Sighting: My Street Madrid

Attención: ¡Estoy Boracho!

I had to put this one up, I just don't think I could pull this one off at home.

Fabrica de la Yaya

What can I say about Fabrica... fabs if you will. This place has been my second home since we arrived. We couldn't have been luckier because its only a block away and you can see it from my room.  The bar features 5 tables each equipped with their own tap. You pour as much as you want and the amount you drink is recorded on a flat screen by liter, and it even keeps track of which table is in first.  

Not to mention you get free fries every 5 liters, *clutch*.  We're part of the family down there now and good friends with the bartenders, who own the place, Ignacio (aka Nacho) and Enrique, as well as our lovable server Yolanda. Fabrica will be missed dearly when I leave.

 Note the old spaniard rockin out with the mic stand guitar.

This is our post fabrica haunt, Disco Pub.  This obscure hole in the wall bar is a local karaoke hotspot for the elderly madrileño crowd and also happens to be near a block from my house.  When fabs closes up shop we often find ourselves rubbin elbows with old-folk and jamming out to some righteous tunes.  A great place for cougar hunting i must say.

More dam photos

My Dutch lover and her sweet whip.

The crew ready to embark.

Amsterdam

Thats alot of bikes

It only took the short cab ride from Central Station, through the heart of the city, to my hotel to convince me that Amsterdam would forever be one of my favorite cities. Everything about it, from the architecture, style and beauty of the city to the people, bars and shops, this town is unbelievable.  There is such a diversity of culture and style here.  Unfortunately, the bathroom in our hotel room reeked as though something had died, rotted, and then caused an extensive mold problem within our shower drain, but we were in high spirits and didn't let it slow us down.  The city shows that bike advocacy is a real, working lifestyle and not a trendy fad like in the states and everyone commutes by bike.  Despite freezing temperatures, rain, sleet, snow and putrid bathrooms, Amsterdam well may have been my favorite trip to date. I really hope I get an opportunity to spend a longer stretch of time there soon because a weekend just wasn't enough.

Plans for my return..

I found this application over at pedalmafia that lets you mock up this little model of a fixed gear with different components and colors.  Being obsessive as I am, obviously I had to make a model of my bike with all the modifications I'm going to put on it when I get back... haha. check it.

I'd have to say I think she's looking pretttty good. Equipped with asian banners for that NJS Keirin feel haha.