Highlights-Madrid (last day)
I visited a friend and his family at their home for lunch. Afterward, my friend and I walked in El Parque del Buen Retiro (Park of the Good Retreat as in “secluded place,” Retiro for short) on the east side of El Prado.
We Have Cow
They are everywhere in Madrid
Awaiting my order
I hope the lanterns don’t drop on me!
Notable Items
On the Metro today, a man entered the car and briefly provided entertainment with a guitar and harmonica, amplified by a speaker (most street musicians are amplified these days). I tipped him, which I don’t usually do. Perhaps I should do it more often.
At Retiro, my friend and I walked just from the car to an outdoor café. I have run in the park many times when staying closer to El Prado than Ópera (in Las Letras neighborhood). This was my first time sitting at a café in the park.
Retiro is popular on the weekends, so wild arm waving is sometimes necessary to get service (not today, our server had eagle vision). I used to read reviews of Spanish restaurants by visitors from the U.S. noting that the service isn’t what they expected. Wild arm waving for attention, which no one cares about in Spain, is part of the experience of being somewhere different. I don’t want the service to be the same when I go to a different country. I do want service at some point, however, and I’m not afraid to ask for it when I’ve been forgotten (this has happened). I don’t read reviews anymore.