9. picnic in the retiro

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 market, 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.