Getafe, Madrid at Night

My second day in Madrid I spent mostly sleeping, jet lag was really getting to me. Towards the afternoon I decided I would just let my body decide what it was going to do. After all it was my vacation, and I should, really, do what I want. Now, I didn't travel all this way to sleep, so towards the early evening I made plans to meet up with a friend for dinner.

Since it's rather cold, I was so grateful, that my friend not only had a car, but volunteered to come get me. One thing I've learned about Madrileños (and apparently other Spaniards) is they eat late! Dinner at 10pm or 11pm is normal! Lunch time is generally 2-4pm , which doesn't seem too bad, but if you go in a restaurant at noon, the kitchen may not be ready!

My friend lives in Getafe, which is a municipality (has it's own government) and city in the southern district of Madrid. It is considered to be one of the most modern industrialized areas in metropolitan Madrid. With a university campus nearby, the streets were mostly filled with college aged hipsters wearing skinny jeans and puffy jackets.

I noticed lots of street art and cool looking structures. Just look at the pic of the children's park above, cool, right? I loved the dorm like apartment buildings (built in the 60s I would learn), narrow streets, and just like any big city, parking that's hard to find.

After circling the block, we finally found parking about 5 minutes away. I didn't mind the walk, considering the cold weather, because there was so much to see!

To protect my friends privacy I didn't take pictures of his apartment, but I did take a picture of the awesome dinner he made me. He made "tallarines a la boloñesa" or spaghetti in a bolognese sauce (meat, onions, carrots, sauce). Although I think they weren't spaghetti but a flat noodle, like fettuccini. I didn't ask lol

We ate, talked about history, watched "El Ultimo Samurai" (The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise), and ate some Spanish store bought pudding desserts!

The arroz con leche was soooo delicious. Nothing like what you find in the US. Notice the brand? That would be Dannon ;)

This second one is Custard flavor! OMG, I will admit I had 2 of these. Also, super delicious.

I had a really good time catching up with my friend. Nothing like a home cooked meal, and great company. Got back around 2am, and fell asleep shortly after. Day 2 was a total success.

xoxo,

Tiana