SOOO Sorry for the long delays in posting. Once we got out to sea, Ann couldn't get the T-Mobile card to work... So we kept writing but never posting. We'll catch up and do some pictures over the next few nights and this weekend...
So, more on Madrid!
Well, the Plaza Major was festive and nice with shops, artists, cafes… In our hunger quest we searched and searched for the “perfect” restaurant since we didn’t have any recommendations from our trusty guidebooks. So, first criteria was “are there any people there” and second was “do they have something Jamie will eat?” So, when one gentleman showed us the menu book with pictures of the food and we spied spaghetti and pizza, we said OK (the place was Bar Zarra). We should have read the fine print?!? BEWARE when there are pictures with no prices. Just when I’m thinking I’m such an experienced world traveler, about ready for the Amazing Race, along comes an experience to humble me/us. We sat down to a nice pitcher of Sangria (the highlight of the meal) and ordered some boiled shrimp as an appetizer then split a paella for one plus a local potato dish. Jamie ended up with the spaghetti, with the noodles and sauce “separado.” Oh, plus one beer for Jim. So, reading the signs around the Plaza about the paella for two for 15 Euros and pizza for 7 Euros, I was guessing our bill would be around 40 Euros… Surprise, surprise, the bill came and it was 100 Euros and some change – gasp! I insisted that he had brought us the wrong bill – after all, it had about 10 items on it and I swear we didn’t eat that much. But oops, out comes the menu with the prices – three tiers of prices to be exact. One for bar service/standing, one for inside and the last, highest tier for the outside Plaza seating. The bread (that we didn’t order) was 4.8, the butter that we did order was 1.6, the paella for one was 16 – after we’d seen all the signs for a lower price for a portion for two people?!? I convinced him to remove the bread from the bill (a moral victory) and gulped as I paid 95 Euros for the most mediocre meal I’ve ever had… Jamie kept asking – Mom why do you keep saying “oh my gosh, oh my gosh…” She was so worried that wouldn’t be able to afford to go on the Mickey boat after all L SOOO the lesson is, ALWAYS check the menu for prices. ALWAYS.
Well the sticker shock kept me from going crazy at the shops, and what does a depressed girl need?!? That’s right, chocolate! We had spied a Chocolateria on the way to the Plaza and it ended up being a spot that was recommended in our Lonely Planet guide (Chocolateria de San Gines). They served a very simple menu of churros (large and small) that you dip into a coffee cup full of rich, dark, warm chocolate. After H#$% I had found HEAVEN!!! The hours of the place were 7pm to 6am and apparently it’s a favorite of after-clubbers. Reminded me a lot of a Spanish Café du Monde (my beignet favorite in my home town of New Orleans).
So, after the chocolate and attitude fix, we headed to the hotel and were in bed by 9pm… More to come…
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