Madrid and Obama!

I arrived in Madrid on Saturday knowing that Tuesday was election day. Throughout my wanderings if I saw a bar that mentioned English TV, as in football (especially American Football) I would stop and ask if they were going to air the Inuaguration. They all looked at me as though I had a hole in my head (presumably from my imaginary blowdryer). So I resorted to the internet to find the Democrats Abroad party at the InterContinental Hotel.

I can say I couldn't have been more pleased. I found a woman in her late 30's in line that lived in Madrid with her husband while he is stationed here for a job in windmills and watched with 300 hundred expats the swearing in. The first party was free and the woman introduced me to many ex-pats and we had a fabulous time. I'm pretty sure as I was on Spanish TV as one woman I met, was black and we kept being asked to pose for the cameras together celebrating. It was the photo op that journalists love.

I had wanted to go to the after party which was $45 euro, but they told me it would be a black tie affair and as I have nothing in black tie I stayed with them at the hotel bar. Then I saw people arriving and realized it was much more casual than they had assumed, so I jumped in a taxi to my hotel, changed into a cocktail dress and came back for the party.

When I got to the door I asked where I could buy the ticket. The American woman explained that I needed to go down the hall, turn left, then right, up the stairs and turn left. I looked at her with a look of fatigue. She promptly said: Or you're already here, so you might as well just go in. Yay her! I wouldn't have minded payin since it was free wine and food, but I just couldn't stand the thought of being lost again.

I promptly met the Alex P. Keaton of Spain (who of course being Spanish, is a Democrat). He studied law in Chicago so his English was amazing and he had many connections there. My favorite was a Spanish couple in their late 70's. She looked like she may have been 50, while he looked like a cadaveour that had been reanimated. But he kept up with her and the four of us discoed to American music together.

Too much wine later and APK (from this point known as Eduardo) ended up in a row of bars that I really should remember more. Actually at this point it is all a big foggy, but I remember talking incessently about the food (why can't they take the heads of the shrimp? Am I supposed to eat that tiny crab? I broke it open and found nothing but black organs, I am I really supposed to eat that?) I guess a drunk woman's words really are a sober woman's thoughts. Thankfully he found it charming (or so I think since he did Facebook me).

At about 3am, I finally called a cab to my hotel to get ready for my train to Seville, while Eduardo went to the airport to catch his 6am flight to Barcelona for a business meeting. At least the train didn't leave until 2pm which gave me time to rest, while I have no idea how Eduardo made it through the day (he did post on Facebook that he was really tired about 3pm, I can only imagine that's my fault)