We found a gym on Friday that was close to the apartment that offered day passes.  However, the office hours the receptionist gave us were different on Saturday so when we showed up to work out the office was closed.  We decided to do a 4-mile cardio walk instead around our neighborhood La Elipa.  We walked to a club that offered pickleball to see if Mike could play while we were in Madrid (he loves playing so much he made room in his tiny suitcase for a pickleball paddle and ball!).  He could have probably played while we were in Madrid, however other things took priority.  It would be amazing if he is able to play in every country we visit…it will hopefully be easier for him to play when we aren’t following Depeche Mode. 

We met Monica (the daughter of our good friends Jonette and Raul who used to live in Spain and are currently living in Minnesota) at her work.  She showed us around the area.  She is an amazing tour guide (just like her Papa!).  We had lunch on the top floor of El Cortes Ingles (the largest department store group in Europe, based in Madrid).  Great views of the city! 

We had a variety of tapas for a late lunch (grilled octopus, grilled artichoke, jamon, croquettes) and Mahou beer (can’t believe Monica is 21, so fun to have a beer with her!…the legal drinking age in Spain is 18). 

Afterwards we continued our tour and walked by Monica’s college and hang out spots.  We stopped for a dessert that Monica likes at Taco Bell.  It’s always interesting to visit chain restaurants in other countries to see local menu items.  It was wonderful spending time with Monica and getting to experience her world.  We didn’t really need to do the 4 mile walk before we met up with Monica!  We walked over 12 miles today.      

On Sunday, we took the metro to the El Retiro park to do our cardio workout.  The Puerta de Alcala, outside the park, is beautiful and the tulips were gorgeous!  The black swans in the park pond were a lovely surprise.  Mike ran 4 miles, and I walked as I am still working on trying to get back to feeling 100%.  We have experienced a fair amount and rain, wind, and overall chilliness since we arrived in Europe.  We were excited because the sky was blue and sunny when we started our workout.  We were surprised when a rain cloud drifted over the park and let loose for about 5 minutes.  We were thankful it was a short shower.   

We did our grocery shopping for the week.  We were hungry so we stopped at the deli and tried one of Monica’s recommendations, bocadillo de calamares (squid sandwiches), before we started shopping.  We liked them and we’re glad we tried one of the most common food items in Madrid.  We made dinner and enjoyed another $2 bottle of wine.  We did our laundry.  It is common in Europe to air dry clothes, so it’s important we wash our jeans so they have time to dry before packing them to move to our next home.  It’s always fun to try and figure out how to work each appliance – grateful for YouTube videos!