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Ah, Saturday. Days off and fun in the sun! This morning, Diego went for a bike ride and Sonia went for a run. Not some little thing, mind you. No. Diego went for a ~64 kilometer bike ride, and Sonia went on a ~26 mile run. Yeah. Champions. Anyway, since they were doing that, I offered to watch the kids for the morning.
Babysitting takes on a whole new element when you don't speak the language. It worked out fairly well, but they got away with a bit more than I think would have happened had I known Spanish a bit better. We started Saturday morning right. Cartoons in PJ's and some breakfast. Then afterwards we went to the playground downstairs to get out some energy. They met up with other friends and played groundies, soccer, tag, and just messed around. I sat in the sun on a park bench and watched. I was a bit jealous of how their only concerns were who was winning groundies. How amazing.
Eventually, we worked our way up to the flat again. Sonia came home, followed by Diego a bit later. Once they had showered, all five of us went to a restaurant for lunch. Diego explained to me how he liked to finish long bike rides with this restaurant; "Las Glories." He said a beer in the sun was the perfect end to a successful bike ride. I agreed and off we went. I had my first tapas! Awesome! So good! Followed up by some beer, chicken wings, calamari rings, and finally a gin and tonic. We sat in the sun and enjoyed the unbelievably beautiful day. We talked politics, swapped stories, and practiced our English and Spanish. So lucky to get to know such wonderful people. Sonia laughed and said she couldn't believe all they'd shown me of Madrid so far was a restaurant and gin and tonics. I smiled and explained how to me, spending time with people was far more important to me than sightseeing.
Despite my comment, we went off to central Madrid afterwards. We all got in the car to head to Parque Del Retiro. "But you were there yesterday," you say! Yes, I was. However, if you remember correctly, I had an existential breakdown pretty fast on the first bench I came to. The park, however goes on for miles beyond my bench. Fountains, lakes, green lushous grass, and amazing statues exist beyond my bench in fact. (How's that for a metaphor?) We walked in from the opposite side of where I had been. People flooded ... well everywhere. Diego said he's never been to Central Park but he imagines that's how it is. I had to agree. What I've seen of Central Park it's very similar. I haven't seen Central Park in the summer, but I am betting it's quite crowded. But just as with what I saw in New York, despite being crowded, everyone is enjoying their slice of nature and a quiet sunny afternoon. It's an odd combination being surrounded by people and yet alone in peace.
We walked past monuments at every turn. I people watched, as I always do. We came to a lake, next to a main monument, the monument to Alfonso XII. People swarmed the monument and the lake. The lake has boats for rental. The line wrapped around the entire lake and then some. It was crazy. Nonetheless, beautiful.
The next stop was Palacio de Velázquez. Guess what? Another modern art gallery. It was free, thank goodness. We walked around and finally Sonia and I stopped in front of a piece that was literally a glass pane. That's it. We laughed simultaneously. We both agreed we didn't understand modern art. So, we all left.
Right next to Palacio de Velázquez is the Crystal Palace. It is a giant building made entirely of glass next to a lake with a fountain. Gorgeous. We tried to enter, but the maximum capacity was 70 people. I guess breaking a window in a building entirely of glass is a real concern. So there was a line, and when some people left, some more would enter. The kids were beginning to fade at this point. Sonia and I agreed to not go this time. I also felt like I saw most of it. Because, you know, it's made of glass.
As I mentioned before, the kids were beginning to hate walking and being here at this point. So we started working our way back. We took a different path back than we had to get there. It was a path full of rollerblades, skateboards, and bikes. We continued on.
It was quite hot today. So Diego decided we needed some ice cream. The kids were very talkative in their misery in having to walk around in a park they didn't want to be in. But when ice cream was brought to the table, they were very decisive in needing ice cream. Sonia waited while Diego, the kids, and I went off in search of ice cream. We found a little store a couple streets down. It was packed full of people with the same idea as us. I saw the smoothies and considered being healthy. Yeah, my double scoop of chocolate chip ice cream did the trick.
We went back to Sonia. Diego found a bench and the steps of a building across from the bench; perfect. I watched Iciar eat ice cream and wondered how ice cream can go so far across a small body. I feel like a spoon going from a bowl to a mouth should leave little room for error. But I was proven wrong on multiple occasions. She smiled as chocolate ice cream dripped down her chin and splotched her clothes. Her mom just rolled her eyes and smiled.
I want to say I figured out my life. I want to say all my stress from yesterday is gone. But the reality is I'll probably have another sleepless night tonight with worry. But today, I forgot my future concerns. I worked at making sure I saw life from a child's eyes today. My concerns in the morning? Groundies and cartoons. My concerns during lunch? Talking with amazing people and enjoying a gin and tonic. Okay, maybe a bit older than a kid there. I soaked in the sun. I ate ice cream and didn't give an ounce of a care over whether I should have it or not. I laughed and dismissed my concerns. Not forever. Don't worry. I know I still have some figuring out to do with that whole future thing. But I'll do it when I'm not supposed to be enjoying España. I need to figure out how to put my child like eyes on when I am supposed to be soaking in the sun. And today, I just wanted to feel young again.
On the way home, Diego had dance music going. I sang along with the American song. Iciar and Hugo watched as I knew every word to "I Don't Care" by Icona Pop. Iciar said (in Spanish...), "Mom, how does she understand this?" Her mom laughed and explained that I understand English entirely. I sang, and danced. Well it was that car dance you do where you pretend you're actually dancing. You know the one I mean. And I felt young again.
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