Becoming a Madrileño

Since I have been in Madrid, I have had the most fun when I am discovering Madrid . This weekend on Friday I got a call from one of my cousins who used to study in Madrid. It was quite a surprise that he was going to be in Madrid in a few hours and was only staying for one night. So naturally, we planned to meet later that night. Late that night I headed down to Sol (downtown area of Madrid) and there was my afro-haired cousin standing with about seven other people. I went up to him and introduced myself to all of them. Apparently, those were his Spanish friends, (great people), and I had the chance to spend the whole night practicing my Spanish. My cousin is extremely knowledgeable about Madrid so he took us to a small, insignificant bar nearby . However, as I found out, that bar was anything but insignificant. He told me it was the oldest bar in all of Madrid, founded in the early 1800s. This bar offered some fried fish as a tapa (Spanish appetizers that usually accompany your drink) that was the best in the city. People were almost fighting to get their hands on some of that delicious fish. It was a 100% Spanish outing. Although it is just a small bar, it is apparently an institution: it was overflowing with Spaniards. The best part of the night, other than the unforgettably good food, was that I met great Spanish people and I was spending a night out the way any ordinary Spaniard would. That night I got one step closer to becoming a real Madrileño.