Dos amigos

These two street musicians on a corner in El Rastro seemed to be enjoying themselves. When he saw the camera, he gave me a huge grin and nudged his friend to get him to smile too.

We woke late today, and rolled back the remote controlled blinds on the rooflights to see snow-capped mountains in the distance. I had no idea you could see mountains from central Madrid. The day looked better than yesterday -- still cloudy, but with plenty of blue sky too. Everyone says that the street market in El Rastro is a must on a Sunday morning, so that's where we went. But for us, it was one of those markets where once you've seen the first dozen stalls, you've seen all of it, because they are all selling the same tat.

So we soon turned away from it and headed for an unplanned visit to the Reina Sofia. Unplanned is not good though -- we quickly decided the queues were too long. So the default option was selected: lunch. We had very good if rather pricy El Bulli-inspired tapas at Estado Puro. Highlights were a reconstructed tortilla in a glass (better than it sounds) and some foie gras between very thin toasted slices of gingerbread, with a syrup of reduced Pedro Ximenez sherry. Then we went on a very long walk round most of central Madrid, starting with a stroll through the Parque del Retiro, and ending with a slog up the Gran Via. We found the monumental imperial architecture a bit wearying after a while -- the back streets have more charm.

Back at the flat, we relaxed for a while, discussing what to do in the evening. We'd decided to go to the Cafe Central to listen to some jazz, when the sky turned black and a thunderstorm broke out overhead. It had cleared up by 8:30 though, so we decided to risk it. We got to the cafe just in time to hear Nat King Cole covers played by the Vicente Borland quartet. It was a bit tame for our usual taste in jazz, but it's a small, cosy venue, and it made for a pleasant evening.

Back in our barrio, the fiesta was still in full swing in Cava Baja, but our street was again quiet. And now the fireworks have started!

PS I backblipped yesterday. Sorry I'm not keeping up with comments -- I'll do some catching up when I get home!