high school reunion madrid

I don't get a lot of visitors here in Madrid...shocking, I know, since it's so close to everything. So, when a friend from high school told me he and a group of his friends from college would be in Madrid as part of a "European tour," I got pretty excited. Never mind that we hadn't seen each other for two years, or that I didn't know any of his friends. They're in my new home, and I feel responsible to show them around. Responsible isn't the right word. I'm proud of where I live, and I want to show it off. Especially the food. Also, I have an ego, and I like to show people that I can speak the spanish. No one's completely selfless. But anyway. Initially, I was a little nervous, because I didn't know any of these people, and they're all engineers. Chemical engineers. What do I know about chemical engineering? Nothing. Not one thing. But you give people alcohol and olives, and everyone gets along. Tapas bring people together. I really enjoyed Dave's friend's explanation of tapas: "So, you just kinda snack until your full? And you stop whenever you want? And that's dinner?" Basically, yes. Somethings are fried, some are hot, some are cold, but most things are really good. And tapas was just the start of making friends. If I say so myself, I was a pretty awesome tourguide. So my dates and historical figures might be a little suspect (who says you can't just make stuff up? Who's going to know?) In addition to fabricating history, I did things that I had never done in Madrid. Such as ride in the boats in El Retiro, the Central Park of Madrid. After more than a year in Madrid, there's no excuse for that kind of inexperience. It's one of the more touristy things to do. But when you're with a group of tourists, it needs to happen. Overall, my "tour" of Madrid was pretty good, inclusive. I covered all bases- tapas to gin tonic to jamón. Wait, seeing stuff? Decidedly not important. It's Madrid. Eat, drink, and take two aspirin in the morning.