Back in Lux

We spent out last day in Toledo, a middelaged city 70 km south from Madrid. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive cultural and monumental heritage as one of the former capitals of the Spanish Empire. The architecture is amazing fusing islamic, jewish and christian iconography in temples, cathedrals and churches. The city was also the home of the famous spanish mannerist painter El Greco. Kari and I went to see one of his exhibitions! I love his strong use of color! We also took a tour around the city seeing the beautiful wall once served to protect Toledo.

I are now however back in Lux after 3 wonderfull weeks in Madrid. Kari is already in Norway at our summer house. I will be leaving later today! :) Can't wait for spending some nice weeks by the ocean with the family!

Botin-The world´s oldest restaurant

Down some curvy stairs from Plaza Major lies Botin, the world´s oldest restaurant, where Kari and I enjoyed a lovely dinner on Thursday evening. The atmosphere was amazing and we almost felt as if we were sitting in a cave. (A cosy cave that is!) The building is from 1590 and the restaurant or back then the inn, opened in 1725 by a french cook called Jean after the reform of Plaz Major!! One interesting thing is that before XVIII inns in Madrid could only cook what the guests brought inn. Good thing I didnt live in the 17th century... I think I would have brought brown goatcheese and wafles... I bet the tapas in Spain wouldn´t have become as popular as they are today if that were the case! :P

http://www.botin.es/INGindex.html

Noruega ♥

Today was our last day at work! We celebrated the end of an era at ... one of Real Madrid´s favorite restaurants. As always, all the girls got a plant! I still have the one I got when I was 15. It was tiny back then, but it still lives and is huge now!! Two more days left. I will post some more pics untill we leave. It will be nice returning to Lux and Norway! Can`t wait for a fresh and sporty summer by the ocean and in the mountains!! :)

Angels and demons...and sailors at Chueca!

Words can´t describe the fun we had at Chueca Gay Pride festival Saturday night.... (uhhh or rather its 7 in the morning and I´m too tired to write!!) Anyway the parade was amazing! Here are some pics.



This angel apparently did not fly down from heaven to meet me! :(








Normally I`d want a pic with Mickey Mouse, but here I am with two supertall transvestites!
Notice their heels!



We also bumped into some random Italians! They liked Kari so much that they started carrying her around!! :S We quickly ran away!!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for icecream!

New city, new icecreams! We will here determine the best summer icecream(s)!


1. Fantasmikos.

6 small icecreams in one pack. Points for many different flavours. I was really excited about the surprise inside! It was a tattoo, but I couldnt make it stick so that bring it down!

2. Haagen-Dazs cookies and cream on a stick!


I love Haagen-Dazs! But I must admit that its better eating from a box while watching a movie than on the go!


3. Lemonade sin azucar!

It seems like you cannot simply go into a supermarket and buy only one icecream here in Madrid, so Kari and I ended up buying a pack of 6 Limonades! Only 1 euro and it claims to be sugarfree! Wahhh!! Tasted sour and refreshing! 3 for me and 3 for her! :)
This is definitely the winner!


4. Super Twister

OK Ok this is a winner too! :)
Brings back childhood memories from the years we lived in Madrid! I love it! :)


5. Vanilla with brownie


A classic but kind of boring.


6. Calipo Fresa and Calipo Limon

Yummy but it can`t beat twister and Limonade 6 pack! ;)

Cool in the city!

Its HOT in Madrid, often up to 37 degrees! Here are some effective ways to cool yourself down in the city!

1. Drink lots of cold water!!!

2. Swim in the fountains!

(Uhhh we thought this looked really wrong but everyone seemed to be doing it. Pics: in the fountain by the park next to the Palacio Real.)

2. Eat LOTS of icecream!!
We bought a pack of 6 lemonade fruit icecreams for 1 euro the box and ate them all in one go!!! Aiiiii brain freeze!!! :D

3. Eat cold watermellon!! Yummy!

4. Go to museums!!
(Good air condition :D )

5. Go swimming!!!!
(Here at the Pisine Municipal)




6. And if none of that works, hide under an umbrella like these guys do! :)

Work, archiving and metro life!!

Each morning on the way to work is usually very similar! We start the day by eating a small breakfast, going to the metro, trying to come on time. We always bring a book because after living here, we realized it was the best way to pass time. Everyone reads on the metro whether its e-books, magazines, novels or even bibles!!!

First of all the strange thing here is that the metro comes from the left side. This was very confusing for us...It still is!! The engineer of the first metro was british and so Madrid started following the british metro system. Recently however the newer lines have been built the other way around.

The second strange thing is that however stressed or late people are, they always take their time to stand in a long quew to the escalators. They refuse to walk the stairs. And when some sporty norwegian girls, like us, start walking up the stairs, they look shocked and strangely at us. But we however take the advantage of walking from floor 1 to floor 10 every day. Bikini season here we come!! :) :)


But our bikini workout doesn´t stop at the metro.
When we finally arrive at work, located in Madrids business street Paseo de Castellana, we are ready to pump up our arm muscles with som archving. If you ever need an expert at archiving, contact us! :)

Archiving is fun!

Tapas and mojitos with our Spanish friends! :)

Turquoise feathers, rainbow colors, tapas and mojitos!! Sounds great no? It was!

Last night Kari and I met up with Aitziber, a friend from work, and a friend of hers called Julio!

We started at Chueka. Chueka used to be one of Madrid´s worst areas filled with prostitutes and drugies. In the 80s the gays started buying apartments there and things started calming down. The streets cleaned up and eventually fashionable stores opened, as well as spas, hairdressers, trendy bars and organic restaurants! :) They now have all they need and the area is also known for its good clubs!

This week the "Proud to be gay" festival started. Welcome to the carnival!! :) Feathers, pink glitter, huge purple wigs, men running in highheels... you see the picture! :) (And yes Mrs. Thayer you are right, men actually DO wear purses... well atleast in Chueca!) The three of us girls shared a huge glass of mojitio, here sold at stands like beer, and watched the flamenco dancers, the drag queens and checked out the several good looking, very fashionable and perfect guys. (whom sadly ofcourse were gay)

We then walked to Plaza Major for something to eat. Julio is however from Madrid and so instead of Plaza Major, he showed us some of the best local places for tapas at La Latina. We found a cosy crowded little place, where we had Gazpacho, chorizo and some bread with black pudding. We later found out that the pudding consisted of pig blood mixed with bread crums!! (It was yummy before I heard this!)

As we walked home through the streets of Madrid de los Austrios, we passed the town hall, the old Madrid market plass now filled with bars, and the house of San Isidro el labrador, the Catholic patron saint of farmers and of Madrid. The architecture is amazing her and I did take some photos with my mobile, but my technical skills are not that good and I have not yet been able to upload them. Hope to do this later! :)

It was nice seeing Madrid´s nightlife from a local´s point of view and not simply the typical tourist sites. :)