La Noche Blanca nunca terminara

After dinner at the hotel on Saurday night, we began to make plans out of this thick broshure with all the events going on that night. So during la noche blanca, there are museums, activities, movies, and tours free and open to the public from about 9pm to 7am. This night only happens once a year (also in other cities than Madrid). But millions of people come out to experience this from Spain and all over the world. So Nikki, Matt and I wanted to stick together since we have common interests and again it is waaay too difficult to go anywhere, especially in crowds, together with more than five or so people. So we got dressed for the night and started walking on the main street from the hotel to where everything was happening. We walked through a great little park with beautiful old ruins and a lake. Then we get to a round about in the road with a big statue of arches in the middle and it is foggy/misty at the bottom and rising- so sweet.
This is about the point were we start to see huge crowds. Looking uphill, we see the main road filled with people on both sides of the street like sardines in a can! We stopped at one of the plazas with the Banco de Espana building on one block and the city hall and a huge museum on the others. There were tv news crews, bright lights reflectin goff one tall ancient building with certain patterns, like a modern form of art, an outdoor movie playing in spanish and the roar of the people around us. Surprisingly it was not hard to move in the crowd unlike concerts or anything because people were calm and strolling along looking around.
We kept walking maybe ten blocks and there were still the same amount of people in the streets in all directions. And it was about that time that we saw drunk women riding their vespas and motorcycles around out of control! But we were safe the whole time! On the way to La Plaza del Sol (sun), there was a huge screen with a video playing and words underneath, I get closer and see a man singing the words. Karaoke!!! It was like a concert with the music video in the background, this guy was so good and at the end he got a huge round of applause! He must be famous by now.
After hanging out at the plaza del sol and meeting up with my friend John and his Italian roommates, I convinced Matt and Nikki, who are not huge soccer fans, to go to the Real Madrid stadium in San Bernabue. We took the metro around 2:00am at this point to the stadium which is in northern Madrid. There were not as many people here, but still people are out until at least 3 in the morning every weekend.
So we find the stadium a good walk away, at this point rainning a little (the only bad weather all weekend) and we get to the back of the line which is oh, let's say 4 blocks long- maybe the weather was trying to tell us something. And just as we find out place in line a man comes up to us and says they are cutting the line off before us! WHAT! I have waited my whole life to see this stadium and took the metro and a 5.5 hour bus ride to get here, you are kidding me!!! Not really but i was really bummed. So I grabbed Matt and Nikki and we went into the bar to go to the "bathroom" and when we went back out I just walked in line towards the front and some people noticed we cut but after a while they just went behind is! It is a free tour, what are they going to do tell on us? So we made it in and walked through the threshold to the opening of the green soccer feild with the letter "REAL MADRID" on the stands. How amazing...to see the ginormous empty stadium. I felt like I was the only one there. Then, as if it wasn't cool enough to see the stadium, we went through the teams' locker room and showers, they even have a jacuzzi!! It was so sweet. I could definitely picture myself next to Beckham on that bench tying my soccer shoes! Oh ya! Then after walking a full cirle around the field and taking a bagillion pictures and standing behind the goal, we sat in the seats of the players and coaches on the sidelines, and then went though the VIP trophy and history rooms. Great reading material I must say!
So two hours later and after a free night we took a taxi back to downtown since the metro did not run until 6am and walked around the younger district where literally it looked like riots were happening. There were teenagers running around all over crazy with beer bottles in every hand! An interesting site. We hung out at a park for a little bit waiting for our friends to meet us, but who ended up getting lost, so we left when the metro opened back up and went back to the hotel for breakfast at 7am!! Then two hours of sleep and off to our Sunday adventures!
So Sunday, nobody was lookin so hot! Breakfast was a blast, with coffee and hot chocolate everywhere! You could definitely tell who had slept some and who had not! I heard many angry stories of people getting lost and not having a good time, but it is all about planning, perserverance and having fun!
We headed straight out to the Museo Prado downtown in Madrid. It was a nice museum but very large. I kinda gave up walking around and looking after Velasquez and some of the most famous paintings. It did have some beautiful sculptures from the 16th century and onward. Then Nikki, Matt and I discovered this Thai restaurant, which I think was the best food I have had here in Spain, not to say the food I have had has not been great. I was definitely craving some diversity since I pretty much only eat vegetables, eggs and potatoes here, but no complaints. One thing I miss about San Francisco is the diversity of food. I am craving sushi and mexican food the most surprisingly. After a great lunch and a little touristy shopping, we went to the Reina Sophia museum with all contemporary art. It has Guernica de Pablo Picasso and a lot of his other famous works and sketches, as well as Miro and Dali. I could have spent all day there literally but we had to get back to take the bus home.
That 5.5 hour ride was not as bad as the first, since it always seems quicker on the road back. Again I sat next to smelly boys, but not by choice! A great ride to reflect and think of how great the weekend was and what I learned about Madrid and to watch a horrible movie in spanish, that does not translate well to me called "The Village" with Joaquin Phoenix...ya fun....
Anyways I came home to find out my host mom's brother, who was in the hospital for liver cancer and who was about to die (a prediction from Conchi) was doing significantly better. Apparently he woke up on day from being very sick and said, "give me a sandwhich, I want to read, why do all the letters look like H's? Tell me where I am..." Juan Carlos is a funny man with little teeth, I only had the pleasure of meeting him once and found out the hard way is is very good at Parcheesy. But things at the apartment have been definitely more pleasant and Conchi has started singing again...and dancing...not pretty...but entertaining.
So I have classes this week like normal and actually I found out, with much surprise, that the KING and QUEEN and the PRINCESS are coming to the University of Deusto tom., wednesday, for a visit to comence the official school year, since he attended the University. I didn't beleive anyone when I heard it was a prestigious school, because every school says that, but now I do beleive. Well, I will when I see the King. Be prepared for pictures!
ALso, I am headed to Rimini, Italy this weekend to work at an event called Squisto. I am working with Roots of Peace, the organization I volunteered for all last year through my social justice program. They remove landmines and replace them with sustainable agriculture or soccer fields or schools in war torn countries. They have worked in Cambodia, Croatia and Angola, Africa previously. I am really excited to meet up with Heidi Kuhn, the founder and CEO while I am there. She actually is having a private audience with the POPE, while in Italy, to talk about landmines, her organization and try to raise money/awareness. Their website is www.rootsofpeace.org!!!
wow enough for now...
By the way Mary Heffernan had her baby girl Francie, who I was thinking about all weekend..I am just bummed it was not on my Bday, but I had a close guess! Congrats Mare, I love you so much and am incredibly happy for you. You are so strong and brave!