New place like home: ¡Quiero bailar! ...y comer

If you know me even a little bit, you know that three of my favorite things in life are food, musicals, and dancing. Some of my favorite memories of summer before coming on this trip were cooking homemade pizza with my dad, belting every song on the Wicked soundtrack with Amanda, and busting a move on the dance floor with my mom. Ray must have somehow known this about me because he planned an evening of dinner at a tapas bar followed by a flamenco dancing musical. Tapas in Spain are basically mini dishes of food kind of like appetizers in the U.S. Eating tapas is just as much about the social atmosphere as it is about the food. In the tapas bar, we all huddled around one table as Ray kept the tapas flowing. We tasted everything from cod bruschetta to authentic Spanish salsa to prawn and beef kababs. I loved everything, of course.

Tapas on tapas on tapas!

Cheers from the tapas bar!

After the tapas and several glasses of sangria, we were off to see the musical Carmen! This authentic Flamenco Carmen was much different than the hip hopera version with Beyonce that I saw on MTV when I was 8- but it may still be a toss up for which is better. I was moved by the fierce dancing and sensual smooth moves that told the story of love, lust, and betrayal, yet the plot was difficult to follow. I don't know if it was the language barrier or the lack of a/c in the theater but I am embarrassed to admit that many important parts of the plot went right over my head. Thankfully the body language was enough for me to still enjoy the experience! I have been noticing through my travels that body language may be the only universal language..hmm..food for thought.

After the musical, we hit the town! Madrid is the place to be for yummy drinks, dance clubs, and of course, great company!