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MADRID
Wednesday, June 7, 2000

by Judy Sadler

We woke around 6:45 AM on the Talgo Train, which was speeding through the Spanish countryside now. We got dressed in our bunks, and I went to breakfast first, as we'd been advised to not leave our luggage alone. The doors of the couchettes could be locked from the inside, but they could not be locked from the outside. That meant someone had to stay with luggage all the time, and we didn't want another experience like the "yellow jacket" one.

The breakfast was, as usual "bread," But I found to my dismay that the coffee in Spain was so thick, it could almost be spread on the bread. The custom was to fill the cup half full of the thick coffee and then top it off with hot milk. We were provided lots of sugar to sweeten it up. It tasted really nasty to me, so I found I had been reduced to bread and water for breakfast. It didn't take long for me to finish my meal, and I returned so that Nancy could dine.

I was pleased to find that the bathrooms were in very good condition, and I hastily brushed my teeth with bottled water and accomplished a few other early morning rites in this bathroom that was airline size.

The Padre, Heidi, and Nancy returned and we unwedged our luggage, and prepared for a hasty departure upon arrival in sunny Madrid.

The weather in Madrid is wonderful - even though the temperature is around 90 degrees, the almost non-existent humidity makes the air feel almost silky. The clear blue sky was practically cloudless, and we were told that this is the norm for Madrid. Even when it rains there are no clouds.

This is an interesting web site on Madrid

. We were met by our tour bus and our guide was a charming Spanish woman named Rosanna. And we were off again to see the sights - but this time the sights of Spain.







The highlight of this tour was our stop at the Palacio de Madrid, the home of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain

For More Information on the King and Queen





The Palace was stunningly beautiful, and lavish beyond belief. We were not permitted to use flash when we took pictures inside, as repeated flashes could eventually damage the fabrics and wallhangings; and the dim light was not conducive to great photography, but you can get an idea of what the inside of the palace looked like from these two pictures:







And we were fortunate to be present at the Changing of the Guard which took place in the courtyard of the palace.



















Madrid has a breed of women that are miniature in size, but I must tell you that when they are present at the changing of the guard, they can shove like linebackers. We re-boarded our bus, and headed into the center of Madrid, for we were to stay in a hotel in the very heart of the City. Our bus was unable to discharge us in front of the hotel, and so we awkwardly unloaded the luggage compartment around flower planters and light poles, and eventually everyone had retrieved their own luggage.

There were several hotels housed in this one building, and the front desk of our hotel, the Hostal R. Massachusetts, was on the 8th floor. After we got to the 8th Floor, our passports were taken and we were given keys and sent to the 6th Floor. In retrospect we should have left one person with the luggage while the rest checked in. This would have saved much jostling as it was very difficult to get luggage into an elevator that was barely larger than a telephone booth. And the method we chose meant we had to do it twice.

Melissa and I had a room with a wonderful view.















We changed into more appropriate clothing for the warm weather, picked up our passports, and went to a sandwich shop for lunch. Madrid has the most stunning transvestites, and we were given a close up view when one sat down at the table next to us. We noticed that the women's shoes in the clothing stores all came in huge sizes - must be to accommodate the changelings in their society. I wouldn't have been so miffed, but they all had a better figures than I do.

Our group met up in the afternoon, and Suzy took us on a walking tour of Madrid.



This is a picture of their post office - much nicer than Grove's post office.

Then we visited the Prado,







which is a wonderful art museum, filled with priceless paintings.

My favorite painting was Christ on the Cross



by Diego Velázquez da Silva,
as it had the same type of glow that the Mona Lisa had.







If you look closely, you can see the angels descending and ascending the ladder. It was much clearer in person, of course.

We left the Prado, heading for more sight seeing, stopping at street vendors to purchase scarves and t shirts.

Our walk took us through the Plaza,



which was and still is a meeting place for the Spanish people, following Suzy into Madrid's typical maze of back streets. Suddenly Suzy took off at a run back up the hill. We asked the fellow who was following her what happened. He stood there looking bewildered and said - "I don't know - she just said "bugger, I've gone the wrong way" and took off."

I didn't realize English people really said things like "bugger" and "jolly good," but our Suzy used this very charming British slang, enchantingly spoken in her wonderful accent. As you can tell, we all thought Suzy was tops - and the teenage boys, I am sure, were all struggling under the weight of giant crushes. Suzy's demeanor was perfect - she was very friendly but she also had an attitude that let you know she wouldn't stand for foolishness, so all our poor teenage boys could do was worship from afar.

We visited the Lladro store that afternoon where we were all offered a discount and I purchased two pairs of earrings and a letter opener that looked like a miniature dagger. These were all necessary purchases, I assure you. The store did a rousing business that day.





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