After my excellent bike tour it was time for an equally excellent nap. My schedule was open for the rest of the day, so I took the opportunity to arrange the next travel leg. Having learned a thing or two from my ticket purchasing experience in Barcelona, I arrived at the station prepared: exactly this train at this time going from here to there, not the more obvious option of the faster AND cheaper train with arrival times incompatible with my Ronda and Gibraltar plans. My Spanish must have been improving, because I managed to talk the sales-guy out of giving me the simpler ticket.
Back to the hostel area for the usual tapas. Ridiculous portions of meat. I really think these are meant to be shared. A little slower than I'd hoped but I know you don't rush these things. So I'm a little late to the Fútbol game: Rayo Vallecano (Madrid, but not the good team from Madrid. US equivalent = NY Mets?) at Granada CF. Neither are particularly good teams, and it did not end up being a particularly good game. Rayo scored the only goal, and that was in the overtime shootouts. Oh well. Still, the seats were excellent, and the quality of this matchup was probably instrumental in making it possible to get those tickets at the last minute. And I still had a fun time. I was surprised to find no beer available for sale in the stadium - wonder what the story is there? That seems to be such a big part of sporting events elsewhere.
The taxi rides to and from the stadium brought me through (modern) parts of the city I hadn't seen yet. Beautiful public squares full of life. Fountains, rivers, and people enjoying the evening. Worth a bit of exploration later!
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