by Tom
Facing a former great fortress
The next day in Madrid, we attempted to get our traveling plans straightened out. Learning about the Eurail and planning the trip to Seville was excruciating. We ended up waiting about four hours in lines leading up to our ticket purchase. For lunch, we just ate ´pan´ or bread. Then we went to the Museo de Prado and saw some nice paintings by Goya and Valezquez. I had no idea what these paintings were about but thanks to Rick Steve´s Guide to Spain book, we learned a lot about their significance. Dinner was nice relatively speaking considering Spanish food was not pleasing to the palate. The Museo del Jamon restaurant (Museum of Ham) was absolutely inedible. The ham looks bloody and the aftertaste and texture was just plain ´yuck´. Seungjae and Jason found it tolerable. Dinner was at the Real Paella Restaurant and was the most expensive so far at 16 euros. Oddly, we got put in a room with a bunch of Japanese tourists, away from the Spanish locals. But the paella was like the Spanish version of a korean dolsot bibimbap except a bit oilier. Spanish food is a lot heavier and richer than expected and consists of a lot of pork. No surprise that Chinese and Spanish people would get along, as there is a significant Chinese population in Madrid. Dinner was satisfying in that the portions were enough.
