of shoes and ships and sealing wax...of cabbages and kings

'The time has come,' the Walrus said,
'To talk of many things:
Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing wax --
Of cabbages -- and kings --
And why the sea is boiling hot --
And whether pigs have wings.'
-Lewis Carrol

So far, Madrid has been so fantastically entertaining (and work so time consuming) that I scarcely have time to ponder the price of cabbage. Today however, I am in Valencia on a long weekend.

Spanish word of the day: puente
"No hay clase, es la puente". La puente is "the bridge". You may also be pondering what a bridge has to do with not having class, and well you might ask. Apparently, puente de pilar is Spain's national day and because it falls on a Thursday, it acts as a bridge (or an excuse) for a really long weekend, much like the American Thanksgiving.

Melting pot
Madrid is a vibrant melting pot of a city filled with every language and culture you could possibly desire. My neighborhood is filled with immigrants from Africa, the Carribean, South and Central America and various Spaniards from all over Spain. The center of Madrid is where most of the Europeans roost as well as the Americans and the odd Ozzie, Kiwi or Canadian. I don't know where the various Arabs live, but in any given crowd you can see at least one or two (as well as a veiled woman- but not with a burkah). The Chinese exist in pockets everywhere but especially in La Latina in the center. Thanks to them, you can buy a beer on the street for a euro and a rice dish or sandwich for 2.15 euros at any hour of the night.

The Chinos
They set up on a corner looking as if they have set up a great stand for the night, but as soon as they see the police coming they quickly throw all of the food into a garbage bin (they have their own bins for just such a purpose) and take off running down the street with the beverages. If you happen to be in the middle of a transaction with them when the police come, they will politely return to complete the transaction as soon as the coast is clear, apologising for the interruption.

Marriage
My dear friend Kara got married this last weekend in Boston. I was unable to attend for financial reasons - I had saved six months of my Asian salary, but it didn't go very far once I'd returned to the Western world and three months of unemployment, followed by relocating to another country and several months rent and deposits... with only partial salaries until this month I've had to borrow money just to eat. I only hope that she forgives me sooner than later. I had a dream last night that a year or more had passed and she and I were in the car together and she had really blossomed. I haven't known much of her in the last few years all of the contact I've had with her has continually amazed me with how much she has grown personally since we were last together.

Paella
Paella is a dish made from rice and meat or fish and vegetables and is very popular with the tourists. Interestly, it's usually the men rather than the women that make it. I've often heard (from Spaniards) that the world's best paella is from Valencia...and I'm off to try some now :-)