Life in Madrid - October 9th - 15th

Madrid, Spain 2015-2016

October 9th - 15th

This weekend was a long weekend for everyone in Madrid.  The lucky few people in the same teaching program as us who have Fridays off had a four-day weekend, but we were still happy with our three-day weekend!  

While we were waiting for our metro pass to arrive, we thought it would be nice to explore where we live, it's right in the centre anyway and there was no rush to visit other places when there is still so much to see within walking distance of where we live.

On Saturday I made the bold decision to sign up for a local artisan market.  It wasn't as successful as I had hoped, but it was a risk that was necessary to make.  I signed up and paid in advance for half a tent, but found out later there would be nothing else provided.  On the morning of the market, we lugged our heavy wooden kitchen table and two chairs down to the street in hopes of hailing a taxi.  We tried a couple different types of taxis but our tiny table just wouldn't quite fit.  We tried calling a van taxi but none were available.  We saw a couple of larger taxis and a random van pass on another street but we couldn't flag them on time.  We borrowed a tool from the hardware store to try and take the table apart, but it was not possible.  The options were wearing thin and by now I was running late (which doesn't really matter here anyway).  Eventually we went to the "dollar" store and I paid 25 euros for a small wooden fold up table.  By now I had paid 40 euros for half a tent and 25 euros for the table, and then the taxi fare to transport our little table and two chairs to the market (which we knew wasn't super far but didn't really know where exactly it was).  It turns out the market was about a 20 minute walk away.  We stayed from around 1pm-8pm but it was a busy area with a lot of people watching and things going on around us to keep us relatively entertained.  

There isn't really a market for sea glass jewelry in Spain I discovered.  In fact, I don't think anyone even knew what it was.  They thought it was rocks or something I think. Of course a couple of foreigners noticed and commented, but they were in Spain, they probably wanted a Spanish souvenir.  A couple of locals were friendly too, but with my baby table and limited display material, it didn't really catch their attention.  I'm glad I learned my lesson early and I am grateful the Canadian market responded well!  I can't regret trying and I will try to stay optimistic!

On Sunday we did some chores and then had a cafe con leche and went to a museum.  This museum explained some of Madrid's history.

Old photo of one of the most popular areas in the centre of the city

On Monday it was another relaxing and calm day.  We went to another museum near our apartment.  This museum displays furniture and pictures from the romantic era.  Since it was a public holiday, there was a short line outside and it was free of charge that day. 

 Later we had a beer on a terrace.  The terraces are usually full of people all weekend.  We want to enjoy that part of the Spanish culture now in case it gets too cold to sit outside soon.  Overall it was a really relaxing and enjoyable weekend and I am getting more excited about living here now that we have had a moment to smell the roses.