Spain Day 3

Day three began a bit later in the morning as I slept in until about 11. The night went pretty good and I certainly hope our bodies are on track now. I ate a few cookies and drank some mandarin juice and we headed out. The concierge told us the Hop on Hop off bus was actually pretty good, so we set out for a day of site seeing. We sat on the top of the open air bus and the air was a bit chilly, but with the sun out it was actually quite perfect. There were two bus routes going around different parts of the city and we took them both.  Madrid is very clean and beautiful- it is an architect's paradise. Every building is ornately decorated and different in some way. As we passed the American Embassy, the tour guide said it was built in the 50s and in a nice way stated it was ugly and didn't fit the architecture of the area. They were right. It was like sticking Faner Hall in a fancy subdivision. Over all, Madrid is lovely but just so huge. Every turn had a "palace" with a rich history, but not BC history like Italy. ;-)

After the tour we came back to the room to lighten our load and head out for some lunch. We liked the bakery we ate at yesterday (The museum of ham) but thought we'd try something new. We shopped around and decided on a shop that appeared to specialize in salami. Guy got the salami sandwich on a thick crusty bread and I tried the chorizo sandwich on more of a focaccia bread. Well here comes the germ-o-phobia story... the girl getting the sandwiches was wearing gloves, but also was taking money with the gloves on (so why wear gloves?). She grabbed my sandwich with the gloves, but grabbed Guy's with a napkin!  What the heck? I know there are a lot of people on this planet starving at this very moment and for that I am sorry. However, I had trouble eating the sandwich and ate enough to taste the chorizo and called it a day. Some things you are just better of not seeing. On a bright tasty note, the pastry I got filled me up and we moved on.

The sun was starting to get warm and we shopped up and down countless streets. I did pick up the necklace I saw yesterday and a few other goodies that would pack small. We also strolled around looking for a place to eat supper that Guy found on Trip Advisor, the Metro Bistro in Plaza Mayor, but we couldn't seem to find it. We stopped back at the Westin for a quick break and the concierge said it was a great restaurant and would make us reservations if possible. Still no sign of a festival going on, but maybe we'll see more tonight.

Before dinner we decided to take a walk down to the huge park.  It is almost like Central Park in New York City - a tranquil spot in the middle of chaos. From the map it looks like it is called Parque del Retiro. There are all kinds of people, very young to very old. All ages are rowing boats on the small lake where ducks and fish swim about. Young couples sit on the grass kissing and pretending like no one exists on the planet but them. There tree lined streets and paths that are beautifully surrounding a large glass "Palacio" and an art museum filled with paintings from local artists from the 70s.

After our time at the park we headed back to the hotel and the concierge made us reservations at the Metro Bistro Concina Contemporanea. They had already made the reservations when we realized it was the original Metro Bistro not the one within walking distance. Since we had asked several favors from Carmen, we decided to go with it. The thing is the restaurants have the same owner but different menus that were eclectic and limited. One was more Mediterranean and the other "Latin infused". We get the Latin one. Trip Advisor rates it so highly that we decided to go with the flow and give it a go. Upon arrival we are the ONLY ones there. Never a good sign. However, our waiter was very nice and explained the menu very well. We ordered our dinner and he brought out a "welcome" which was mini Mojitos and banana chips with two dipping sauces. One like a mayo and one like a sweet and sour sauce. I took pictures of everything of course. Next was our starter. Guy had ordered mushroom croquettes and I ordered a spinach and cheese type pastry (mine won). Next our dinners arrived and Guy ordered steak (from Argentina) and I had fried fish over mashed potatoes with deep fried kernels of corn - all in lime and cilantro sauce. Again, I think mine was the best. We did order dessert because we couldn't pass up trying pineapple cannelloni. It was shaved pineapple wrapped around berries and yogurt with a mango mousse. Before they brought the check the gave us small chocolates that look to be dusted in gold. That kinda frightens you before getting the bill. But they were delicious none-the-less.

We caught a cab back to the Westin to go to bed a bit earlier tonight. No naps today because we'll be catching the 10am train to Toledo as a short day trip. Carmen (the concierge) said it was better to take the train and explore on our own than to do a tour. This way we can come back anytime we wanted to - even tho we have to catch the 3:30 train back. Oh well...when in Madrid....