This weekend I spent a great day in Madrid with my best friend. I had decided in advance to plan a busy day but it didn’t quite turn out as planned. Funny how that happens. It was busy, but there was no outdoor activity or anything resembling site seeing.
Shopping?
The morning started off with a swim at a local indoor pool. Oddly enough we both decided that we needed some new clothes so I thought we should visit a shopping centre. That sounds more like something two girls would do on a weekend eh? But in the end we never bought anything apart from food. For some odd reason my friend decided he wanted to buy a particular Italian cheese. I thought it might be too hard but my friend insisted it was not a hard cheese. It’s not one I had tried before but it turned out to be delicious. Gran Biraghi; now one of my favourites.
As it was Mother’s Day in the UK this Sunday, we decided it was a good idea to look at buying Mother’s Day cards for our mothers. Not much luck however as Día de la Madre in Spain is not until May. Anyway, the shopping was done in the morning leaving the rest of the day free for more fun things.
Crazy Coffee
The shopping centre had all the usual food and drink outlets. I decided to check inside the McDonalds where they now advertise the ‘McCafe’. A cup costs about €1.65. I am sure it tastes fine otherwise they would not get repeat custom, but I wasn’t having one. Right opposite was a Starbucks where the cheapest cup of coffee was €4.30. How on earth does that work? You might think it would be empty but no. It was very busy. What is wrong with people; willing to pay extortionate amounts for a coffee?
Even the McCafe is overpriced on this one. In Spain (even Madrid) you can get a good coffee for just over one Euro in any bar, cafeteria or restaurant. And there were plenty of those on offer close by. Crazy!
Films and games…
Checking out the cinema in the shopping centre there was not much of interest. However I let my friend choose and we returned after eating to watch a film. More on that later (maybe?)
We even spent some time in a games arcade. Not my favourite pastime. I did spend a little time in these places during the early eighties – about the time when Pacman and Donkey Kong were the new kids on the block. But my mate loves these gaming zones. So I played along.
Before too long it was time to eat again. Where had the day gone?
At the end of the day we were both completely knackered (exhausted). We both agreed it had been a great day. I was too tired to watch TV or even read a book. It was definitely time to sleep…
“Ok that’s it” I said. “I am so tired. I need to sleep”.
“Goodnight” I said. “See you in the morning mate”.
Then my best friend replied; “Goodnight dad.”
And today….
What a little shit! You couldn’t make this stuff up.
I may see the funny side of this in a few days but right now…