Crhismas Dream

Hiya!! Quite depressed after Christmas back in Spain, I have to say… of course, the reason for that is not (only) how nice all the people were over there, but also, and maybe this is a bit obvious, for the fact itself that it was holidays. I have a quite scientific theory about how a place may look like crap when you work on it, and incredibly nice when you are just on holidays (Barcelona is the biggest example I can think of about this).

Anyway. Let´s go with a quick briefing of the most knackering Chrismas holidays I can remember, emphasizing, obviously, the bars/pubs visited (yeah, this is pintofcarling, did you actually forget?)

Friday 19th: Arrive to Madrid at 10 pm and go straigth to party with former colleagues (and current friends) as Sebas, Albert, Pedro, Roquer, Sarriu, Ira, Silvia, Tere, Chema, etc etc etc. Places visited: Tatum (7) and a little dive (4) in Avenida Brasil (cannot and don’t want to remember it’s name, so bad it was. Good fun, though).

Saturday 20th: Beer with Pedro and lunch and drinks with Susana, Yago and Cristina in Ñeru (9), very close to Arenal Street in Madrid. Amazing Asturian food for a fair price, I recommend it very strongly, particuclarly if you have the chance to go there a week day and get the day menu. After that, drinks in Café Real (9), in Opera, a quite pricey place sort of the ones you might expect in Latina, but without that cool atmosphere I sometimes find so annoying. Also they serve one of the best carrot pies in Madrid (again, for a stupidly high price). Later on drinks in Pozuelo in Brujas (7), a Flemish bar in Avda Europa with a good mix of Belgian, German and British beers.

Sunday 21st: Early arrival (8am) to Lisbon. Lisbon day 1 (I’ll write a different post for the Lisbon trip).

Monday 22nd: Lisbon day 2.

Tuesday 23rd: Lisbon day 3.

Wednesday 24th: Lisbon day 4 and lunch with family. Drinks with my brother and Olsen in Getafe, in Taberna del Filibustero (9), a very nice place in Madrid with no special feature but a great atmosphere even at 8 pm the 24th of December (those guys don´t have a family, do they?). One of the best places to have some beers in Getafe at the moment, and a recent discovery. Late night, party with all Getafe friends first (Lali, Ana, Silvia, Vero, Ruben, Ivan, Angel, Maite, etc etc etc) at Chapeau (1), one of the worses clubs in Getafe if not actually the worst. Obvioulsy I left as soon as possible to join my brother and his friends (better known as Los Bolitas, somehow a myth in Getafe) in New Rot (6), where the party carried on til late. Incredible party mood til very very late, and cheap drinks. Can you ask more?

Thursday 25th. Wasted. Playstation 3 and a couple of drinks with my brother, Dani, Chaparro and Oscar.

Friday 26th: Here we go again. Coffe in Marta’s place, beers in Chus’ place, and beers&drinks in Don Jamon (8), one of the best places for ‘tapeo’ in Getafe. The tapas served there acted well enough as dinner, and, after that, we went again to la Taberna del Filibustero and late at night to Un Buen Dia (8), a nice club in Getafe where booze is absolutely horrible but music is quite enjoyable.

Saturday 27th: Friend’s official Crhistmas Lunch with Santi, Paco, Ruben, Adri, Chus, Angel and Ivan (obviously, one more year no girlfriend was allowed, for the sake of the party ;)). Beers in Casa del Jamon (3) and Ca;as y Tapas (4) in Gran Via, Madrid, and lunch in Friday’s (3), again in Gran Via. Very bad value for money, and particularly my steak was horrible. After that, drinks (quite a lot) in Cafeina (8), in Calle del Pez, and more drinks in Molly Malone (8), and more drinks in Tupperware (9) until 4 am. Tupperware is a classic alternative club in Malasa;a, and it’s main flaw is that it’s usually packed. Not that day. Even the spirits tasted properly, which is quite surprising over there… (a great example of the Spanish Garrafon). We forgot to have dinner that day.

Sunday 28th: Beers in Don Jamon and movie with Susana. We watched Changeling (8), the last one from Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie. It’s like one of those movies based in real facts you watch in Antena3 on a Saturday evening, but much better produced. Angelina is beautiful but, in this movie, too skinny.

Monday 29th: Brunch with Susana, and Bowling. She broke one arm in an ill-timed fall while bowling, and we had to go to a hospital. Unfortunately I had to cancel on of the main milestones of the week, the dinner planned with former Erasmus friends (former Erasmus, they are still friends all of them).

Tuesday 30th: after getting Susana to Burgos, Guitar Hero session with all the instruments (guitar, bass, drums and singer) in Chus’s place + Burger King + Fifa09 sesion in Santi’s place until late. One of my favourite days, I gotta say.

Wednesday 31st: Beers with my brother’s friends in El Boli (7), a nice tapeo bar in Getafe. After that, more beers and tapas with my friends in La Barrica (5) and Chilaba (10), an incredible bar where you can ask for almost anything as tapa with your beer (including burguers, hot dogs, montaditos, etc.). Later, mojitos and drinks with my brother friends again in Taberna del Filibustero, until 9. Dinner. Party in Angel’s house, where obviously PS3 and whisky where the main attractions until churros time.

Thursday 1st: Wasted (again). Quiet day in Getafe, with coffe and beers with Santi in the evening in La Cibelina (5), La Vinoteca (5) and eventually Don Jamon. After dinner, drinks with Marta, Gema, Angel and Chus in Canto Redondo (6), a fine bar in Getafe. Adrian joined us afterwards and so the Franciskaner party, until roughly 3 am.

Friday 2nd: Crazy night, starting in Mala Vida (9), one of the best pubs in Getafe where the best music blends perfectly with a nice Guinness or Murphys. Jack Daniel´s shots and Un Buen Dia later. Garage (9), my second house and the pub I´ve wasted more hours in my life, topped up the night with several calimotxo litres. Finally we went to Buen Dia again, until 5.30, when we were too tired to carry on.

Saturday 3rd: Visit to Susana in Burgos

Sunday 4th: Depression.