Running around before school starts

More running around on Thursday and Friday getting ready for school, including our first trip on the subway.

I woke up Thursday to a mild shock.  I had used the Respiro car yesterday to go to Markus's soccer practice, and I expected a bill of €8 because they market themselves as €2/hour.  But my bill was €55.50, which is a lot of money.  I emailed them for a breakdown of costs and they replied saying the bill was €8 + a €47.50 penalty, with no explanation of what the penalty was.  Things like this drive me a bit crazy.  Did they not expect me to reply asking about the penalty?

Turns out at the end of each ride I need to push an "X" button on the box in the car and I hadn't done it properly, so i was dinged €47.50.  I emailed them to say I had tried my best, and taking pity on my lousy Spanish they refunded the penalty.  

Around 10am Nelly from Friendly Rentals stopped by.  The boys were still asleep and the apartment was a disater (due in part to the paucity of hangers).  I showed her some easy fixes and she said everything was logical and would get back to me.  I have been really happy with Friendly Rentals.  They aren't cheap but they are, as the name says, friendly.

Markus and I jumped in another Respiro car to go to his orientation.  We picked up the car at the closest location, Calle de la Farmacia 12, and the street is ridiculously narrow.  To make matters worse one side is blocked for construction, so as we were driving up the street a car was coming the other way.  She drove onto her sidewalk, I drove onto my sidewalk, and someone we got passed each other without ripping off the side mirrors.

Then at the corner traffic was backed up becasue a truck on the next street had to turn onto a street as narrow as Farmacia.  He had to take what seemed like a 20-point turn to get around the bend.  Then he had to do that again at the next corner.  Traffic came to an absolute standstill as we all watched the truck go forward 2 inches and back 2 inches and forward 2 inches and back 2 inches until he got around the corners.  There was minimal honking, minimal frustration, because this is what driving is like in central Madrid.  It took more than 20 minutes and we hadn't gone 2 blocks.

We finally made it, 20 minutes late, to orientation.  After some confusion we found the session, and I begged for a cup of coffee and sat outside until Markus was done.  I met a nice guy named Jose who was there from Ecuador with his wife and three daughters.  His eldest daughter will be Andreas's class, and his middle daughter will be in Markus's class.  They just arrived in mid-August and are also settled in central Madrid to get the whole experience.  I think there are only 50 kids per grade so I will surely be running into them more often.

Markus and I drove home, dropped the car off at Farmacia, and pushed every button on that stupid box to make sure that I wouldn't be dinged again for €47.50.  It was now nearly 2pm and Andreas was still asleep.  The boys have to be at Casa de America at 07.30am on Monday to catch the bus to school - Monday is going to be a challenge.  But the first day of school is really the best day of the year for parents.  

We roused Andreas out of bed and headed out to get things done.  We walked around the corner to Socorratt (Calle San Marcos, 2), which is only open for lunch.  I was told it was a popular place and they often sell out, but when we arrived we were the only ones there except for a guy getting food to go.  There were 4 big paella pans on display and although I had fun trying to translate between the guy at the counter and the boys, he eventually pulled out a menu with English translation, which deflated me a bit; I'm never going to learn this language if people hand me translations!  We ordered three plates of paella, two sparkling waters, and a glass of wine and it was just €30.  Food was plentiful and delicious.  Markus didn't finish his and when we asked for a to-go container he piled more paella on.  We will definitely be coming back.

From there we walked to Sol, the center of town, kind of Times Square-y.  We went to Vodafone to get SIM cards for the boys.  I had bought their phones outright from Verizon in NYC for our trip, and we just needed SIM cards to give them Spanish numbers.  I wanted a separate phone because Verizon's data plan when overseas is crazy.  For $40/month, I would get lots of text time but only 100MB of data, which I would blow through in a day since I need mapping in the car to figure out where I am going.  The system was down at Vodafone, perhaps a bad omen, so we headed to El Corte Ingles nearby.

The boys needed slacks and belts and dress shoes for school.  First we headed to the uniform department on the 7th floor, but most everything was for little kids and Andreas particularly is now man sized.  We went down to the 3rd floor and after a lot of trying on found pants and shoes and socks for him and shoes for Markus.  Then up to the 5th floor for young men where we got a belt for Markus.  Finally to the basement for some coffee as I was about to collapse.  Staff was really friendly and helpful, and the store was crowded with people, which surprised me.  In the US it seems that department stores are dying.  We must have been there three hours.  A necessary evil now out of the way, although the pants would have to be hemmed.

Now back to Vodafone.  I realized that we shouldn't have come to this Vodafone.  I mean if I were to go to Verizon, would I head to the one in Times Square?  No.  They sent us upstairs and although it was quieter up there the staff couldn't have been less pleasant, lots of gruff attitude, but maybe if I worked at Verizon in Times Square I would turn into a jerk too.  We each got SIM cards.  For €20/month, we get 60 minutes talk time + unlimited talk time to Vodafone subscribers (I think), plus 7GB of data.  I thought that was an impressive deal.  He said we would have to come back every month to get new cards, but I may have misunderstood him.  This sounds like a hassle that we should be able to get around.

We were exhaused but when we came home there came a ring on the door bell with a delivery of new hangers and laundry hampers and cereal bowls and more wine glasses!  Viva Friendly Rentals!

I was determined to make dinner at home so I went to Mercado San Anton to buy fixings for pasta.  I got some sausage at the meat guy.  There was a sign there saying something about 14.30-17.00, so I thought he was open only 2.30pm-5.00pm, but it turns out he is closed during these times.  I have to keep that in mind, don't do anything between 2.30pm and 5.00pm. 

There was a vegetable stand and to be honest although they had some nice stuff, some of the produce was really sad.  He picked out a head of celery and it opened up like a flower with the stalks drooping out.  I had fantasies that I would have the best of everything at the market but maybe I had unrealistic expectations.  After buying some grapes and carrots he told me to go downstairs for celery, and I found a grocery store!  I always like going to grocery stores in other countries, they are so weird.  It seemed like everything was covered in plastic.  They had heads of celery, but they were in a styrofoam tray wrapped in plastic.  Why so much plastic?  I thought the Europeans were enlightened about the environment.  I guess not.

In the middle of making pasta I realized I didn't have any salt or pepper, this is how sparse the apartment was, so I had to run back to the market to get that, but the market is literally next door so I'll be taking lots of trips there.  Pasta was good, and it was great to eat at home. 

That night at about 01.30am there was a commotion on the street.  Some guy was riding a tricked out motorcycle down the street, blaring Madonna music from the 80s.  It was loud.  And he stopped to talk to some friends, or to pick up a guy, or whatever, and the woman across the street leaned out of her balcony and yelled at him to turn down the music.  I loved it.  I have fond memories of peole walking down Carlton Ave in Brooklyn screaming at each other at 3 in the morning about how this bitch slept with that bastard, and eventually someone yelling out of their window to shut the fuck up.  OK, it didn't happen often but when it did I kind of loved it.  I grew up in the suburbs.  No one yelled out their windows for people on the street to shut the fuck up.  Chueca is a bit crazy.  There are people everywhere at all hours of the night, and it is kind of like the West Village I remember in the 90s, with gay boys coming from the sticks to be in a neighborhood that welcomed them.  There are mom-and-pop places and bodegas and people dressed as they please and older couples and real life.  Maybe I will get sick of it, but right now I am in the right place.

Friday morning at 10.00am Andreas had orientation at school, so back to Respiro.  The high school building is a few blocks from the middle school and it is a brand new building.  Staff was very nice, and after orientation we sat down with the principal to learn more about the school; we really knew nothing before coming here.  Andreas showed interest in something more accelerated so he will be starting an IB program, which I think is great.  If it is too grueling for him he can move down to the regular American High School diploma program, but he can't move up.  I am thrilled that he is showing motivation to work hard.  He is excited to start school.

We picked up Markus and went to Plaza de Chueca to have a meal.  We have already walked through this square a few times and it is just a block away.  We ate outside at Cafeteria Verdoy.  I'm sure it is a tourist trap, and the food was ok, but it was nice to sit outside and watch the neighborhood walk by. 

After asking around we found a tailor nearby, El Apaño del Vestir (Calle de Augusto Figueroa 10) to get the boys' pants hemmed for school.  A nice lady took care of us and there was no menu in English so I got to blather on a bit in Spanish.  She said the pants would be ready on Wednesday, but after a bit of pleading she said we could pick them up the next day.

The boys, after enjoying the life of Respiro and Uber, weren't thrilled about the idea of taking the subway, but they have to be independent here and have to learn the system.  We went to the Chueca system and the whole place is decked out in rainbow colors, a testament to the neighborhood.

We took the train to the Rio Rosas station where we walked to the Canal Isabel II tennis courts.  Our good friend Murat recommended we try this place.  I found someone with information and she said all the group lessons except Fridays 6pm-8pm were full, so that might work for us.  She gave me a number to call for another tennis facility a bit farther away, and we will go there on Tuesday evening after school.  At Canal Isabel II we rented a court for an hour for the boys to play to release some energy.  The hourly rate for the court was only €9.  The boys and I keep laughing about how cheap everything is here.  At Prospect Park, where Andreas played before, the hourly rate to play on a court in the evening is $76.  

Our good friends Ana and Murat had just returned from NYC and I called them while the boys were playing tennis.  They were excited to see us so after tennis the boys jumped in Uber and headed to their apartment.  It was so great to see them.  We had a great meal that Ana whipped up, drank some great wine, and laughed a lot.  We took Uber home at about 11pm, but the boys weren't quite tired yet.  It being Friday, the neighborhood was teaming with people, and we walked to Wok to Walk (Calle de Hortaleza, 7) for the boys to get some noodles to go, which they ate at home.  The place was cheap and easy, and I'm sure they will be back there on their own in no time.