He Said, She Said- Madrid and Toledo!

His:

Well, after a few days now in Madrid we are starting to get the hang of things.  It was a little bumpy but it's been awesome.  On our third day here I decided to venture out on my own while Jennison caught some more sleep.  I decided to go to this place that claimed the best orange juice in Madrid!  It was pretty crowded with all the tables being taken so I sat at the bar. After about 10 minutes of no one helping me I noticed a small table opened up so I decided to move there.  Shortly after, the server came and took my order.  I decided to try something that looked good in a picture, pretty sure I was getting a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, along with my cafe con leche!  Boy was I wrong!  I was served two pieces of toast with two thin slices of prosciutto in between and nothing else, haha! No sauces in it, no cheese, literally two pieces of bread and some meat.  Luckily they served a small little fruit smoothie with it that was the size of a shot glass and I figured they were promoting their smoothies.  I take a swig of it and damn, wrong again!  It was the only thing I hate, it was a tomato smoothie or something.  I quickly took a drink of my coffee to prevent me from spitting it out!  I scarfed down the bread sandwich, paid, and got out of there, forgetting to order orange juice.  Other than the ordering, I was quite pleased with myself!

Meals in general have been kinda rough for Jennison. I end up with two huge plates of food and she ends up with a plate of lettuce and tomato.  I thought it was funny the first couple of times (I'm not too fond of her recent switch to the vegan lifestyle), but now I just feel bad and wish she could order a real meal.  We did come up with a solution of cooking at home and Jennison can finally get a full stomach.

Holy Toledo!  We visited the city of Toledo which was awesome. It was this very old city that was surrounded by castle walls and I really like this type of history.  We had to take the Metro which I was having a little anxiety about, but it's not bad at all when you're not carrying 100 pounds of luggage!

Yesterday was awesome, possibly the best day yet.  There was this huge outdoor swap meet type thing on our street.  Jennison's eyes lit up and she started hopping up and down, this is her favorite type of shopping.  I ended up getting my first scarf which was badly needed.  One more step to looking more Euro, haha.  We then decided to look for this Irish pub that claimed to be viewing the NFL games, but I wanted to make sure...we found it, had a Guiness, and received confirmation that the games will be on.  The Niner game started at 8:30pm which was interesting, but I had a blast and can't wait to go back and order buffalo wings!


Hers:

Hola amigos! Well, we have definitely begun to adjust to the Spanish lifestyle- late night dinners, sleeping in past noon, coffee all throughout the day, wine all throughout the day….need I say more?

Food, for me, has been the biggest struggle. As expected, it has been pretty difficult to eat a healthy, balanced, vegan diet abroad. The Spanish waiters are not quick to accommodate (or even answer your questions really). It is as if as soon as you sit down, you have about 2.3 seconds to look at the menu and select what you will have to eat before the waiter is standing over you with their pencil and pad saying, “dime, dime” (“tell me, tell me”). Panic mode sets in. About ten minutes later, I am staring at another pile of lettuce with a couple slices of tomato.

The solution? Cooking at home! We’ve had more fun shopping at the local markets, buying meat and produce for dinner, and have stirred up some delicious concoctions at home. I am still trying to convince Brian that it is totally normal, and not a tad bit trashy, to include a box of wine with dinner ;)

A highlight of the past few days was visiting Toledo. What a cool town! This town has been populated since the Bronze Age and was a former capital of the Spanish Empire. My favorite part? Being dropped off by a cab at the top of the hill, heading up an alleyway, turning a corner, and seeing the magnificent tower from the cathedral peaking through the narrow streets ahead. It just blows my mind that this type of architecture and history exists just around the corner- literally!

My favorite day yet would have been yesterday. We walked out the door of our apartment building and walked right into Madrid’s most famous flea market, El Rastro, which dates back to the 16^th century. For those of you who know me well, you know I LOVE searching for treasures hiding amongst a bunch of junk ;) After each buying a new scarf (it’s freezing here!) we headed out for some coffee and breakfast sandwiches and then out for a beer at an Irish Pub in one of our new favorite parts of the city, near Plaza del Sol. Afterwards we went to the adorable Mercado San Miguel for some vino and produce for dinner. (Have you ever been to the Ferry Building in San Francisco? The Ferry Building is modeled after these awesome indoor mercados- one of my favorite parts about Europe!) We cooked some dinner at home and then headed back out to O’Connell St. and Dubliners Irish Pubs for none other than the 49ers game! I was able to FaceTime with one of my best friends from home (a huge Niners fan) while we were both rooting on our California team. What a small world!

Needless to say, we are absolutely loving our time in Spain. We had planned to go visit Segovia today, but since it is the first sunny day since we’ve been here, you may just find us enjoying some café or sangria on one of the sidewalk patios in Plaza Mayor.

Beauty around every corner 

Holy Toledo!

Best day ever :) El Rastor Flea Market!

We've got FOOTBALL!! Dubliner's Irish Tavern and Pub