Best night ever. I think it would be too difficult to explain in sentences.

1. Went to the opera. (I love opera.)
a) It was The Marriage of Figaro. (I'm among many who feel that this is a master of all trades opera. Lots of different combos, lots of hilarity, webs of deceit, and a harpsichord!)
b) It starred Mariusz Kwiecien as Count Almaviva. Mariusz (first name basis with opera stars is just how it is) was Enrico in the production of Lucia di Lammermoor that was at the Met a few months ago. I watched the HD transmission in Halifax. He was stunning. And not just because of the hair.
c) It was at the Teatro Real, which is a fantastic opera house, one of the best in the world, ranked with La Scala, the Met, and Vienna's State Opera House, despite being smaller than all of them.
d) We had seats in the second row. Not of the balcony. Of the orchestra. The conductor was eleven feet away, at most. I heard his footsteps when he entered.
e) The seats were €30.20. In total. Last minute student prices are insane. (Marked down from €151.90 each)
f) The opera was unbelievably good. Mariusz and the cast were first class, as were the costumes (I want the page's jacket) and the set.
g) The. Set. Rocked. In the fourth act, in the garden, there was a fountain with flowing water and a full moon that rose. I was kind of speechless for about 20 minutes after.

2. After the opera, we had dinner in a market that gets converted to numerous tapas bars at night.
a) toasts with i. smoked salmon and dill aioli, ii. pickled white anchovy, iii. some sort of rice and tuna concoction, iv. marinated salt cod
b) fritters of i. cod and cheese and ii. potato and herb
c) raw oysters with lemon (Alyssa: "so, in principle, it's a big mussel")
d) sangria that came with a dish of black olives
e) ice cream. in a mini cone. mascarpone con higos (I looked it up today. higos = figs)

Keeping in mind that this followed a day that included a visit to an Annie Leibovitz exhibition, which was free (we loved her photo of the Queen). And brunch. We really love brunch. Actually, we skipped going to church for brunch. And for a light pre-opera dinner, we ate a place called 100 Montaditos, which serves 100 different kinds of small sandwiches. It was so good, we returned today. My favourite was a mousse pate. Alyssa made a face.

By the by, Calle Ave Maria is full of cheap Indian and Thai restaurants and internet cafes.