discussing what we should award this slightly deceptive diner. With all aspects of our criterion called to attention, a 3.25 out of 5 was deemed the most that they could muster. So just above average with a shout out to service being a plus point here.

We disbanded and went our separate way with some of us taking the high road to more things not in the slightest Celtic to Monks Irish bar on Calle Capitán Haya where one can find a bottle of wannabe Irish cider or Bulmers as its known (not Magners) for a smidge over €7 (yes €7!!!) while others took the low road to work and responsibility.

As we downed our drinks and paid up there was a slight feeling of being wrongly served without the lubrication and the remaining brave souls left this immoral monk and headed around the corner to the Irish Rover to recap on what felt like a day full of all that could´ve been. Not to say that we didn’t have fun, we always have fun, but there was a serious lack of authenticity. That is of course except for the one thing, the sausages were genuinely German!

And so, with another menu under our belts, our hunger grows ever stronger to find that ever-illustrious best diner for menu del dia and next week, another restaurant comes up for review. Invitation shall be posted forthwith, but until then all you loco luncheoners… It´s chow for now! 

Holalalala everyone! Que tal? So, my last blog was all about comida! Hope I didn’t get you too hungry! I have to be careful these days not to rush to a pasteleria and get myself into delicious bocaditos! Because I have an addiction! I love cooking and baking, so I have to teach myself how to make those things. Enough about food! I spent too much of my last blog on that.

This week I did something that was so much fun! Maybe my ‘Hola’ gave you an hint? Yes, it has something to do with cantar(singing). My roommates and I went to a Spanish karaoke bar called Katakana near Avenida the America. I have to say this was my most fun night out so far!  There were big books on the table full with Español and English karaoke songs. This bar has almost any possible song there is in their books. My roommates and I we did a lot of English songs. At first it was a little scary, but nobody there is afraid to sing a song! The bar was full of people and everyone was so friendly there. Besides singing I enjoyed listening to other people singing. In the bar there were a lot of Spanish people. They were singing songs in their own language. I listened very carefully to the music and read the lyrics on the screens. Once I got the feeling, I started singing along. It is a good way to practice, because the songs go fast, this way I train my speed of Spanish and learn to pronounce the words correctly at the same time. This bar is such a great night out and I definitely want to do it again! I have to say a lot of people were very talented there. But then again I noticed in Madrid that almost every Spanish person sings or plays music. There is not one day that I don’t see a musician in the subway or on the streets. I enjoy music everyday and it’s something I will miss a lot!

Juego

I have to say that speaking sentences in Spanish is something I will have to work on for awhile, because it’s not easy. At school I try to speak as much Spanish as possible. Because if I say it wrong my teacher will correct me. The other day we had such a fun class! We played the game ‘Party and Co’. I don’t know if you have heard about it, but it Is a fun game. The game has different themes and questions.  You throw a dice and the color you stand on will decide what you assignment is. Sometimes you have to answer a question; sometimes you have to mime a word, etc. The juego was of course in Spanish, which made it a little bit more difficult. While playing it, I noticed it was harder than I thought it would be. I was lucky that there were not all questions about Spain, but also things that I can know. I sure did help me lose the tensions of the Spanish language. Because if I had to mime I would have to do it and if I have to give hints in Spanish about a person I just had to do it. I had such a fun time and actually learned something. This was one way to exercise my vocabulary!

Madrid Marathon

On Sunday I went to check out the Madrid Marathon. I took some photos for the English Warehouse and followed the runners from place to place. The day was also an important day to support Boston! A group of Guiris came together to show their support for Boston by running the 10K race of the Madrid Marathon. I have a lot of respect for all those runners that showed their support by running! So I have to dedicate this part to all those great people! It is great to see how the guiris came together and did a great job running! The marathon was also great to look at. I saw some people running by with the craziest outfits! The marathon is great if you are a sports lover but also if you want to put a smile on your face! Respect to those people who dare to be different! I saw some very awesome outfits! Check out the Facebook page of English Warehouse!

So that it for now, but I’ll be back soon! Don’t know what ill be doing this week, but I hope something good!

Hasta pronto dear readers!

Dragana

¡Bienvenido! As my title says ‘Family fun’, that’s what I had last week! My mom and sister came to visit me for three days. Three days is not enough time to show all of Madrid’s beauty, but we had so much fun together and developed a new addiction to Spanish pastries! Yum yum yum! Usually it’s the chocolate that makes the women crazy, but these pastries in Spain are so delicious! Disfruta reading my story!

Once again I was a tour guide. I showed my mom and sister around the most beautiful places in Madrid. I showed them The Royal Palace, Plaza de Oriente, Sol, Opera, Plaza Mayor, Almudena Cathedral, Jardin Botanico, Gran Via, Calle de Fuencarral, Retiro Park, El Rastro market, Mercado San Miguel and much more.

Sweet, sweeter, sweetest

I noticed a few weeks ago that on Sol there is a Pasteleria named ‘ La Mallorquina’. Their windows has a nice display of cakes, cookies and pastries. Just by looking at it, it makes you want to eat it. Where I come from cakes and pastries are more popular than breakfast, lunch and dinner. My mom always makes delicious things and it’s no wonder that now and then I gain a pound. So I decided to take my mom and my sister to try Spanish deliciousness! We bought a big cake of Selva Negra a piece of ‘Milhojas de merenque’, a few ‘Bocaditos’, and a few ‘Erizos de chocolate’. We skipped our healthy lunch and traded it for a lunch of sweetness. The bocaditos were my favorite! The nata here in Spain is so good! I could eat a dozen of these things! My favorite cake in Spain so far is the ‘ Selva Negra’.  We enjoyed the Spanish sweets during a visit in Retiro Park while the sun was shining bright!

El Rastro experience

Have I ever told you I like ‘ El Rastro market’? Well, I love it! As you might know this market is huge and it has stands with different things and it seems there is no end to this market. We don’t have these kinds of markets in The Netherlands unfortunately. My visit with my mom and sister to this market was very nice. We were enjoying the street artists while looking at all the beautiful things people were selling. I bought some typical Spanish handmade and painted tapas dishes (mini-platas, mini-cuencos and mini-jarras) for my house in the Netherlands. It is always nice to have a ‘recuerdo’ from where I’ve been. A visit to this market is a recommendation!

A ‘taste of Spanish’

On Friday there was a mini-market on the plaza of Teatro Operá and Metro Operá. This market was called ‘ A taste of Spanish’. Like the name says all things were typical Spanish. I couldn’t resist but to go and check it out. There were stands with huge round breads, different sausages, cheeses, wine, olive oil, natural sweets and  much more. As curious as I was I took my mom and sister by the hand and said let’s go taste Spain! The people were very friendly who worked there and the let us taste their products, if we wanted to. We bought a big BROWN bread for breakfast the next morning. Why do I write brown in capital letters you might want to know? Well, in Holland we have all kinds of bread and also different kinds of brown bread. I always eat brown bread, but since being here in Spain I haven’t found any brown bread that isn’t sweet or full of conserving stuff. So I was happy that I found it at this market. It is not the same as in Holland, but I can’t complain, I was very happy with it!

Interesting ‘San Miguel’

Okay, one thing I haven’t seen before in my entire life is aMercado like San Miguel. Wauw! I love this place! It is a supermercado that looks like a market. My mom and my sister were also very enthusiastic about it. We took time to look at every stand and buy a tapa to try it out! A mozzarella roll with salmon, olives with cheese or olives with sundry tomatoes, an ice-tea in all possible flavours, bread with jamón, etc. We tried so much stuff and we were full! Everything was so delicious! We had the time of our life in here. That might sound crazy to people for who this is nothing new. But we never saw anything like this, so we enjoyed every piece and bit of it! One thing! There pastries are very yum too!

These three days I spent my time trying out Spanish food and tastes as much as possible.  They were three fun and tummy full days. I’m going to miss Madrid when I leave. So far I love so much about this place! Of course it has downsides, but the goodsides make up a lot!

Hope you have enjoyed reading my blog and not got too hungry. If so! You know where to go!

Hasta Pronto!

Dragana

Hola Dear readers! Did you enjoy the beautiful weather? I certainly did! My friend came to visit me. We enjoyed the 28 degrees in Madrid with a lot of exploring the streets and getting tanned in Madrid. This city has endless possibilities to have a great day! Restaurants, bars, cines, parks, buildings and many more… I am fascinated by this city, but… Yes there is one thing I´m frustrated about!

As I mentioned in my previous blog I had a hospital appointment. I am wondering if it’s just me or have some of you noticed that most of the doors or stores don´t have a door number? On the day I had my appointment I went early to have enough time to find it, but it was just my luck that I was in the right street, but with numbers missing. How am I supposed to know what number I am at or that I might have to be on the other side of the street? Well I walked, walked and walked. I walked for an hour! As you can assume I got late for my appointment. Oh and ofcourse I did ask people where it was, but they didn’t know or said it’s not here it is very far from here. I think they thought I meant something else. Eventually I asked some help from a friend who was behind the computer and told me that the entrance is behind a small building and in front there is a ticket shop. Guess what? I found it! Without a number I couldn´t know where it was. As I came closer I saw an Ambulance, so I knew for sure I was at the right place. I was very late, so I had to make a new appointment the nurse told me. I took my number and started waiting. The one thing I learned while being here is that I have have to wait a long time before my number comes up. Waiting, waiting and yes my turn! Telling the woman behind the desk that I want to make a new appointment. There the frustration struck! ‘¿Tiene tarjeta de sanitaria?’ Que? No, not again! Unfortunately yes… and she told me she can´t help me without it and that I have to make an appointment by phone. My Spanish teacher told me how to handle my Spanish on the phone. I had to say that I don’t speak Spanish very well, that the person on the other line has to speak ‘Más despacio’ and that I just have to ask where, what time, which date.

Enough about my frustrations!
My friend and I went on a walking tour through Madrid, exploring the nightlife and tried some Spanish cuisine. She was excited being here and I was thrilled to have her as my guest! Never thought I would spend my day as a tour guide in another country. I showed her some beautiful places in Madrid. We went shopping a lot; because the fact is Madrid has such nice tiendas! Llegada with 15kg means salida with 22kg! The nightlife in Madrid is busy and fun. We went to a couple of Spanish bars just to check them out, ate/tried lots of different tapas and went to a club one night. The good thing is that the music is a mix of international and Spanish here in Madrid. On Sunday it was such a calor day! We decided to hang out in Retiro Park, sunbath and have a Dutch picnic.

My friend and I heard there was a big mall nearby my apartment. We really wanted to see it and so we started our journey. We went to the end of the line Alameda de Osuna. Once we arrived there we didn’t see anything, only houses. We asked some people, but they said it is very far away. We looked at the map at a bus station. We were searching where the mall was and looking if we could find out how to get there. We figured we had to go 2 metro stations back, so we did. Eventually we ended up walking through Madrid for 5 hours! We saw so much on the road! We kept asking people but they said it is very far away. It looks like my hospital story. We kept on walking and eventually gave up when we noticed on the map we have started walking in the wrong direction in the mean time. Even though we didn’t manage to find it we had such a fun time and great exercise! We saw old authentic streets, the high way, and bridges. We met nice people and even managed to walk towards the airport. This is what I call exploring Madrid and work out!

Once the adventure was over and my friend had to leave I took her to the airport and wentback with a cab myself. I had a woman as a taxi driver and decided to try my Spanish out. I started talking with her and I also asked her if she spoke English as well and she did. She asked me if I wanted to speak English or Spanish. I chose Spanish! It was so much fun, because I could understand her but not respond properly all the time. She taught me some new words ands sentences and I had the most learning experiencing riding in a cab!Last weekend my mom and sister came to visit me and got more of taste of Spain’s culture and cuisine!
Next time a blog with a new story and lots of pictures!

Guest Word By Renate:
Previous weekend I had the amazing experience to hop on a plane and fly to Madrid for three whole days. Of course not spontaneously or without any reason, because I think I would have missed out on a beautiful city, if my dearest friend hadn’t temporarily moved there for her internship.

How excited I was? Let’s say I had too pee really bad when the plane landed. After waiting for ages for my suitcase to makes his way through the entire luggage I made my way to the arrival hall, where Dragana was waiting with open arms. I fell directly in love with the city, only by her enthusiasm. Travelling by metro, I didn’t have the chance to get a close look of Madrid. Luckily, Dragana and I putted on our walking shoes and walked more than we slept. She took me to many places, including Retiro Park and all the must dines. I got to see a typical Spanish side of Madrid, which was lovely. Retiro Park was such an amazing place and it was so sunny the day we went picnicking in the park. At night we went to star studio to dance off the long walks and our ass. Besides the beautiful park, I was very impressed with the architecture of the buildings; it was very classic and romantic. I definitely recommend Madrid to every one of my friends and family.

Hasta pronto!

Dragana

this blog if you enjoyed reading it and follow me on @DraganaEWH!

And so, we move our host this week. We made our way to the rincon of cafeteria Reyna, a short hop, skip and a jump from metro Ventura Rodriguez, on the cusp of the said barrio. Here, we were introduced to our playing field or feeding ground if you will, a nicely laid table surrounded by warm rose colour schemed walls that were sparsely decorated in stripped mirrors in the salon area which brought me back to my childhood years, to when I had watched Scarface for the first time, ever reminiscent of the night club scene as I announced to the group “Say hello to my little friend!”. Now, much to everyone´s relief, I had decided to leave my gun slinging days behind in a trade for what I call “Tommy wielding” as our mascot, the toro and Rosita his play mate popped out to say hello and keep all fun at a “PG” rating!

So, what was on order? Well, 6 starters and 6 mains for €9.80 so yes same old same old but I did warn that we were getting back to basics and back to our roots but with a surprising twist! Options, which were presented in English and Spanish, were salad, Castillian soup, a mix of different mushrooms and clams (Almejas), spag bog, paella and another that either I can´t remember, wasn´t ordered or isn´t worth mentioning. The mains played host to a variety of steaks, a chicken choice and two fish dishes to which I was pleasantly surprised, the peppercorn steak was awesome. This was not just the average slice of Shergar (an Irish prize winning horse that went missing in the 80´s) that you normally get on your Tuesday three course feed, no no, this was good! As for the others, the rest of the gang were treated to flavour able fish with three of us spouting about the poultry… “mmm, dat be some good chicken!”. This was all obviously accompanied with the usual dose of substandard grape juice with our compadre, Casera, on hand to settle the sediment and our taste buds!

It all sounds great, right? Well let me tell you… All that glistens is not gold and to be fair to all our previously dined-in diners, there were one or two bad points. The service was a bit tardy and not very attentive; in fact, I think our waitress was thankful to see the back of us! Poor girl had to deal with a table of eight! A mammoth of a task for her less than adequate ability as we were informed that we were driving her mad! Also, although the clam/mushroom starter was nice, it was lacking a vital ingredient, clams! We felt teased and almost taunted as it left us foaming at the mouth for more almeja! Why say it´s going to be there if it´s not?!?! Oh Reyna, you really are a cunning minx!!!

Anyway, we arrived at a score of 3.75 out of 5 when all votes were tallied and to be fair, if I lived in this neighbourhood, I probably would go back, that steak was worth the visit.

After having had our way with this Reyna, we swiftly moved to a sun bleached terrace near Plaza Espana to soak up some beers and tintos before catching the last of the 2 for 1´s at JJ´s as the dawn of summer dusked on Madrid and another fine afternoon´s feasting!

Next week, we head elsewhere to discover the delights of another unexplored diner, details of which will be posted imminently, but until then, and from me and our motley lot… It´s chow for now!

Language boundaries

¡Buenos dias! How are you doing? I´m feeling a lot better again. Last week was a not so Spanish week for me. I had to stay in bed from ‘la medica’, so I did. Of course I wouldn´t blog if I had nothing to tell, so here I am to share my Spanglish moment with you! Let´s start by saying ¡Almost fin de semana! My friend is arriving today from the Netherlands and I’m so excited! I missed her so much and we have plans to do as many Spanish trips as possible, which I can tell you about! I have one month and two weeks left in Madrid. I will use the time that is left to experience more culture in Madrid.

My return to the doctor’s office was with good and bad parts. The good part was that I had more of a conversation going on and that I understood medical terms better this time, because  ‘la medica’ learned me the first time I came in. Who would say that a visit to a doctor would increase my vocab? Here comes the bad part! After I left, I had to make an appointment at the hospital by phone or Internet. By phone wasn´t an option! Why? Well, I don´t understand the voice recorder or the person behind the phone. It is easier talking

Spanish when someone is in front of me, because then I can use my hands, feet, pen, paper, etc. when I can´t explain in words. Weird isn’t it what language makes you use to make the other one understand you? By phone is more difficult and not my type of Spanish communication yet. As I am not a Spanish citizen I don´t have a ‘tarjeta  sanitaria’…. This meant I had to use the phone, as I said before by phone wasn´t going to work. As sick as I was I went to the doctor’s office and asked a secretary if she could make the call for me. In all my best Spanglish, yes Spanglish! I tried to explain what had to be done. She kept telling me I have to call myself. I have been talking for almost an hour trying to get her to help me out. I explained that I called, but it wasn´t working. I started asking random people if they could translate for me? Unfortunately no one spoke English. I was getting really frustrated with the whole situation. As I tried to make the woman behind the desk to help me out, another secretary next to her kept looking at me and suddenly said ‘Yo hablo un poco Inglés’. ¿¡Que?! After an hour she decided to let me know that. Now I was even more frustrated, cause she knew that I was struggling to get someone to help me. The other woman started helping me and in ten minutes my appointment was made. Too bad she didn´t do it earlier, but I can´t complain! She did help me out. Muchas Gracias Señorita!

My experiences in Madrid are making sure that my Spanish gets better after every situation. I´m even looking forward for my hospital appointment, I know that sounds strange, but I’m just curious what kind of situation I will be in there! “La medica” told me they speak English there, but I can´t trust it, because people also told me that the doctor’s speak English here…. I didn´t notice that at all. I will just keep practicing my Spanish, cause I never know in what kind of situation I will find myself!

Cuisine tip! For delicious tapas with a modern twist go to Lateral! I´m not a fan of tapas, but Lateral has become one of my favorite places to eat! One word ‘Yum’! PS: for the none Spanish speakers, they speak English too! Isn´t that great!?

This was it for now, but I´ll be back with a new story next week! I´ll do my best to do all kinds of things this weekend!

Adios! Hasta pronto!

Dragana