tuesday, july 29

Thanks everyone for all the birthday wishes. The paint did not come out. Nothing in Madrid is red that wasn’t already red before I arrived. The past couple days it has been cool with high winds in the morning. And the past couple days, by midday, the temperature has bee scorching. the temperature has been between 36 to 44 degrees celsius. I can definitely feel the difference when I’m in the shade. We certainly felt the heat from the buildings as we walked a few blocks to find the “Gourmet Experience.” It was such a cool concept: they had it all: wine, beer, bourbon, olives, olive oil, meats etc. Patrons could order steaks from a case and they’d cook it for you. See the picture below. I found what I came for. We left the market, made our way back to the holel.

For dinner, we agreed to go back to La Mi Venta. We ordered an Uber. Muntazir, our driver, was by far the most interactive driver we had since we’ve been in Madrid. He speaks six languages: Spanish, English, Russian, and German. Those are the ones I can remember. I found it comical that he tested Raymond ability to speak German. When Raymond responded appropriately to a question he spoke in German, Muntazir chuckled, apparently satisfied. For dinner, we had chorizo and calamari for appetizers. Raymond had the same as the night before. I had the White Sea Bass with vegetables. As it was my birthday, and Raymond was paying, I did not pull any punches: I ordered the Torrija (Toffee) with vanilla ice cream. Win, win, right?

That’s it from Madrid. If I think of something else, I’ll add it later. Tomorrow we’ll be flying to Lisbon. I can’t wait to give you all updates from Lisbon

Gourmet Experience

La Mi Venta