Manuel and I found my hostel and went for Spanish breakfast around the corner. We met these two professional poker players who were grabbing a bite before they went to bed. I loved the bartender! He gave me a free churro and poured us a glass of Mahou beer, native to Madrid. He didn't charge us for either. Madridllbi = good start! We walked down the strip to Plaza del Sol, a main shopping area and stopped at Footlocker. We met the nicest guy there! Andres showed us a video from the previous day - the Espania futbol team had paraded through the streets the day before and it was absolutely wild. Manuel was nearly sick with his disappointment. Andres recommended El Tigre to us for tapas and ended up giving Manuel his 30% employee discount on shoes. So nice!
We walked around, found Palacio Real, the Royal Palace (looks like Versailles), Plaza Mayor, City hall and explored/napped in the beautiful park, Parque del Buen Retiro. It was weird to be not be close to water in the extreme heat. Manuel and I went to El Tigre. You order a drink for €3.50 and a tapa plate comes with! The plates are completely random so you don't know what you are getting and they are more than filling enough to make a meal. You can't sit down, only stand at the table bars along the walls and it is just packed because it's so popular! This little smiling Spanish man runs around, tells you where to stand and takes your order. It's perfect! I walked Manuel to the train station for his night train to Lisboa.
(4). In the morning I went on a walking tour with the hostel. I am learning some Spanish! I have decided that I will learn the language - I seem to pick it up easily!
In the evening I went to a much anticipated Flamenco Ballet - Carmen for €15 in an intimate theatre. At home I'm sure this would have cost a minimum of $80. It was spectacular. The dancing is unlike anything I have ever seen - they tap their feet SO fast and I love the delicate hand/wrist movements.
Afterward, I went and visited Anni, Johanna, Kevin and in their rooftop terraced apartment overlooking Plaza del Sol. I will see them in Germany!
(5) I was going to go to Lisboa. But then I heard/decided San Fermin Festival in Pamplona was a must-go. I went to the train station to try and figure out how to get there. Turns out everyone had the same idea, haha. No trains. All full. Ugh. In the tourist information office, an Aussie overheard me asking about Pamplona. Merric was fresh off the plane, ready to backpack Europe for four months. First things first. He had a couple of €20 bills poking out of his pocket and looked a little lost. I was a new traveller once too haha. I told him he wouldn't survive and to put his money away and put his wallet in his front backpack. He accompanied me to the bus station. I was humming and hawing because I didn't have accommodation. A couple of girls inspired me by saying they were just going to sleep in the park. That was my deciding factor. I bought a one way ticket to Pamplona for the next day. Merric checked into my hostel - it was funny to watch everyone re-check in because they couldn't get to Pamplona, haha. I took Merric and some others to El Tigre. Laura, a Madrid local took us around to some other places and was helping me practise my Espanol!