Again: Backtrack, La Noche En Blanco

La Noche en Blanco


14 septiembre 2008

So, la noche en blanco: basically a celebration of the city held across Europe. Everything is open until at least 2 or 3 in the morning – museums, restaurants, pubs – and everything is free. Places that are usually off-limits to the public are open, the streets are flooded with people (aka no cars) and everywhere there are free concerts and music, buildings decorated, and artwork on display.

I met my new friends Madeline, Vanessa and Katherine at the Colon stop – late, as usual. Vanessa, Madeline and I were really excited to experience the cultural stuff, but Katherine only wanted to drink. Whatever.

So we first walked around, looking at the decorations on the buildings and the oversized, just put into the Honey I Blew Up The Kid Machine Sized Rubber Duckies in the fountains. We made our way to the Archeological Museo, cutting the line and looking at men in poofy 16th century esque collared shirts. We looked around at the artifacts on the ground floor and listened to the delicate and light notes of an ongoing orchestral concert on the level above. After that, we headed downtown, joining the throngs of people marching down the street. At one circle, there was a long line of people … waiting to walk through the arch in the middle of it, usually inaccessible due to traffic and the urge not to be hit by a car! But here, this night, we could pass through the arch without the fear of being fatally wounded. It was one of the traditional entrances to the city back in the day. It was so cool to walk through it, lights flashing, people everywhere, and it was built a long time ago too, in the 1700s! Stuff in the US built in the 1700s is like comparing lego log cabins to the most delicately refined and ornate structures ever.

We began to wander around, looking for a tapas bar, and we could not find a place we could agree uon in the area, so we meandered over to the metro stop by el Parque del Retiro and headed toward Sol/Sevilla, where we knew there would be restaurants by the plaza del Santa Ana. We arrived amidst the splendor of drunkenness, and settled into a german pub for tapas. [Today, I found out this pub was a favorite place / habitual hang out of Ernest Hemingway!] all was pleasant until the bill came. We split 2 orders of chips and olives (which I do not like) for the table, 2 girls got a coke each, I had 2 glasses of Sangria, and the remaining party had 4 sangrias. Yet this last party refused to put in more than 5 euro for the bill! I ended up putting in 15, one of the other girls 10, and as soon as the money was on the table we were unceremoniously kicked out of the German Pub! (To be fair, it was 2:15 AM and closing time). By this point, I was ready to find Alex and go home. This was convenient, as two of the girls were ready to go home as well, yet the last person promptly called another person on the program and stormed off into the night.

The remaining three of us headed to the metro. It was 3 AM and I was off the find Alex, while Madeline and Vanessa headed home. The metro was packed, and at my stop I was immediately shoved out of the doors – as were Vanessa and Madeline, the former of which fell through the gap between the car and the platform! The shock on her face … it was one more thing to add to the list of amusing things that occurred that night, which we had previously formulated together while waiting for the metro.

At Sol, I set off to find Alex and Sam, eventually making my way to Dubliner’s, the bar we had found on the first night we went out. It was the last place they had mentioned before the line went dead. Walking alone, on such a crazy night at 3 AM, I realized: I was crazy. I was crazy, but desperate, as Alex and I shared a key. When I finally saw Dubliners, it was like salvation – I ran through the alley of chairs and tables and people drinking beer to get there … but I couldn’t find them! I waited outside and finally they called me –we met- and we hung out, drinking, having a good time, recounteing the tales of our respective nights thus far. Sam thought her senora had a heart attack (it turned out to be her brother) and Alex convinced her to stay out. They were talking to some Spaniards, Mario (the Romanian Bartender who served us mexican drinks in an irish bar our first night out in Madrid, Spain) and some others. At closing time, we were all kicked out, and set off in search for churros that would never be found. Instead, we hung out in the Plaza Mayor, waiting for the trains to start back up at 6 am. We got home at 7. I woke up at 2. had la comida with Alex, Ana (our host sister), Sofia (our senora), and Jose, a friend of Ana’s.

After la comida, I met Madeline at el Parque del Retiro. How beautiful! With its giant lake and many sidewalks, we chatted and strolled in the gorgeously comfortable weather, taking in the transvestites sitting on benches dressed up like clowns smoking, people in boats on the water, and middle aged women doing tai chi. We ran into Jess Warren, who told us about her noche en blanco.

All in all, la noche en blanco = success.