More on Madrid

Sorry to my three followers (love you Mom and Dad), but I skipped blogging about so much of my time in Madrid.  Eli's family made me a part of their family for my time there and introduced me extensively to Spanish culture (especially cuisine!).  We ate the most magnificent meals.  Before going to bed the night before Reyes Magos, I put my shoes in the hall way next to the other 8 pairs so that the Wise Men would come and bring me gifts!  We woke up slowly the next day and Eli's two brothers and cuñado (brother-in-law) took me to see Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace and everything in between.  On the way from Plaza Mayor to Palacio Real, we saw the King's motorcade drive by.  It was a series of 10 or so black BMW's surrounding a beautiful old Roles Royce.  In the 20 years that her two brothers have lived in Madrid they have never seen the King and joked that he must have heard that I was in town.  When we got to the palace we witnessed the Royal Guard doing marching exercises and escorting an unidentifiable person to a car.  In the 20 years that Eli's brothers have lived in Madrid they hadn't seen that either!!!  It was my lucky day.  After our 3 hour tour (no I wasn't on Gilligan's Island) we returned and opened presents.  I was shocked at how fast they rushed through it.  They went down the line and each person opened all of their presents before progressing to the next.  Eli, being the youngest daughter, went first and then the outlaws and me, and then Eli's other siblings and Manolo (the father) was last.  After presents we ate cena until we were all about to burst, the young adults played a 3 vs. 3 pictionary/ charades/ cranium type game and my team actually won despite my lack of knowledge of spanish brands and pop culture.  I was surprised that I was able to contribute.  In fact, I answered the game winning question!  After the game we went to see the newest Meet the Parents movie with Ben Stiller in it.  It was the first movie that I have seen that was entirely in spanish without subtitles and I understood the whole thing.  I needed that.  Up until that point I had been very discouraged by my lack of understanding of spoken spanish.  The Madrid accent is very difficult for me for some reason.  Here in Alicante, I can understand almost everything.  In Madrid, the family that I was with up the "theta" (or a slurred "th" sound") on everything, "th" "z" even "d's".  I woke up the next morning, had a quick tour of the Athletico Madrid fútbol stadium and hopped on the train to Alicante!