¡Olé!

Ryan and I had a long weekend for Thanksgiving Break (ah, the benefits of working for an American school), so we headed for Madrid. I spent a year living abroad there my senior year of college. Note that I didn't say "studying abroad," as that would be a misrepresentation of what truly went on there. I had the pleasure of living in an apartment with 3 Spanish young women, an oddity in a country where people live with their parents until they get married. Maria Auxiliadora, Maria Carmen, and Maria Luz taught me Spanish colloquialisms (read, curse words), the art of a perfect tortilla espanola, and how to make a mean Bacardi Limon. Ryan has also been there several times, as he has an affinity for UC girls who like to study abroad in Spain (ask him about it later!), and we also returned for our honeymoon.

We woke up our first morning to a delicious Spanish breakfast.

Nothing screams, "Mornin'" like cured meat and white bread.

Wait, I'm forgetting something...

The only thing left to complete this Spanish breakfast is a cigarette.

Luckily, Madrid is a lot sunnier than London, so after a visit to the Prado Museum, we spent some time strolling through Retiro Park, drinking coffee, and just relaxing.

We also spent lots of time visiting the 3 Marias. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture with Mamen (Maria Carmen), so you'll only see two of them below.

Me, Luz, and her boyfriend Pablo. I like taking pictures with Luz
because she's one of the few people with a smaller head than me!

Auxi and I at the Teatro Zarkana performance.