FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21
Coslada has a large, modern gym with a huge pool and multiple spas and we were lucky that the front desk attendants gave us a very cheap temporary, ten-day membership. It was Solstice. The people of Madrid celebrate with a large parade of lights and floats. We had every intention of going but decided instead to settle into our new home.
It feels odd to be outside of Madrid. Our Airbnb was so central. Where we are now feels like a surrealist, Spanish Mad Max movie. But the town of Coslada has the comfortable feel, and we explored its park and fountain, walked some of the streets, and found a restaurant. This after nearly two hours at our new gym!
LUNCH BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS
If I could classify typical after only such a short time in Spain, I would call the restaurant where we had linner (lunch dinner) typical. It felt like we were eating on a ranch, the cattle nearby. The restaurant had long and large tables; it was noisy. The waiters were slightly brisk. Guests were drinking beer and eating lots of Iberian ham. It smelled of beef cooking in the kitchen. The walls were brick, the overhead lighting bright.
There were two large tables of men finishing their lunch at 5:00 PM and two other large tables, one of men only and the other with an equal number of women. We figured these big, long lunches were the Friday before holiday office celebrations before everyone would go home to wives, husbands and children to begin the Christmas break.
CHRISTMAS EVERYWHERE
The crowd was animated, perhaps helped along by the waiter who distributed extra shots of gin and extra sweets. He gave us Baileys cream at the end of our meal. One table of men passed a phone with funny YouTube videos.
The excitement of the impending holiday was in the air, the same excitement I felt the day before taking the train with many people with luggage headed somewhere, likely home, and the same as the hordes shopping downtown yesterday, who paused to listen to street performers singing carols under glowing Christmas lights, then rushed off to finish last minute shopping. Mother’s shopping with daughters, fathers with sons were loaded up with bags of wrapped gifts. It’s that time of year and so interesting to think we are here in Spain, watching but also experiencing, feeling its pulse and excitement. Even in Coslada.
