Friday, we began our day with a 7:00 AM departure to the Comisaría de Policía. This was followed by a 5-hour wait in line to finish the Spanish Visa process. Having lived in Alaska, Buffalo and Boston, you’d think that standing outside in the morning chill for 5 hours would be no big deal. I guess after 28 years in Los Angeles, I’ve become a wimp. It was quite a scene, people from around the world, young and old, grand parents and babies and of course, The Kaplans. There were moments that I felt like we had walked into the middle of a film shoot. However, it was worth it and I am pleased to say that we are now legally residing in Spain.
After that experience we returned home to drop off all of our papers. I honestly couldn’t get up the energy to do anything with the Thanksgiving leftovers and decided they should spend another day in the refrigerator. We headed out to one of our favorite restaurants, The Ginger Loft. We decided to make a detour to the Caja Madrid (a bank) to pick up the tickets for the concert we’d be going to that evening. Unfortunately the machine would not spit out the tickets for Marty. We tried my card, but no luck, so we went on out way and figured we’d solve the problem some other way.
At The Ginger Loft, we were warmly greeted by Mike who was pleased to see that we were going to stay and have lunch this time instead of just visit. As always the meal was tasty, and perfectly seasoned. I started with a copa de tinto and Marty had a beer. We shared the rest of the meal. First came an appetizer of caponata and melba toast. This was followed by a chicken tandoori wrap, then an amazing yellow lentil, apple and parsnip soup. When we asked Mike if he used a chicken stock, he explained that it was made with apple juice and soymilk. It was smooth, creamy tasting and vegetarian. It appears that Mike has a number of clients who are vegetarian and he tries to accommodate them. The 2 main dishes were a Moroccan meatball dish and Chinese beef with beans and rice. Quite satisfied, we passed up dessert and headed home.
Moroccan Meatballs and Cous Cous
Lentil, Apple and Parsnip Soup
For the first time in years, I collapsed on the bed in the middle of the day and took a nice long nap. At 6:00, I woke up and got ready to go to the symphony. At that point I wasn’t so sure that I’d be able to stay awake. As it turned out, that was not a problem. The Palau de Música is a lovely and somewhat intimate symphony hall. We were in the center of the 5th row of the balcony.
Our seats were 30 € each. Not bad when I think of what we pay per seat at the Disney Concert Hall. As I looked over the program it appeared that half the program was upside down. A closer look showed that one half is in Valenciano (left) and when you flip it over the other is in Castellano (right).
November 25 was the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.” Prior to the start of the concert we were all invited to stand in silence for a minute. I have never felt such silence before. Then the concert began and filled the hall with wonderful music. The program was terrific, Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite and Concert for Piano in A Minor, op.16. The soloist for the Concerto was pianist, Tzimon Barto. He received 5 well-deserved curtain calls and then played a short Chopin piece as an encore. The second half of the program was Falla’s El Amor Brujo and Ginesteras’ Estancia.
A quick cab ride home and I was ready for a cup of herbal tea and bed.
