Finally in Madrid

So I actually am living in Madrid for those of you who were beginning to wonder. This was my first full weekend in Madrid, but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun. We decided to take advantage of this weekend and check out what Madrid has to offer. Tuesday night, Tori and I went on a date to a Symphonic Flamenco concert. I kind of dropped the ball on this one because we were expecting a traditional Flamenco dance. Boy, was I wrong. It was more of a musical interpretation of a Flamenco concert. (And, yes, I DO know what "symphonic" means, but it didn't mean anything to me at the time). Despite this fact, it was still enjoyable. The venue was cool and the musicians were very talented.

The next night, we ("we" being me and about 6 girls, enough said) purchased tickets for the Real Madrid game against Marseilles, France. For those of you out of the loop, Real Madrid acquired arguably the two best players in the league over the off-season (Ronaldo and Kaka), so they are phenomenal. They are basically the Yankees of Spain. Anyway, we got to our seats a little late (a drawback of being with a group of girls and a little pre-gaming), but didn't miss any of the action. Soon after we got there, Ronaldo scored on a perfect ball from one of his teammates. Then, within five minutes, Kaka scored on a penalty kick. SOOO while this was going on, I had to pee like a racehorse, but didn't want to miss any of the action. Playing the odds, I ran to the bathroom after Kaka's goal (of course they wouldn't score 3 goals in 5 minutes after not scoring ANY in the first half). Despite setting a world record for a bathroom break, Ronaldo managed to score another goal while I was gone. That taught me a lesson.

For our last cultural experience of the week, we went to a bullfight on Sunday. And this event is "cultural" in every sense of the word. Even from sitting in the top row, we could see the blood caked on the side of the bull from multiple stabbings. It was a little difficult for me to watch, but apparently the Spaniards love it. I don't get it. Fortunately, they let one of the bulls live out of the 4 I stayed for. That was enough culture for me.

***DISCLAIMER: If you are a bull rights activist, a member of PETA. or have a heart, you may not enjoy these pictures***