mis cosas favoritas

I have compiled the following list for the following reasons:
(a) a celebration of my first month here (!)
(b) a legitimate excuse for not reading about Felipe II
(c) a distraction from thoughts associated with dropping out of school, dying kittens, and infernos of fire...all of which have resulted from the looming presence of the demon campus.

So let's get to it! My favorite things about Madrid (in no particular order...)

1. Chocolateria San Gines
Jess and I have yet to pay for churros con chocolate at this 100+ year old Chocolateria since befriending one of the servers during our first few days in Madrid (we are now his "invitadas" and yes, we're kind of a big deal). Frequented daily by tourists and geezers and nightly by the post-bar crowd, the place is usually packed.

2. Cafe Commercial
Another veteran Madrid establishment, I went here for the first time last night with Jess (it was the dinner part of our dinner-and-movie date night). Although I feared that my instant obsession may have been largely a result of the McDreamy look-alike server, upon returning this morning (with no McDreamy in sight) I can confirm that the obsession is legitimate. The dark marble tabletops housed old men reading the newspaper to my left, a meeting between intercambios to my right, and a couple sharing a beer and chips in front of me. As I was getting ready to leave two men walked by my table followed by a French bulldog. All three of them seated themselves at a nearby table. No, that wasn't a typo...the bulldog hopped up onto a chair and sat patiently, his droopy eyes conveying his boredom with what has clearly become routine. (Fetch could probably pull this off, but Rufus and Fiona? Never.) I'm hoping that the casual manner with which these three characters seated themselves implies that they are Cafe Commercial regulars and as long as the Charmanda gods are on top of things, I am guaranteeing another run-in.

3. Dogs
Though Mr. French Bulldog is clearly a special Spanish phenomenon, Spanish dogs in general are amazing. While New York is filled with chihuahuas on leashes (whom I love dearly), Spain has one-upped New York twice (two-upped?) when it comes to dogs. Firstly, dogs rarely are leashed--there must be something in the water here that makes dogs super easy to train. And secondly, I have seen a wider variety of dogs roaming the streets here than I would see on Saturdays at Rufus' dog-park...pugs, golden retrievers, greyhounds (wolves), chow chows, and tons of mutts (clearly the best option). Now if only the owners could adopt better clean-up-after-your-dog habits...

dogs playing in the park around the corner | wolf

4. Frutos Secos El Rincon
There are tons of somewhat grimy "Frutos Secos" stores here (stores that sell nuts, dried fruit, gummy candy, and chocolate by weight) but I recently crossed paths with the Queen Bee of the Frutos Secos world. It's bright yellow, spotless, and has just about every type of Fruto Seco imaginable. Today I stocked up on pumpkin seeds, "ositos" (gummy bears!), and "almendras" (almonds. duh.)...but tomorrow I think I'll give into my constant chocolate craving and fill a bag with the chocolate covered raisins I've been eyeing.

punkin seeds!

5. Blue skies!
The Madrid sky is honestly the clearest sky I've ever seen. Other than our first few days here, I hardly ever see any sign of clouds. Seriously...it's almost creepy. Now I've probably already jinxed myself and am going to wake up to a hurricane tomorrow...

seriously? SERIOUSLY?!

6. Viena Capellanes
Though I usually prefer to support small establishments rather than chains, the Viena Capellanes (one of eighteen locations in Madrid) just down the street has some of the most amazing cookies ever. My hermanas and I frequent this place so often that we're probably paying its monthly rent. And, despite its being a chain, the company was founded in 1873 so it's totes legit.

7. Maria Rosa's Tortilla Espanola
My Senora makes the best tortilla espanola (Spanish egg and potato "pie") in all of Spain, hands down. Enough said.

8. Mis hermanas!
Jess and Maya are finally back in 128 Fuencarral and I could not be happier. Las eche de menos este pasado fin de semana!

hermana love : )

Mood was temporarily lifted but Monday is crawling closer. Yuck.