Alcobendas

Friday I went to Alcobendas with Irene and her friend Christina, and we met a few of their friends who live  there.  They were very nice boys, and we ended up going to the shopping center in the town.  We went into a store that is much like fye, but called fnac instead.  We listened to lots of sample music, and they tried to show me Spanish music that they liked.  Most of it was pretty good.  I liked it.  Then we went into a store that sold apple products, and we played with the iPad 2 displays.  We were quite the group.

At around 9 we left the mall, and found that the bus had already come, and it was going to be an hour before another came.  So we decided to walk to a metro station.  It was a really long walk.  And I know what a long walk is.  But it wasn't bad because we were all talking and having a good time.  Well... they were.  And sometimes one person would translate for me, or one of them would walk and talk with me in English.    We made it to the metro station, and it was maybe 10:30.  We decided that we didn't want to go home just yet, so we went to a close children's park.

We played on the merry-go round, and the teeter-totter, and then there was a teeter-totter that was on steroids.  That one was definitely the most fun.  It had 2 seats, and it was an arc.  The middle of the arc was attached to a heavy duty spring, and you could teeter totter like normal, or you could spin around and do some pretty crazy things.  And that is exactly what I did.  I think I scared Irene when I first did it.  She soon got off.  It really hurts to do it though, a lot of torque on your legs.  So it was around 11:30 when I decided that I was really hungry, and it wouldn't be feasible for me to go home and make food like Irene and her friend wanted to do, because the family would be asleep.  So I persuaded the group to go and get food.

First we went to what they call a "chinese shop."  It's pretty much a convenience shop and dollar store put together.  Cristina, Irene's friend, showed me a few sandwiches in a fridge, but I wasn't so keen on them.  One because you never take sandwiches from a fridge, they are never good news.  And two because none of them sounded very appetizing.  So instead, we went to a restaurant and I got a cheeseburger. I wasn't the only one who got food either, so I didn't feel as bad for rejecting the chinese shop food.

The cheeseburger was delicious.  It was a big burger, and cooked perfectly.  It reminded me more of American food than McDonald's did.  There were also some potato wedges, and it was a good purchase for only 4 euros.  By the time we were done eating, it was about 12:20, and time to go home.

We bought tickets for the metro, and began our journey.  The boys went with us, but only had to travel one stop and were home.  So before I continue, a little geography lesson.  Madrid is the big city, and going outward, there is Alcobendas, and then further out is Tres Cantos, where we live.  So, we had to head to Madrid to head back to Tres Cantos, which if you understood my previous sentence, is the complete opposite direction we wanted to travel.

We had to do it because at that hour of night, the bus that we took to Alcobendas was no longer running.  So we took a metro to Madrid, and made it to Plaza Castilla, and took a bus from there to Tres Cantos.  By the time I got home, it was 2:45 in the morning.  Ugh.  It was a late night.  And today David left for Dubai, he is working on a project there, and will be gone until Thursday or Friday.  So now it's just Carmen and I with the kids.

It's been pretty good so far though.  The kids definitely like me a lot more now, at least Eddie does.  Lucia is at that age where she is just too cool for everyone.  But whatever.  I don't mind.

Tomorrow is an early morning for me, we are going to Madrid again for the "rastro" (i think that's how it's spelled) and it is another type of market that is much bigger, and Madrid is known for it.  Carmen has warned me that I have to be very careful with my purse.  And that I should keep my money in my pocket because people there have been known to cut your purse open to get to your money.  This should be interesting. :)  I'm quite excited!