Feliz Navidad... Fel-i-i-iz Navidad... (4)

On Christmas morning, we were awoken at about 5am, by a man who was very happily singing the following villancico (Spanish Christmas carol).  He sounded so happy that it was a bit hard to be too annoyed.

When we did decide to get up and atom, we went off in search of breakfast.  We found it in a wee café just down the Calle Atocha, and enjoyed a simple croissant with some juice and coffee.  Also entertaining was the elderly lady who came in with a little dog with a coat on.  It was very cute, and she was particularly friendly and started explaining to us that her dog was always with her and didn't know what to do with itself if she wasn't there.

As we were heading in the right direction, and it was a sunny Christmas Day, we headed down to the enormous Retiro Park for a wander.  On the way, we got distracted by a lovely cake shop: Confitería/Repostería America I Fiambres.  So, we enjoyed the sun in the Parque del Buen Retiro as we filled our stomachs.

... so we thought a nice young Kiwi should be out too.

This cheeky little squirrel was out for a walk too.

Once we had a quick look at the main paths of the Retiro, we trekked across town (in a very leisurely fashion) to get to Christmas lunch at the Madroño.  We really enjoyed our meal... I have to be honest and say I can't really remember what I had, but I do remember being completely stuffed afterwards!  That's what happens when you eat 2 courses of Spanish food, bread, and dessert.  We also enjoyed our bottle of cava (Spanish version of champagne), although we found the disco-style villancicos/carols in the background a little odd.

Kingi and Cava.

After that much food, there was really only one thing left to do: have a siesta.  I like to think that this counts as a cultural experience.  And I really, really needed it.

As we had been making the most of the free concerts, we decided not to break the habit, and headed off to the opera again for the 'Broadway for Christmas' one.  We had to wrap up a bit to withstand the cold, so I felt rather sorry for the pianist, whose fingers must have been almost frozen...

Then, thinking we had timed it so well, we went off to the Navibus in the hope of making a little trip around Madrid to appreciate the Christmas lights.  We arrived to find that the last bus had just left;  no luck there.  Instead, we just enjoyed what we could see around the area of the bus stop, made a quick trip to a cafe, and then headed home.

Christmas lights somewhere in the barrio de Salamanca.