December

Even though, as always, I'm abysmally behind on updating this blog, and even though I always say the same thing about catching up and then never follow through, I am seriously determined this time to catch up on everything from December to now (it's currently APRIL). I've been really feeling the lack in my life of some creative project where I produce my own original content, and while I know that this blog is nothing special it's at least a way for me to feel like I'm reflecting and creating something new out of all the amazing experiences I've been having.

Christmas decorations in downtown Madrid

So December! It feels strange to write about Christmas when it's currently spring and 70 degrees outside. Although I went home for the second half of the month, I still managed to do a lot during the time I was here. For one, we hosted a Couch Surfer named Shane who was from Singapore. It was really cool to talk with him and reminisce about my time there, and I remembered all kinds of things that I had until then forgotten, simply from having no real reason to think about them. He was very nice and we did a lot of fun things - like going to a nifty bar that has a free blues night every Sunday. It was my first time there, but my friends and I liked it so much that we've gone back several times since. It was a bit strange to be listening to blues - which is from my part of the US - in such a foreign context, but it was definitely a cool experience.

Showing our Couch Surfer Shane around

With the same friends - a couple who are part of our (almost)weekly foodie club - we went to do a brewery tour at a craft beer place called Sagra about 30 minutes outside Madrid. We had gotten vouchers in a bar for a free tour and free beer tasting. They explained about the process of beer-making - which I had heard at other breweries before - but also talked a bit about the beer market in Spain, how craft beer hasn't taken on as quickly as in other countries, and how terrible and corrupt the corporate beer companies are. I really liked all the brews we tried and bought a few bottles to take home with me.

All of us in the Sagra Brewery

My best friend Jenny and I also met one day to try out a special café in the heart of the city called El Riojano. Two old people that I met while waiting for nun treats in Toledo had told me about it, and it was a great find! From the outside and when you first enter, it just looks like a take-away bakery, but if you walk through the entrance to the back, there's a huge room with warm decoration and nice furniture where you can enjoy their delicious treats. Obviously the clientele was mostly old people, aside from us, who are only old at heart! The food was delicious. This meeting also inaugurated a ritual of Jenny and I meeting during the week for lunch or to try a new pastry shop or cafe, which has since become one of the highlights of my week.

Hot chocolate and a pastry in El Riojano

Another interesting thing that happened in December was my discovery of some of the more trendy sides of Madrid. I started looking at blogs online to get ideas of new places to explore in the city, and found quite a lot: a handful of cute restaurants right in the neighborhood where I live, several trendy cafés and bars I never knew about, a few temporary art exhibits and a pop up market called The House that had been put on for Christmas. We went to check it out, and although it was overpriced and nothing particularly special, the decoration was really cool and they had a rooftop bar where you could enjoy some sweet vermouth (a very common drink in Spain). I had never been to a pop up market, so it was a cool new experience for me!

The House pop up market

An art exhibit of a contemporary Italian artist

Another random thing: the lottery is really big in Spain and the most popular one is at Christmas. EVERYBODY buys a ticket, and there are lines several blocks long outside all of the most central offices all throughout December. Our school always buys a handful of tickets that we can purchase, so I bought one just for fun. Sadly, I didn't win anything, but it's the experience that counts.

People selling lottery tickets in Madrid's main square

We also had a really nice Christmas meal in our school on the last day of classes, which was a veritable feast cooked up by the kitchen staff. Naturally, we went to the bar next door for drinks beforehand, and didn't finish with lunch until 5:30 or 6pm. It was a lovely way to end the year and yet another time that I was reminded how thankful I should be that I work with such friendly, fun, amazing people!

Having drinks before our Christmas feast

Finally, the same couple from our food club decided to throw a Christmas party at their house on the penultimate day of school before break. They put out a few decorations and everybody brought food and drinks. My roommate and I dressed up as festive reindeer and we sang and listened to some Christmas songs. It was a really lovely night with lots of good food, great wine and better company! It was a perfect way to end the month and to say goodbye to everyone before parting ways during break; a great ending to another great month here in Madrid!

Our Christmas party