Another “off” day in Madrid to explore and relax. Today, we didn’t get far beyond the neighborhood pub, where we sat in a corner table, watched soccer (ahem, football), and played Spades all afternoon.
Iris pubs are ubiquitous all across Europe. And we love them because…
They make us feel warm and comfortable
They usually have TVs showing local sports
They have pub food, and finally,
They have beer
On this day, we watched Bryan’s favorite Tottenham Hotspurs win a match against the mighty Man City club. We have to be somewhat careful in Europe, because soccer fans are… seriously faithful to their teams. Bryan couldn’t always hold it in, though, as his Spurs have had a couple of under-performing seasons. They have a new coach this season, and they’re looking pretty good so far.
Another custom we’ve developed is playing a card game, Spades, at pubs across the continent. This is mainly something to do while we drink beer, but we have a blast with it and sometimes get rowdy. This often draws the attention of other pub-goers, especially other English speakers, which is a great way to meet people and strike up conversations.
We munched on typical pub food all afternoon, including crisps (potato chips), Spanish olives, etc. I got an order of oxtails in gravy, which grossed out some of my companions but were actually quite delicious.
We eventually left the pub and roamed around the city some more. By evening, we found the pub food didn’t stay with us, and we were still a bit hungry. Bryan and I had been in the mood to try a Turkish kabob and doner shop around the corner called Kabob Mood, which seemed appropriate. We’ll probably go back there again, because the food was excellent, and cooked to order over hot coals.
When the day was over, we turned in early to rest up for tomorrow’s adventure. We’re going to the beach to swim in the Mediterranean Sea!