Madrid: Sunday

I arrived in the Madrid Aeropuerto, where I was supposed to meet Linda at a cafe outside of the customs gates. Unfortunately, I must have taken a wrong turn and ended up exiting out of Terminal 3 instead of Terminal 1, where she was waiting. After many unsuccessful attempts to reach her cell phone, I remembered how to make out-of-country calls in Europe (I conveniently forgot to add the 00 beforehand), and I quickly connected with Linda and walked through the busy terminals to meet her at the other customs gate. We took the Metro through Zone A and then the light rail to Zone B1, where you walk about a quarter of a mile and reach a nice, gated apartment complex with tennis courts, swimming pool, and children's playground.
___________________________________________________
Linda was prepared for my hunger and had made a delicious squash soup the day before, so we sat down to a late lunch of soup, queso, crackers, olives, and homemade babaganoush. After we were sated with food, she took me on a tour of the city, including the following: a visit to the Museo del Prado, where I saw Goya's famous 3rd of May; a stroll down La Latina, a street filled with tapas restaurants (bar food that varies from olives to mushrooms to potato cakes); the Catedral de la Almudena, Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de Oriente, Puerta del Sol; and - my favorite part of the evening - a small Turkish restaurant off the beaten path. We arrived at the restaurant a little past 9pm, and the owner appeared to be hosting a birthday party for one of her friends or family members. We walked up to the second floor where there were children running around and men watching the football game and women chatting. At first, the waitress told us that she could not serve us, but then she changed her mind and set up a table. Linda ordered an item off the menu that consisted of different traditional Turkish salads - one was spicy and looked a little like pico de gallo, one had roasted eggplant and peppers, there was a mint yogurt sauce, some beans with sauce, goat cheese, rice-stuffed grape leaves, olives, and marinated cucumbers. This was served with two large pieces of what looked similar to pita bread or naan. I also ordered a vegetarian sandwich with different soft cheeses, lettuce, and tomato. To finish off, we had the traditional Turkish tea - a clear black tea that tastes incredible with a little sugar. In total, the entire meal cost about 11 euro, and Linda saw my mouth drop to the floor as the man rung up our bill. Authentic food for a student budget doesn't seem to exist in Switzerland....
___________________________________________________
We returned home well after midnight, where we headed to bed. It also should be noted that eating dinner at this hour is not unusual for Spaniards. Linda was telling me that restaurants often open for the dinner hour after 8pm, and many people eat dinner at midnight or later. I don't understand how this is feasible for working people, but maybe they just start their work days later. In any case, the concept completely amazes me - I always thought the Swiss ate too late at 7:30 or 8.