"Our lives are not real"

This weekend was phenomenal. Thursday night I met up with my salsa class and we went to Tropical Bar, this one discotecha soley devoted to salsa dancing. I would have been content just sitting there and watching beautiful displays of dancing. Spanish people can MOVE! I danced with a few people but am quite obviously a begginner. I'd get into a rythm and then step on a random foot who wasn't even my dance partner. Esta bien, I still have three months of class. My teacher is HOT. That woman can dance...

Friday I went to Palacio Real with Stephanie and Elyse. We rented large cell phones that explained the significance of each beautifully adorned room. My was it EXTRAVAGANT! I cannot imagine living there. I would probably lay on the floor and stare at the million dollar ceilings all day long. There were paintings from many famous people in the rooms and across the ceilings including the famous painters Velasquez and Francisco de Goya. My favorite room had a 3-D decorated ceiling and was just so elaborately adorned with oriental influence in the design. Chandeliers hung from every room, including hallways. They were hung with a type of silk and were crystal and beautiful. The palace is the most beautiful display of living I have ever seen in my entire life, and i was blown away that man has the capacity to create such a scene. It was built in the 16th century and housed King Phillip the V and Charles III. Currently it is only used as a musuem and apparently certain state ceremonies and is not lived in. Today, the royal Spanish family resides in a more modest palace, Paladio de la Zarzuela in the outskirts of Madrid. I'm sure it's far from "modest."
We also toured the royal pharmacy-yay Dad! and the royal armory where there was jousting armour, swords, spears, etc.
We wandered over to the beautiful Almudena Cathedral next to the Palace. I had been there before but the gals hadn't. I said a prayer in one of the pews. So humbling. It's such a holy place, you can just feel the intensity. The architecture for this cathedral is much more modern as construction did not begin until 1879, but it is still majestic and based on "gothic revival" design. In 1993 the cathedral was consecrated by Pope John Paul II.
After our sight-seeing us three gals found a DELICIOUS Istanbul cheap lunch and then went shopping around sol. Sol is the center for so many things, nightlife, shopping, meeting people.
Later that night our Spanish friends, Jaime and Jonathon, took us to a PHENOM sushi place, 19 Sushi Bar. It was my first sushi dining experience and it was QUITE a good one. We started off with white wine and mini shrimp coated in some fantastic sauce. We then had California rolls, and later tuna, salmon, and crab sushi. We finished with champagne and some chocolate mouse creation. Great friends, great food. I'm pretty sure the bill was 245 euro, and Jaime was freaking out and Jonathan kept saying "tranquilo, esta bien." But they paid for it. I need to make more Spanish friends. After we all grabbed taxis and went to a high end spanish club with free admission, mojitos, and VIP. Serrano 41. It was a LOT of fun! We met a few German girls and I chatted with these older people in our lounge and they were telling me things to do and places to eat in Madrid. I love how forty, fifty year olds still have nightlife at bars and clubs here and its normal. Once again I requested Britney Spears. I tried to learn the waka wake this time for Africa dance with the Spainards which was a theme song of the World Cup apparently.
The next morning Stephanie and I booked a trip for LONDON THIS COMING WEEKEND. Elyse was telling us about her trip and shoot, we just decided to go. Booked an all gal hostel and am going friday morning to earllyyyy monday morning so we will arrive back in Madrid in time for class. People will speak English. YES.
I wandered around that afternoon, found cool places. bought a six euro dress that I wore to Rock the Ballet later that Saturday night. Rock the Ballet was incredible. The first half of the show was U2 and Coldplay and that type of music that these six men danced to. Incredibly muscular, super talented, had no idea human bodies could do the things they were doing. One of the songs, they all brought out blow up dolls and were dancing with them. HILARIOUS. One of them popped during the performance so it was limp. Hysterical. a little promiscuous! I felt bad for this cute five year old gal sitting next to me. She kept staring at me; I don't think she had seen an American before? The second half of the show was Queen, Micheal Jackson, Prince, shirtless, top hats, suit jackets, dress shirts, phenommm dancing, etc...
After the show, this man, Daniel or David? came up to us and said the dancers will be at his bar, Maloney's, later that night and we should stop by. Um, of course! We were thinking our life couldn't get better and then all of the dancers walked out and were chatting us up. Pictures, meet n greets, and chit chat later they were off to get food and clean up. We grabbed a cab to the street where Maloney's was and stopped in a very hoppin' tapas bar. They brought out a sort of chex mix deal with our drinks. Whenever you order a drink, you automatically get a free tapa in Spain. Anywhere you go! US needs to start this trend. A creepy 44-year-old married journalist that just walked out of bible times with his beard was leering over us so we decided it was time to find Maloney's. Maloney's is a hole in the wall GEM. Writing all over the walls of people who have visited. I saw a Colorado AND a Texas license plate! They had SNACKS at the bar. Memorabilia dashed all over the walls from all over the world. We signed our names. Knew the manager from earlier. There was this one drink you would hold in your mouth while someone lit it on fire and you would blow fire! AH! Met the dancers there. The guys were half gay half straight, and of course great dancers. They're on an international tour right now. One of the gay guys was worried "where will i get my hair highlighted! Spanish people aren't blonde! I'm gonna have four-foot roots." It was Brandt's birthday... cool dude from Arizona. All of them were from the states I believe. We had SUCH a great night! Internationally famous people, free everything, dancing. Melanie kept saying, "Our lives are not real, is this really happening right now?!"
Today I went to the El Rastro market in Madrid. It's a large outside market with little tents of everything: used leather coats, clothes, food, jewelry, more leather goods, everything. I bought my sister a Spanish flamenco poster and a very unique sweatshirt. i was trying on clothes over my clothes and bought shorts from Italy. El Rastro is infamous for pick pockets, so i was very cautious. So many people.

This weekend was wonderful. Madrid is a fantastic place to be.
Today is my four-week mark of living here.
I feel like I've lived here for so long, I've experienced so much already! But time is also flying by!