El Parque y La Plaza Mayor

Today we had a short class, then afterwards went to the park to bathe in the sun, which saturates the lush, grassy hills except for where the large trees offer cool patches of shade. I ran through the park the other day, (before getting lost) and am so impressed with the small fraction of it I have seen. It is like a little haven from the busy city streets. Families are strolling and kids playing on playgrounds, lovers are making out uninhibitedly, joggers and rollerbladers are everywhere, and friends sit and eat tapas at the outdoor cafe. It's amazing. It really puts Boulder parks to shame.

We went to tapas this evening as a group, and on the way saw a demonstration regarding the bombing of the ship carrying goods to Palestine. There were signs reading 'free gaza' and 'libertad para Palestine.' Police supervised but were inactive. We also saw painters painting on the street, and selling their works to restaurant-goers, shoppers, and tourists. Finally I encountered this drunk old guy who was calling me 'bonita' and then when I grabbed a friend Paul's arm kept coming up to me insisting 'Yo no robo' or something like that; "I'm not a robber."

The market we visited was amazing, just outside the Plaza Mayor, it offered fresh tapas of every imaginable kind, wines, breads, meat and seafood, fresh popcorn and potato chips, and confectionary treats. It was set up kinda like a loop you could stroll through, stop at a bar here and there for a drink, then at a stand for some fresh produce, and they even had ceiling misters to control the heat.

We had tapas including sliced Spanish tortillas: thick omelets full of slivered potatoes, small crostini type things topped with different things such as anchovies and tartar (my favorite), tuna and lox ceviche, and a potato-salad type thing, as well as fried balls of creamy, breaded dough filled with things like cod, ham or spinach. The spinach was what I tried, and it was love at first bite. Sort of like a rich, creamy ball of fried spinach-artichoke dip crossed with indian saag.

My mouth watered at the sight of the chocolate mousse cups and apple tart bars, but I was so full I simply bought some spices including genuine Spanish saffron before we headed back on the metro for a night of board games and wine.