Christmas Eve in Madrid

We arrived in Madrid today and went straight to the tourist office, as it would likely be closed tomorrow, and we wanted to ask what options there were for Christmas day in Madrid. Luckily the tourist office was in the same square as the most famous Christmas market in Madrid.




Most of the Christmas market seemed to be devoted to selling.....halloween costumes. Complete with skull masks. I don't really understand it, but many of the people on the street were wearing colourful wigs and masks "for Christmas".



Christmas is usually celebrated on the 24th (well, actually I think many people celebrate the Orthodox Christmas in January, but those that celebrate a December Christmas often do it on Christmas eve) so Sara and I decided to do the same. We made ourselves Christmas dinner in our hotel room--we had roast chicken, salad and the traditional cold canned baked beans. Much different than our other Christmas dinnners, but I think we were both happy with it. It was Christmas with family after all.



We went to a midnight mass at one of the cathedrals close by. I've been two 2 Catholoic masses now, but I don't know how typical either of them were, or how well I would be able to describe them, seeing as how both were in lanuguages I don't speak. Perhaps now I have at least a little more realistic opinion of them, as before now based on my experience attending mass in Be'er Sheva last Eater, Catholic mass is conducted in Hebrew.