Invierno en Madrid - Part 2

Part 2 of my winter week in Madrid

things are so bad in Spain that there are even competing pan handler disney characters.  if there was spanish southpark all of puerta del sol would make a great episode

Marco's Friend  did the illustrations for these windows.  Another example of the polarizer filter in action.  this is without

with the filter.  www.santiagomorilla.com

La Bicicleta Cycling Café & Workplace, this hipster bike place would be cool if they could get their internets to actually work 

Melo's in Lava Pies is like 2 minutes down the street from marco's house.  it's always packed cuz the food is awesome.  I am in love with these tuna tomato empanadillas.  i tried to make them (which actually my uncle ended up doing 95% of it) but its not the same.

and these croquettas

and their biggest draw, the zapatilla.  this is just a half

these pimientos de padron had way too much oil.  normally i love these.

is this melo?  i don't know but he remembered everything we ordered off the top of his head perfectly and i'm sure he remembered everyone else's orders too.

the view from the Hotel ADA palace terrace on the roof

this is somewhere.  i don't know i followed marco

it's new madrid.  and its pretty slick

"jam" session at el junco which was not a jam session at all but a show with sets.  they were decent.  there was a motley crew of american students, middle aged businessmen, old hags trying to pick up anything, and me and marco

i've seen a bunch of cigarette machines around madrid.

Invierno en Madrid - Part 1

My first trip out of france since i got my visa and can leave the country was to Madrid.  Winter in Madrid is cold around 50 fareheit.  contrary to american belief there is winter in madrid but at least its still sunny all the time.

light up map of madrid at the airport train station.

i stayed at my old pal Marco Antonio Pardo Hernandez's place in lava pies.

there are two elevators in his building and interior and exterior one and they're in the middle of the structures

marco and his friend totally renovated his apartment 

a hotel near his house

this will soon be an apple store at puerta del sol, the center of town.  they took down the toro sign and everyone is p!ssed about it but i doubt apple will put it back.  another icon of madrid gone.

there are soooo many of these guys buying and selling gold walking around wearing these neon green vests.  they are everywhere and no one talks to them.  i can't figure out what illicit activities they would be doing though.

i wanted to try this place.

check her out on the inside.  bonus dude walking in the back

yes sometimes i do have to pay the piper and work.

a lot of old ladies around madrid wear fur coats.

plaza mayor

why can't paris have these?  probably because no one would use them.  something has to be done!

Museo ABC, an illustration museum!

it's a cool space

tirso de molina station, marco's station

there he is

more Achara from Beijing.  she used to be a model so a tall, leggy, hot chinese girl in Madrid really stands out because their point of reference all their lives for chinese girls are the short stumpy gremlins that sell beer or own the cheap deli's.

some girls from marco's swing dance class.  I went to 2 or 3 swing parties with marco in the 5 days i was there.  the spanish party all the time.  there are swing parties almost everyday.  it's hard to get anything done in spain.