Things to Do in Madrid (2)

A taste of Egypt

Visitors strolling through the Parque del Oeste will come upon a little bit of Egypt in the heart of Spain - the Debod Temple. Originally located in southern Egypt, the structure was donated to Spain in 1968, rebuilt and opened to the public in 1972.

Entertainment
No trip to Madrid is complete without seeing a performance of Spain's famous art form, flamenco.
Every day, flamenco performers sing, dance or play the guitar in small cafes and grand theaters alike.
Over the years, famous celebrities have traveled to madrid to see this famous folk art.

Food
Madird has wide assortment of restaurants, but because the Spanish typically eat late - around 9 or 10 p.m.
- it's difficult to find good dinner food earlier. If you get hungry before then, the best solution is to try a tapas bar where light snack are served. Be sure to try the jamon, dry-cured ham; Spain is famous for it.

Time for a break
After a day of touring, relax in 350-acre Retiro Park, with its beautiful gardens, fish pond and lake.
It is the perfect place to reflect on all you've enjoyed in this marvelous Spanish city.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: When Spaniards Eat
If you ever visit Spain, and you want to blend in with the locals and get an authentic feel for the culture, you'll need to be very flexible about when you eat your meals.

Right! Because the Spaniards have unquestionably one of the most unusual eating schedules in the world.

OK. A typical Spanish day starts at 8:00 a.m. with breakfast - nothing unusual there.

But, then, around 11:30, they have a mid-morning snack, bigger than a coffee break, but smaller than a proper sit down meal.

Two hours after that - lunch.
Now, the two hour lunch break isn't necessarily for napping.
It's to give workers plenty of time to go home, make lunch, and eat it.

At four o'clock, it's back to work.
Then, around six, there might be another little snack to hold them over until dinner time.

Now, at nine o'clock, dinner time is considered early.
A ten o'clock dinner time is more the norm.
But because it's so late in the day, dinner isn't normally a big heavy meal.

So, that's how the Spanish do it.
They have five meals a day, instead of three.
I think I can get used to that.

Language Lab
stroll v.[I]
to walk slowly in usually a pleasant and relaxed way [no obj]
- We strolled down the street after lunch.
- While strolling in town, we found several interesting stores.

performer n.
a person (such as an actor or a musician) who acts, sings, dances, etc., for an audience
perform v.
to do an action or activity that usually requires training or skill
- The circus performers all came from Russia.
performance n.
the way an actor performs a part in a play, movie, etc.
an activity (such as singing a song or acting in a play) that a person or group does to entertain an audience
- The dancers' outstanding performance won them the first prize.

assortment n.
a group or collection of different things or people
- The store offers a good assortment of ingredients for Italian cuisine.
assort v.
place in a group; classify.
- Tanya's clothes are assorted by season.

marvelous adj.
extremely good or enjoyable : wonderful
- The actor's marvelous interpretation of the character touched the entire audience.
- The result of the treatment is marvelous.