It is a miraculous thing to be able to meet my brother in another country. Last year we did a trip into Canada for a couple of days around Christmas, but this year was much more unique. I took the bus to Madrid on Thursday to do a bro/sis meetup. David was returning to the U.S. from his India trip and made a stop this weekend in the capital of Spain. What a whirlwind adventure.
merry-go-round fun
Thursday – We met up at the hostel and explored some plazas. In Plaza Mayor, David bribed the merry-go-round worker to give us a few extra trips around. Meanwhile there was a Christmas market in Plaza Mayor with all types of Christmas “essentials” including parts for a nativity scene, funny masks and warm weather gear. We grabbed a few tapas for a quick meal and onto the next thing ….
olive and mussel tapa
We stumbled upon a premiere of ‘Jorge’, a documentary about motorcyclist Jorge Lorenzo, 2010 MotoGP World Champion. We saw the 80 minute documentary, although David fell asleep halfway through —
crowd for the premiere
Friday – We participated in a free walking tour and cut it short in favor of churros and chocolate. We then saw the grandeur of the Palacio Real. The decorated golden walls mixed with the chandelier for each room gave me a feeling for what living in a palace was like. (Wouldn’t mind the opportunity some day). The armory of the palace had the best collection of armor and horse armor I’ve seen.
Museo de Jamón
Later, we refueled on some bocadillos at the Museo de Jamón. I learned that it is not actually a museum, rather a very crowded place where everyone goes to get ham sandwiches and wash it down with a beer. Then we got to Puerta del Sol in time for a Christmas performance. The mayor was there, and there was a crane holding several platforms for musicians and dancers.
The platforms slowly spun while suspended over Puerta del Sol. The dancers moved in unison to the violin music releasing balloons to the sky and scarves to the crowd. Then an opera singer dropped down as well as another dancer. Add some fireworks to the mix, and you’ve got quite a performance. Then we went out to dinner …
I ate bull.
Wish I had photos of the meal I ate. The bull was the most tender piece of meat I’ve ever eaten. It was served rare and had much more flavor than a filet. We also shared the duck and an apple tart for dessert. It was the nicest meal I’ve eaten and I have to thank David for sharing that experience with me. How many times do you get to eat bull?
Saturday – Day trip to Toledo. We walked up and down the streets and stayed after the Cathedral was closed to watch a church ceremony. I couldn’t quite tell what type of ceremony it was, but it was a very local experience. Walking out, we ran into a wedding party and David wished the bride Congratulations. On the bus back we took naps to prepare for our big night.
Cathedral in Toledo
Saturday night we went to a club called Kapital. 7 floors. Each floor had something different. Karaoke room, cocktail lounge, hooka lounge, rap music and house music. You could see the bottom floor from each of the other floors, but the glass walls prevented the different types of music from blending. It was the coolest club I’ve ever been to. We stayed out until about 5:30 a.m. and headed home.
I really enjoyed seeing my brother and doing Madrid to the max. David has such a passion for traveling and maximizing experiences it was great to join him and collect memorable experiences along the way. Can’t wait until the next bro/sis international meetup.