De Madrid al Cielo

Even on a rainy day, Madrid makes me smile. Malanga Girl and I had a few hours to spend there this past Tuesday between our train arriving from another Spanish city and our flight back to Paris in the evening. My friend AL told us to meet her at the entrance to the Mercado de San Miguel, near the Plaza Mayor. The Mercado de San Miguel is new since the last time I was able to wander Madrid to my heart's content, but the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol (where the closest metro stop is) are as reassuringly familiar as a favorite old sweater. Sure, things change, like the Tio Pepe sign being taken down from Sol to make way for a new Apple store and the 2009 move of the Oso y el Madroño statue to a different point on the plaza. But I emerged from the Sol subway station and knew exactly which way to go. After fourteen months in Paris, I often come up from the metro at street level in different parts of town and have to spend a few minutes getting my bearings.

In any event, I snapped this picture of Malanga Girl in the Plaza Mayor just before the rain came down in full force. We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with AL and eating the most delicious merluza I think has ever passed my lips. The beet, gorgonzola and hazelnut salad and the fresh-pressed banana juice were pretty close to absolute perfection as well. Oh, and the homemade hummus with sesame bread sticks had Malanga Girl practically licking the bowl. Really, I think I need to make a trip back to Madrid right now just to duck into Motha again. If you go there, you can thank AL for the recommendation.