The night before I left for Spain I don’t recall sleeping, I may have, but I remember being worn but so vibrant on the drive to George Bush Intercontinental in Houston.

The flight to Munich I didn’t sleep at all. Hours across an ocean, the sun seeming to stay almost at the same point in the sky for a while, us chasing the time in flight. I believe I was in the air for anywhere from seven to nine hours. The details are fuzzy now, and I can’t be arsed to look up the flight information in my records.

I had a seven hour layover at Munich’s airport. I dozed off and on in the nicest frequent fliers lounge I have ever seen in my lil’ life (granted, the only lounge I’ve seen). There was free liquor, also free food, but MAINLY free liquor. It was a little paradise. You could make an appointment to take a shower, have a massage, and there were lockers– all for free. I felt very luxe.

But I was exhausted. The thrill still hadn’t worn off, it wasn’t real yet, so there I was wired awake, sipping gin and tonics, munching on salmon bagels. Finally, two hours before my flight, I just walked to my gate and crashed out on the seats by my gate. I awoke minutes before my flight to see a crowd of Spaniards eyeing me suspiciously. (This is before I had a grasp on how much a Spaniard Would Not do this sort of thing, generally.)

The flight to Madrid I slept so hard. I was dead to the world. I had to be woken up to eat the in-flight meal, and I don’t recall chewing, so who knows what happened there.

And then I landed. And I was in Madrid. And it was really the famous Barajas airport. And I was really going to live here. And I really packed two 70 lbs suitcases, dear lord WHY!?

My dear friend Trinh, who’d been living there since September met me outside baggage claim and we went on the wild adventure of taking the metro home for my first time.

It was electric and magical and fast and sleek and chrome, and it was real.

That first night in Madrid I was so, so sleepy but it was New Year’s Eve and we had to go out!

After Trinh helped me lug my godforsaken luggage up through the Cuatro Caminos metro station (CC is one of the deepest underground stations, so we literally brought those huge suitcases up through, like, four underground stories of escalators and elevators. I don’t know how she didn’t murder me.), we popped into a bodega and bought grapes, to pop a grape at each toll of the bell, as is typical in Spain. We also stuffed some airline-size liquor into our pockets, American style.

It was so fun, and there were so many people, and I felt so alive, and there were more people than I had ever seen in my life at one place at one time.

Then I went home and slept for fourteen hours.
I woke up at 9pm the next night, or something like that. We ate kebab and went back to bed. I think the second night I only slept like four hours.

Trinh, who had experienced no heavy jet lag herself, intoned (quite stunned), “Jet lag is real.”

It was all real, and so wonderful, and I was tired for almost a whole week, but it was goooooood.

 

This is a restaurant review for a place I never got to pop into by a friend, Rebecca, who is currently living in Madrid!

Rebecca and her husband John are teaching in Spain, living in Madrid.
John has a YouTube channel he’s posted on about their stay. You can visit it here.
Besitos, Miranda

 

“Good restaurants in Madrid tend to be super expensive or not varied enough for me to go more than once.

I’m not a huge fan of Spanish food, and it can be difficult to find a good place that hasn’t been heavily influenced by Spanish taste. This restaurant is the exception. The food is homemade, super fresh, authentic Argentinian (without changing the dishes to suit Spanish taste) and very affordable. It’s great for lunch as well as dinner (the kitchen opens for dinner at 8:30pm!!)

We always start with an order of the “Duo de empanadas” that have mozzarella, gorgonzola, pears and dates in them. It may sound weird, but they are absolutely incredible, and have the most wonderful flaky crust ever. We haven’t been able to find any in Madrid that even come close to the ones here.

I almost always order the “milanesa napolitana,” a thin steak with a slightly crunchy breading that has just bit of tomato sauce on the inside and melted cheese on top.
They let me substitute sweet potato fries for the regular ones– and they are absolutely perfect. I could eat only those and be happy. The portion size is big enough for my Texas appetite, which is saying something.

My husband usually orders the fish and chips, which is also a great portion size and comes with a super fresh-tasting creamy tarter sauce. We’ve heard they have the most amazing cheesecake, but they’re always sold out when we go, so we haven’t been able to try it yet! The restaurant itself is adorable. Big windows line one side, adding to the feel of a cozy cottage with decorations, pictures, dishes that probably belonged to the owner’s grandmother,

candles, and ornate light fixtures that make for a relaxing place to have a romantic dinner or have a laugh with a group of friends. I definitely recommend visiting this restaurant, but be sure to call beforehand to make a reservation–it is very unlikely to find a table without one!”

 

– Rebecca Ramos