Madrid

Madrid

August 6th and 7th

Our first long bus ride in Spain turned out to be a more pleasant experience than anticipated. In fact it was better than the train system. The buses are super aerodynamic space age looking, new and air conditioned with nice comfy seats and we even got to watch a couple of movies in Spanish of course. Unbeknownst to me the hotel owner in Bilbao forgot to give me back my passport so what started out as a relaxed ride to Madrid turned in to shear panic. Thankfully our new friend Charlene had given her number to the hotel when she booked the room for us and he called her to let her know he still had it. She then emailed me. Thank God for my blackberry and the great cell reception in Madrid because we were in a very remote area when I received word. After a few desperate emails and a phone call to Charlene when we reached Madrid, we were able to coordinate having her mail the passport to Sunseed where we were doing our volunteer work in a few days. Now all I had to do was stay out of trouble! Charlene was a godsend and I owe her greatly. So lesson learned always make sure you get your passport back from the hotel clerk before you leave.

After a 4 ½ hour bus ride we arrived in Madrid which is a very unusual bus station because it is all underground. It actually takes a good 5 minutes of walking and stair climbing to reach daylight and fresh air but we were heading to the metro which was even further underground. ( we have been amazed how far down some of these systems are). Charlene and Manuel were extra special to us and even gave us free metro tickets for Madrid and directions on the metro line to take to get to our hotel. So no need for the tourist office in Madrid. We were locals now-except for those backpacks-they seem to give us away.

Our hotel was located in the center of old town Madrid right near the Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Mayor. It too was a very nice place. We have been improving our hotel picking skills. We arrived early evening and quite hungry so we were on a mission to find the local calamari sandwich restaurant Charlene and Manuel told us we could not miss. After a quick stroll through the Puerta del Sol and stopping to watch the street performers who seem to flock the city of Madrid, we found the restaurant outside the Plaza Mayor, exactly where they told us it was located. With my excellent Spanish I ordered us a couple of sandwiches and cold beers which come in juice size glasses. It epitomizes exactly what you would expect from a local bar with a short order cook/bartender. They are grumpy and serve you immediately without a smile and you better know what you want because they will pass over you without hesitation. I guess the Spanish version of the soup Nazi. The sandwiches were delicious, absolutely stuffed with fresh fried calamari and really hit the spot. We were famished after the bus ride and only a Dunkin Donut pastry and the nastiest “American” coffee for breakfast. Spain does not have nearly as great of pastry as France so we have had to resort to American pastry. Once we replenished we did some more site seeing and the street performers started coming out by the dozens and attracting sizable crowds which really animates the street scene. We got a full on flamenco dance recital. The girl even brought her own piece of wood to act as her stage and several Laurel and Hardy type acts. Many of the actors/performers painted themselves in silver or gold paint from head to toe and acted like statues. No need to spend any money on tourist attractions we had them all for free on the streets. While enjoying several performances in Plaza Mayor we enjoyed a couple of sangrias and paella. We were still hungry after the calamari sandwiches.

The next morning we were on a mission to find as many parks and gardens as we could. We only had a full day in the city so we had to cover some ground and quickly. First stop El Parque Rentir- Madrid’s large central urban green space that actually gives central park a run for its money. Roby was amazed by the large parkways through the area for pedestrian travel. It had a small lake and beautiful flower gardens throughout the park. The rose garden was incredible. Not only did they use the French Parterre style but now we learned about the Madrid style of garden which included more trees in its design. While taking our morning stroll we happened upon a par course park - you know those little workout stations that are normally located at about half mile intervals along a jogging path. Well this one had all of the workout stations clustered together in one spot in the park and was this little local gym like social scene so we had a great little impromptu workout with da boys. You just never know when you will get your exercise in. Our nice morning stroll turned into a 5 hour tour!! Worrying we were going to run out of daylight we headed to the Sabatini Park near the Palace and proceeded to take a nap in the shade. On our way back to the hotel we came across several guitar stores but we were on Spanish time so they were closed. We would have to return after their siesta. Roby wanted to find a small guitar to travel with so he could continue to practice.

It was Saturday night in Madrid. We took our shower in our own bathroom (yea) put on our party clothes- actually a skirt and new shirt for me-and proceeded to enjoy a good cheap bottle of Spanish wine and cheese in our room. Our own happy hour. Charlene also let us in on the little secret that the First Run movie theaters showed movies in English with Spanish subtitles. So after a little wine we decided to brave Bruno and then experience Madrid nightlife. They say it is the city that never sleeps. There must not be a copyright on that phrase because several cities seem to claim that right. We found several cute pubs in the old section of the city to enjoy a few sangrias, beers and wine. Thankfully we did not have an early bus the next morning. With a little bit of a wine hangover we proceeded to venture back into town and found the guitar store and were able to purchase a reasonably priced guitar for us to schlep around Europe. Now we needed to find us a place to settle down for awhile so Roby will actually have time to take it out of its case. Making record time we headed to the bus station for our next two day stop-Granada.