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It's not on the list, but I didn't make any rules excluding activities. And honestly, this should have been on my list. Who wrote that, anyway?? Anyway, Salamanca is a small city, 
famous for its university, and it's only two and a half hours from Madrid. And after almost three years, I had never been, which borders on embarassing, to be frank. So, I did the responsible thing and I bought a bus ticket, booked a hotel, and woke up early to catch the 8 AM bus to Salamanca. This was another solo trip, but I needed some time outside the city on my own to wander aimlessly. I groggily left the bus station, left my bag at the hotel, and grabbed some toast and a coffee on my way to the Plaza Mayor. One of the most beautiful cen
tral squares in Spain, it was covered in red and gold and blaring techno music upon my arrival. Why? Because the Spanish National Team had come to Salamanca to play and the entire city was lining up in the plaza, chanting and playing games in inflatable bouncey houses. I can't say I was surprised. The arrival of la selección nacio
nal is rivaled only by the second coming of Christ, and one could argue that not even that could top seeing Iniesta in the flesh. But after passing through the main square with the giant teletron, I started looking for the frog sitting on the skull. They say that if you see it, you'll have good luck in your studies. It's hidden on a the face of the university, which is filled with carvings. And of course, I left feeling lucky. I continued wandering, visiting the cathedral, the public library, and several university buildings, and after all that walking, I ate. Peas cooked with ham, pork chops, wine, chorizo, ham, and plenty of coffee...It was overall pretty delicious. Did I get a bit lonely? Let's just say I was ready to be back in Madrid, refueled and refreshed.
This is the third thing off the list! And all of them involve eating (I've taken up running in the morning to balance this out). So here we are, at Menú del día, my most favorite of madrileño traditions (tapas are right up there as well). To explain, a Menú del día is a special weekday event offered by almost all the restaurants in Spain. It's typically composed of a first plate, a second plate, dessert or coffee, bread, and wine or beer (or water, I guess), all for the extremely economic price of 8 to 13 euros. Sadly, this is only during the week, but I guess for my waistline, it co
uld be a blessing in disguise. My partner in crime for this meal was Tara, who took a break from her work-a-holic schedule (only here can 25 hours seem overwhelming) and headed to the center to get some lunch. Side note: I only have friends with names that rhyme with "-ara." Sarah, Tara...I'm missing Kara and Lara to have a complete set. We wandered through La Latina, veto-ing restaurants left and right. After a ranking of the offerings, we settled down at La Musa in Plaza de la Paja, which is next to Delic (the cake place, as it is known among homesick Americans). Instantly we veered off in d
ifferent directions, Tara going with salad and fish, and me choosing squash tortelini and beef cheek stew. They could have been pig cheeks; our waiter wasn't sure. And of course, some midday wine never hurts. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of the places that leaves the bottle at the table, but we made do. The pesto salad was incredible, and the squash ravioli was well worth the five mile run (I was preparing for Menú del día!!). Our second courses were nothing to sneeze at, either. Tara's fish was good, but a little plain for me, but the beef or pork stew was so tender and filling. Wow. We finished up with some espresso and split a dessert, which was the right move. There are only so many buttons I can pop without being cited for indecent exposure.
When asked what I wanted to do for my birthday, the only thing I could think of was chicken and cider. Mostly because of the deliciousness of both chicken and cider on their own merits, and then together! Qué emoción! So, following the picnic, two coffees, and a quick costume change (it's my birthday and I will dirty as many clothes as I wish), I headed to Casa Mingo, a very traditional madrileño tavern featuring, you guessed it, roast chicken and cider. Casa Mingo is on the list because it's a classic and also, I may have mentioned this before
, delicious. It's located near the Manzanares river (that's what they call the stream that runs through Madrid) and the San Antonio de la Florida Hermitage, home of a beautiful Goya fresco. Now that we're situated, let's eat some chicken. Sarah
, Tara, Brian, Nuria, and Darwin all came to join in the festivities, and they were all pretty game. Although it's a traditional madrileño tavern, it's got an Asturian influence, so there wasplenty of sausage, cabrales (a typical cheese from the north of Spain), and meat on the menu. We had a good laugh about the translations, and then ordered some hard pork (sausage) and cheese, among other things (namely, chicken). As we munched and laughed between English and Spanish, I opened a couple presents (Bitelchus!!), we paid, and headed out, mainly to have some gin-tonics. Overall, an excellent way to turn 24.
Here it is, the first thing off the list! A positively historic occasion! One down, 19 more to go. I'm glad this was the first thing to cross off my list. The Retiro is a special place in Madrid. It's always a stop on the tour around the city, whether it's freezing cold or blazingly hot. I have shown people to the Crystal Palace, rowed people around the pond, strolled through the African drum circle, and flopped down in the grass for a picnic. Goya would be proud to see me participating in the age-old tradition of spreading my blanket and munching away on some bread and wine. Of all of these activities, the picnic is 
my absolute favorite. It combines being outside and eating. Who doesn't like that? (Kacie, and I quote: "But then you have the tupperware, and you have to take it with you, and blah, blah, blah.") So, for a birthday picnic, I took a trip to the mar
ket, and rounded up salad fixings, some bread, and of course, the ever-present ham. Add in a whirlwind of activity, and off I go, picnic bag in hand. The day was perfect, and since it was a Tuesday, the park was calm (not too many Spanish teenagers playing bad techno from their cell phones or drinking calimotxos). And then Sarah and I arrived. We spread our blanket on the ground, opened the wine, and started to eat. And I don't want to brag about my salad-making skills, but you can never go wrong with roasted squash, caramelized onions, beets, walnuts, and goat cheese (I work part-time. I've got a lot of time to think). The wine, even out of a plastic water bottle, was delicious. And don't forget the ham. Following all that, we had rasperries and macaroons...incredible. I could have laid in that park for hours. But alas, I had a class and one more thing to cross off my To-Do Madrid list.
famous for its university, and it's only two and a half hours from Madrid. And after almost three years, I had never been, which borders on embarassing, to be frank. So, I did the responsible thing and I bought a bus ticket, booked a hotel, and woke up early to catch the 8 AM bus to Salamanca. This was another solo trip, but I needed some time outside the city on my own to wander aimlessly. I groggily left the bus station, left my bag at the hotel, and grabbed some toast and a coffee on my way to the Plaza Mayor. One of the most beautiful cen
tral squares in Spain, it was covered in red and gold and blaring techno music upon my arrival. Why? Because the Spanish National Team had come to Salamanca to play and the entire city was lining up in the plaza, chanting and playing games in inflatable bouncey houses. I can't say I was surprised. The arrival of la selección nacio
nal is rivaled only by the second coming of Christ, and one could argue that not even that could top seeing Iniesta in the flesh. But after passing through the main square with the giant teletron, I started looking for the frog sitting on the skull. They say that if you see it, you'll have good luck in your studies. It's hidden on a the face of the university, which is filled with carvings. And of course, I left feeling lucky. I continued wandering, visiting the cathedral, the public library, and several university buildings, and after all that walking, I ate. Peas cooked with ham, pork chops, wine, chorizo, ham, and plenty of coffee...It was overall pretty delicious. Did I get a bit lonely? Let's just say I was ready to be back in Madrid, refueled and refreshed.
