The party don't stop til' 6 in the morning (literally)

I've always thought that as a college student living in the fun-filled city of Los Angeles, I knew the definition of what it meant to go out at night. Madrid has proved me wrong. The nightlife here is incredible and, I hate to say it, puts LA (and even Cabo over spring break) to shame. When Spaniards say they are "saliendo para la noche" (going out for the night), they really reeeaaallly mean it. The night usually starts around 10 with a leisurely dinner and maybe a pitcher or two of sangria. Around midnight, it's off to a bar to drink and socialize. Leave the bar by 1:15 am to catch the last metro of the night, and then it's off to the club...until 6 am...when the metro re-opens. I have been doing my best to keep up with these crazy Madrillenos so as not to miss out on all the good times to be had, and am starting to really love the early-morning ride home on the metro in the company of people leaving the clubs and others on their way to work...Here's a brief overview of some great nighttime hotspots:

DUBLINERS/O'CONNELLS

Two Irish bars right next to each other on the same street. Kind of a sportsbar atmosphere... lots of Americans.. fun, causual place to hang out with friends and meet people.

MANUELA'S
The board game bar! Really laid-back, with a WALL of board games. We played bilingual Scrabble and Taboo in Spanish...so much fun!

EL CHAPANDAZ

Really cool bar designed like a cave. Specializes in very big, very yummy drinks! Kinda dark (it is a cave so that makes sense), with a dartboard and good music.

PALACIO GAVIRIA

Great club designed like a palace! Different rooms play different music, and the design in beauuutiful. They do an international student night on Thursdays- you get a sticker saying what country you're from and get to meet students from all over the place! I decided to switch things up for the night and be from Switzerland, but I think it kind of confused people so I might stick to representing the U.S. from now on...

JOY

Right next to Palacio, another fun dance club. The first night we went, they were having some sponsored party for students so it was packed and so much fun...great music! But it hasn't been super interesting since so we'll see...

Go-Go dancer in the making?

KAPTIAL

The mother of all discos, this place is INCREDIBLE. The club has 7 floors, and plays different music on each one so you can switch it up depending on your mood. There is a movie room (no, I'm not kidding) if you need a break from all the dancing and lots of different bars. The top floor is a gorgeous lounge with couches, hookah, and lighting that makes everyone glow =) When the weather gets warmer, the roof is retractable...can't wait!

Vera and I with our Swedish friends we met in the bathroom of Kapital!

So that's the gist of Madrid's unbeatable nightlife...it's pretty much a dream-come-true for someone who loves to dance as much as I do! Oh speaking of dancing...here are my takes on how it's done in Europe:

-European men actually LIKE to dance yay! But...

-They dance very differently than in the U.S. They're used to dancing to more techno-y music and I love hip-hop, so some compromise is definitely necessary to avoid some very awkward lack of coordination.

-The infamous Dane Cook line "I just wanna dance" doesn't translate as well in Spanish. Guys really just don't get it when you say "Solo quiero bailar"...they think it means you DO want to dance with them, which 87.92457% of the time is not the case.

I forgot to mention earlier that the night actually doesn't end when you leave the club at 6am, because after all that dancing, food sounds amazing. And by food I mean churros con chocolate. La Chocolateria is right around the corner from Joy...

In a cafe after leaving Kapital with our new friends Jesus and Angel

The moral of the story is that if I'm talking to you on Skype/AIM at 11pm U.S. time, it's 7am here and I just got home and should really be going to bed soon so I can wake up in time to have lunch with my Senora...I may have to move to Madrid b/c it's just too much fun, so I hope everyone's ready to come visit and pull a few all-nighters!! Hasta luego, un beso...