Goya, Dreamland and an Homage to Ham

In Madrid, we're staying at Hotel Room Mate Laura, one of a number of hotels in the "Room Mate" chain around Spain with cool interior design and an even cooler gimmick that each hotel is named after a "character" who is like a friend of yours who's offered their place for you to stay while in Spain visiting. There are, I think, 4 different "Room Mates" in Madrid, one in Granada, and two others... I can't recall. But check out the website here.

When we checked in, the clerk upgraded our double bed reservation to a bi-level duplex (YESSSS!) and when we got to our room... well, check it out.


At the loft, looking down on our bed






Chillin'



The view from outside our window

After taking much-needed showers, we were on our way to the Museo del Prado, which is quite possibly one of my most favorite museums. JD was excited to check it out and I was excited taking him there. Goya, Velazquez (yes, "Las Meninas" is housed here), Rubens, Titian, Rembrandt... yes, please.


Statues outside of the Prado



Entrance to the Prado


Resting outside the Prado. You know you can't take pictures inside, right? It's like, a museum, or something. LOL.

This was especially great for me because I've studied so much of this art, yet only seen them as color plates in art texts. "Las Meninas" was, in particular, a fantastic revelation since I had studied it in high school and done an interpretation of its composition.

But alas, after about 2 hours in the museum, we had to call it quits because our bodies just crapped out on us. We got back to the hotel and zonked out for 5 blissful hours. Ahhh, bed. How I missed the concept of a bed.

Afterwards we got up completely ... um... alive (better than refreshed - try NORMAL?) and went out to walk the town and grab a bite to eat. The last time I was in Madrid, I practically LIVED on these cheap, beautiful, and delicious ham and cheese sandwiches from a place called Museo del Jamón. That's right. MUSEUM OF HAM. But you know, it's blasphemous to just call these things ham and cheese sandwiches. For anyone who knows Spanish cuisine, you'll know that dry-cured ham is one of the greatest culinary masterpieces that this country offers. This is a whole different species from American ham, which is pretty much "wet" and roasted with glaze. This is like Italian prosciutto in texture, but I don't want to make too much of a comparison for fear of Spanish outcry. This is dry, chewy, sweetly salty gorgeous stuff, (and coming from me, a generally anti-pork kind of girl, this is huge) and there are different levels of quality from the basic jamón serrano to the the sublime - and much more expensive - jamón iberico and pata negra. The hams come in whole hocks, hanging on walls and hooks to air-dry and the butcher or deli person just takes one down and cuts thin shavings off of it for tapas, raciónes or sandwiches (called bocadillos if on a hard roll.) The cheese on these sandwiches is the most delicious manchego cheese I've ever tasted.

The way to rock this is to come up to the bar, order a bocadillo (the cheapest way to enjoy the hammy goodness), a caña of cerveza (a small glass of beer), and a bottle of aguá minerál. Total? 5 Euros apiece or about 7 dollars. That's right, kids. Now you know why my poor ass was eating here every day back in 2002.


Can u guess which cana is mine? Wuss.


God, I look like a duck. Thanks, JD. Quack Quack. Salud.


Check out the wall of hocks ...

No, these aren't plastic, geez.


I'll take the 20 at the top.


Mmmm... One of the things that strikes me when abroad is all the cool cultural particulars that I look at and think, what the fuck, America? What the fuck? Why can't we have these things in the US? Sandwiches of thick slices of manchego and what, to many, would pass as a more mild proscuitto, on a savory artesan roll? For about 2.50? I'd pay that! I'd eat that! McDonald's in Europe serves beer! My mind is blown.

Afterwards, we strolled Puerta del Sol (one of the oldest plazas in the city - part of the old city and central hub of Madrid), and got a hankering for some churros and hot chocolate at the famous Chocolatería de San Gines.


The bear and strawberry tree statue, symbol of Madrid, at Puerta Del Sol



I wish you could see the statue's face better. I got it down, sez da bf.


Spain's answer to nectar and ambrosia. Don't tell me otherwise, fool.

The hot chocolate is amazing. I stared at it for a while and asked, "it's in a coffee cup... are we supposed to drink it when we're done dipping the churros?" Apparently so. I mean, just imagine dunking a coffee cup into a chocolate fountain and that's your beverage. Well, the hot chocolate is a little more... what's the word... there's a base to it that is sort of thick milky or starchy, but the taste is dark, rich, and semi-sweet. Delicious.

Now we're back in the hotel and part of me feels ashamed that we're not out at Kapital or Palacio de Gaviria dancing the night away, but my "mature" half is telling me to take it easy and go back to bed now to prep for tomorrow. Besides, I've already done the partying in Madrid deal. Partying in Barcelona is next on the list. Don't worry, boys and girls. Mo hasn't lost it yet.