So! Madrid! Here I am. I got off the train in Madrid yesterday and texted Diego, one of my hosts here. He was to pick me up at the train station. He was in a meeting. I enjoyed a cup of coffee and read. Then quite soon after, a car with a man pulls up outside the station and he waves. Remember, I've never met this man. But I took a stab in the dark and just assumed it was him. Luckily, I was right. He took me to his house and introduced me to his family. His wife Sonia, his daughter Iciar, and his son Hugo excitedly hugged me at the door of the flat. The Iciar, 6 years old, and Hugo, 9 years old, were both excited to speak English with me. Iciar was a bit more excited than Hugo, but Hugo speaks English very well.
All five of us went outside. Iciar held my hand and practiced her English colors as cars passed by. She also very excitedly showed me her gymnastics skills against a wall. Amusing to say the least. They took me to the underground Metro station, which would take me to the center of Madrid. They gave me a set of keys to the building and the flat. They made sure I was all settled in and had everything I could possibly need. The five of us enjoyed some burgers before I called it a night and went to bed.
This morning, I woke up to the sound of the kids leaving for school. Oops. I got out of bed to an empty apartment. Well, I enjoyed my cup of coffee and some breakfast before I headed out for the day. When I got to the center of Madrid in Plaza de España, I realized today I was just going to have to fully embrace my tourist side today. I felt like I was basically putting on a fanny pack and pulling out the selfie stick. I did neither, just for the record. I went to the hop on, hop off bus and got two days. It has two routes, just like the bus in Barcelona. But as opposed to Barcelona, I have more time. So as opposed to cramming it all in one day, I would do one route per day. It was much more relaxed.
The first stop for me was the Templo de Debod. It is a monument in the center of a park. As I walked up, I watched maybe 30-40 elderly men and women do what looked like jazzercise in the park. A women went around and ... encouraged? yelled? at them. They seemed to be excited to be there. So, I guess whatever works for them. I walked around the park and enjoyed the sunny day. At one edge there was a specatular view of the city of Madrid. A very nice park all the way around.
Back on the bus, I got off at a street full of shops. Mostly they were tourist shops full of souvenirs. But there was a market, Marcado de San Miguel, that I explored. Remember the big food market in Barcelona? Okay, now imagine that, but smaller and much more pulled together. There was no loud selling or pulling at my hand. Instead, food was carefully displayed behind glass cases and people patiently waited for you to be lured into the perfect food presented. Of course, it all looked wonderful.
After the market, I went to a church that was tucked behind a statue. It was not a very big church and was not well advertised either. It is the Catedral de Las Fuerzas Armadas, translated is the Cathedral of the Armed Forces. Inside... well honestly, it looked like a lot of the other cathedrals. I know. That is such an entitled, bratty statement. But it´s the truth. It wasn´t different. Small chapels lined the side with a main alter at the center. It was carefully adorned from floor to ceiling. Silent and beautiful.
After the church, I got back on the bus and went to the next big stop: The Royal Palace of España. Next to the Palace is another, the main, cathedral. It is much bigger, but I didn't go in that today. I'm planning on doing that in the coming days. Stay tuned. Nonetheless, it provided great pictures. The outside of the building is amazing. So, I can't wait to see the inside.
The Royal Palace I did go into, however. It was massive. And strict. You know how you can sneak pictures in some places? Not here. In every room was 4-5 guards watching carefully every person. They also were very finicky about the fact your backpack had to be worn on your chest, not your back. The first guy that told me that I thought he was just advising it. The next man was much more intense about the fact that your backpack MUST be worn on your chest. Can someone explain to me why this is a concern for them? Am I less likely to blow up the palace if a backpack is on my chest? What is this rule? Because I cannot for the life of me figure out why that is there. Truly, if anyone knows the real reason, please share with the class.
Anyway, there is one room you can take pictures, so I tried to get some good ones there. The rest of the time, I followed the crowd of people through the beautiful and huge palace. If you're ever in Madrid, I recommend it. Well... I recommend it if you're into palaces and the like. Because it is a lot. Near the end I was fading a bit because there is only so much of "This was his bedroom... This was his changing room... This was his dining room... This was his other dining room..." you can take. It is gorgeous and interesting to see. Don't get me wrong. But it's just alot to really soak in without losing interest at somepoint. But that´s just my opinion.
There is also an art exhibit in the palace. They show how painted portraits have changed over the years and how influential Spain has been in this. Yeah. So here's the thing. If you are into art, probably your favorite thing. I am not. At all. In fact, I never would have paid for that except for that it was part of the ticket for the palace. Since I DID pay for it, I figured I better at least walk through it. I will have you know I tried the first couple rooms to really look at every picture and appreciate it. But the third through eighth room, not going to lie, I put some music on, and just walked through. I made sure I saw it all, but I can't say I spent time there. The same went for the armoury. Apparently, Spain has one of the biggest in the world. By this time I was tired, hungry, and honestly a bit done with that all. So I repeated. Music and a quick walk through to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Which, unfortunetly, I can say I didn´t.
As aforementioned, by this time I was quite hungry and tired. As some of you know, I get a bit, let's say cranky, when I'm hungry and tired. I've discovered on this trip I know it's really bad when I start feeling like this trip was stupid. It's like my stomach is saying "America has food! Go home!" Whenever I start feeling like that, I know it's time for a break. So a break I took. I had packed food from the house. I sat in the courtyard of the palace and ate my food. I'm not entirely sure I'm allowed to do that. So I'm going on record saying I am not saying this is a good place to eat lunch. After some food I was starting to remember why I'm here and why I love it. Ah food, how magical you are.
I got back on the bus. I rode past amazing architecture, statues, and much more. I wrote down places to visit on the upcoming days. Finally, my eye caught a big garden. I was still a bit cranky so I decided some fresh air would help. I got off the bus and found that it was a botanical garden. Perfect. I meandered in to the fresh air, the quiet, the peaceful Jardín Botánico of Madrid. I looked at the numerous many kinds of plants, trees, and flowers. Finally I found a bench in the sun and settled in for a nap. (Feel free to look down on my child like habits. Cranky means food and naptime. I'm on vacation, ya'll. If I want to have naptime, I'm having naptime!) After I woke up and felt a million times better. Success! I finished exploring the gardens. Gorgeous. It makes me realize I've never been to the botanical gardens in Denver. Add that to the list!
I got back on the bus. I marked down the names of places to make sure to see. I got off the bus at one street and started exploring. I couldn't believe a store I found. National Geographic's Store and Cafe. Did you know they did this? Because I did not. Maybe this is common and I've just missed it. But I was very excited about it. It lived up to my excitement over it. They sell everything from kids' toys to jackets to duffels to movies. And I'm determined to use the cafe part soon. Amazing!
My last stop for the day was back at the Plaza de España. The sun was still beating down. People covered the plaza soaking in the heat. Girls sat on the edge of the fountains reading. Men talked while walking around the grassy areas. Picturesque. I sat on the steps to the main fountain and just enjoyed the moment. A guy next to me was playing his guitar. I'm in serious singing deprivation lately. I was hoping if I talked to him, he would let me play his guitar and sing. Or maybe just sing along with him. So I devised a plan. I would ask him if I could take his picture. Then strike up a conversation. Then he would like me enough to hand over his guitar. This plan was crushed the moment he said he spoke no English. So I just took his picture and told him I liked his music. The search for a guitar continues!
I headed home on the Metro. When I arrived home, the kids were working on their homework. Iciar asked me for help on hers. Do you remember those word problems in math? Like "Frank has ten apples. Some lady steals four apples because she's a bad person. Now what kind of social issues does Frank have?" Wait, no. Something like that. Well, anyway. Those problems become a lot harder when you don't understand the language. I sadly could not help Iciar. Oh boy... Well Sonia, Hugo, and Iciar decided to go outside. I went along. Iciar used her rollerskates and Hugo was on his waveboard. Let me take a moment to say waveboards are HARD! I am not nearly coordinated enough for that. Hugo tried to help me, but it was of no avail. I raced them both on foot. I would pull Icair around on her skates. Watching Iciar and Hugo reminds me of me and my brother. They love each other more than life itself. Hugo helps Iciar, but also drives her crazy. And Iciar looks up to Hugo and idolizes him, but also drives him crazy. They laugh together, argue together. I assured Sonia they will grow up to be best friends.
Finally, Hugo, one of his friends, Sonia, and I ended up playing soccer. Excuse me, futbol. Hugo and his friend are on leagues. I haven't played soccer in maybe ten years. Sonia informed me that everyday they come down and play futbol. I am determined to get better. I feel a bit obligated because I'm in Spain to enjoy playing soccer. I'll do my best. No matter what though, a great afternoon. I am so lucky to have met such an amazing family. I'm even more lucky to get to spend a whole week or so with them. Amazing!
I can't get over how fun your posts are--I'm guaranteed a laugh every time! :)
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