ExploreDance

The helpful people in the Plaza Mayor tourist information office had suggested that a Paso Doble show would be going on at an event in the Parque de la Arganzuela by the Rio Manzanares. This was too far to go on foot, so I tried out the Madrid Metro system. It is relatively easy to use (and is one of the few places in Madrid where smoking is prohibited, although a few people were smoking on the train platforms anyway). The platforms even have signs that tell you how long until the next train arrives. There is one critical detail you should keep in mind though. The doors to the trains open manually. You have a to lift a lever or push a button to get the door to open.

The promised event was going on, but there was no Paso Doble at the appointed time (23:30) or later. They had sent me to the Melonera Festival, which had all of the features of a small state fair. There was a Latin pop star of some sort (a Spanish woman singing songs with Latin rhythms). The plaza in the park was packed with people who enthusiastically cheered her on. She was very attractive dancing about in a sparkly shirt, was also very attractive later on when she dispensed with the shirt to dance about in a sparkly bikini top. Her singing was also attractive in a pop-star-ish way, and she assumed a variety of pop-star-ish poses. The music was very danceable, but almost no one was dancing, partly because there was no room to dance. Later on a second Spanish pop-star took the second stage. She must not have been quite as popular as the first singer because quite a few people left in the interim between acts. This meant that there was room to dance in the plaza, and a few couples did indeed dance. Pop star number two was also a fine singer, and was quite talented at making her substantial chest bounce up and down to emphasize key phrases in the music.

If you weren't into rock concerts, there were rides and games and food booths, not to mention a variety of booths selling beer that appeared to be sponsored by political parties of one sort or another. All in all, it was a festive, mood-lifting evening. I left around 1 pm or so and the Festival was still going strong.