March in Madrid
It’s March 12th and Madrid feels like Montreal. The leather jacket Claire let me have last October is now threadbare around the cuffs, and I’m through wearing the long waterproof I bought last Christmas because its zipper broke followed by one of the snaps, so that a hole gapes over my crotch area as I slalom among the slow-walking Spaniards on the sidewalk.
It’s been a busy and crazy but triumphant week, and I apologize for the decrease in my rate of posting. I am eager to finish the current story. “How Liz Falls In Love,” and then resume Dance Is Love. Today I don’t have class till four so I am going back to sleep and will probably cook some falafel for dinner. Tonight my boyfriend Taj and I will either watch a movie or go salsa dancing. That’s how tired we both are. Neither of us likes movies. We may in that case end up at La Republica again for some busy footwork, arm-tossing figures and cranberry vodkas.
Tomorrow: French girl party at my house: my roommate Mathilde is having a birthday. I need to find a costume as it’s a masquerade. By that time none other than Andrew Sutton will be here, en route from the Canary Islands to Germany, where he will teach lindy hop next. Taj and I will take him around Madrid this week. No rest for the revelers.
This week I have solidified a work schedule which ensures no morning classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays so if you want to find me on Tuesday or Thursday nights you might look in El Son, the salsa club that packs ‘em in till 5:30am every day of the week, or the live blues club La Coquette, both a stone’s throw from my house. Sunday nights I’ll be at CATS or at somewhere I just heard about called El Bembe: one room each for salsa, bachata, merengue, regueton. I ran into a friend of mine on Calle Huertas last Wednesday night and he said this place el Bembe is “la puta madre.” It’s far, though: I’d have to take Cercanias (train to the near suburbs).
Semana Santa (Easter Week) is coming up and I think I want to be out of the city, maybe south, Valencia or Málaga. Any suggestions for me? (Think cheap, in Spain, beach, nature.)
Time for my siesta. Sincere thanks to you for reading. Your comments, suggestions, corrections, criticisms, shout-outs, etc. are always welcome.