Madrid: Tuesday

So, remember my shoe? I tried to close the crack with cement glue, but the second I stepped outside in the smallest puddle of water, I felt a rush of cold to the middle of my right foot. After walking 15 minutes to the light rail station from Linda's apartment, that foot was completely drenched once again. It's no matter, because later, on my way to the Royal Palace, I attempted to step over a small pond that was collecting at the bottom of the stone stairs. I unfortunately did not manage to evade the puddle, and both of my feet were feeling the full effect immediately. As an added bonus, my right foot emitted bubbles like a rabid dog every time I took a step.
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The first visit on my agenda was the Temple of Debod, an ancient Egyptian ruin site with a reflecting pool and a great view - albeit foggy - of the city of Madrid. There was also a free museum in the largest part of the ruin structure. It showed ancient Egyptian heiroglyphics and dioramas of possible configurations of the structures in Egyptian times. It was interesting to see the story unfold and learn a little about the significance of each of the gods.
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My quest continued to a church not far from the Debod site. I went down a path through a park, passing the Teleferico and over the train tracks, noting that the entire bridge over the tracks and all of the walls were covered in colorful graffiti. It was amazing to see what people had created over the years, and I'm sure it would not be a recommended place to travel at night. Over the bridge was the Real Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida, a church that contained Goya's religious frescoes as well as his burial ground. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed, so you will have to imagine his colorful and expressive style on the canvas of the church's ceiling. There was also a video in Spanish about the restoration process, so I briefly sat and watched albeit my lack of understanding.
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After the visit to the church, I was feeling a little hungry and hoping to find a warm place to sit and eat my packed lunch. I came across Principe Pio, a main Metro and train station, that had a giant mall with endless food court and tables. I sat across from the movie theater entrance, where I saw that there was a movie playing with George Clooney and a llama. I'm still not fully updated on the movies that come out in the US, so it wasn't surprising that I did not recognize the film.
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I also took a trip to the Royal Palace after lunch and saw the incredibly elaborate rooms where a bunch of kings named Carlos lived. There were porcelain rooms (where porcelain cherubs and vines covered the walls and ceiling) and oriental rooms and dining rooms covered in intricate silk patterns. There was also a room with a Stradavarius collection: two violins, a viola, and two cellos. This was the first time I had seen a Stradivarius, and, although you could tell that they replaced the tailpiece, strings, and pegs to make the instruments look nicer, I have to say that I was pretty impressed. I especially loved the cello, which was unadorned (as seen in the picture of the violin on the "Stradavarius" link, there is an edging along the face of the violin as well as paintings on the sides) and in pristine condition. It is a shame, though, that they are sitting in a box instead of being played.
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Plaza de Espana was another place that I on my walk around town. I took pictures of the fountain and the large hotel under construction.
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Linda took me to a couple of Asian grocery stores, where I found Sriracha rooster sauce and very cheap noodles and quinoa.
We then went to a more ethnic neighborhood with various Asian cuisine, and Linda took me to an Indian restaurant - 7 euro for a large pappadum with tamarind and mint yogurt sauces, pureed lentil soup with cilantro and lemon, palak paneer, choapati, wine, and Indian tea. Linda ordered pakoras, a chicken curry dish, and basmati rice. Our entire dinner ended up being 15 euro for what had to be some of the best Indian food I have ever tasted.