Did we leave today or is it tomorrow
Monday was our departure day. We were to be off to Spain for 5 weeks. Sunday night was devoid of a sound sleep. Randeen had clients to work with and needed to get in a last swim at Deep Eddy. I had not done any packing; it was accomplished in my mind again and again throughout what would normally be sleep time.
Monday arrived. Randeen was out by 5:20 AM. I was still pondering packing. I cut the grass and had a few errands to run. I ended up at home by 10:30 AM when the packing commenced. By 12:10 PM, Lyft was at the door and we were on the way to the airport, well we did do a once around the block to retrieve Randeen's water bottle which was in a place where she would not forget it.
The flight to Dallas and then to Madrid went like smoothly. The expected sleep did not come, but we did see 2 movies. In Madrid, we arrived 35 minutes early; we sped through customs and then waited for our bags at cinta 2. The screen advised that the últimas maletas would arrive by 9:35. At 9:36 the agent called baggage handling and yes our bags were indeed in the cavernous belly of the airport, but not on the belt.
By now I was concerned about our ride. Welcome Transfer is a transport service that is about 5 Euros more than a taxi to get to the center of Madrid, but the difference between Welcome and a taxi is that they are waiting for you. They only wait 45 minutes. We were about 1 hour and 15 minutes in baggage claim, but our driver, Sergio Hernandez, was waiting but not happy. He had a SIM card for one of our phones, also, a pretty good deal at 18 Euros (one does need an unlocked phone to use a local SIM). We were on our way to the small apartment, that we rented for 2 nights, from Fernando and Marina at Calle de la Alameda, 6, nearly across the street from the Prado.
Next issue to be resolved, the phone number that I had for Marina would not accept my text advising her that we were on our way. I called the number and left a message. They still did not have confirmation of our arrival time. Perhaps, no one would be there to meet us. As we pulled up to Calle de la Alameda, 6, Fernando greeted us. He figured out we could not send a text to Mariana's land line. Fernando is smart, he is Marina's father. He speaks no English. He and I got along just fine. He apologized about not having much shampoo in the shower. All was well once I lifted my hat. We were now in our apartment 4 hours before normal check in time, and we had a new friend in Fernando.
We thought to go to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía to see Guernica, again. We saw it about 25 years ago on our last trip to Madrid. At that time it was in an annex of the Prado. Fernando let us know that the Reina Sofía was not open on Tuesdays. It was off to the Prado, which was only a couple hundred yards from our front door.
A 20 to 30 minute wait in line delivered us to the ticket window. Fifteen euros for Randeen and only 7.50 euros for me with government proof of advanced age. My driver's license worked.
Monday arrived. Randeen was out by 5:20 AM. I was still pondering packing. I cut the grass and had a few errands to run. I ended up at home by 10:30 AM when the packing commenced. By 12:10 PM, Lyft was at the door and we were on the way to the airport, well we did do a once around the block to retrieve Randeen's water bottle which was in a place where she would not forget it.
The flight to Dallas and then to Madrid went like smoothly. The expected sleep did not come, but we did see 2 movies. In Madrid, we arrived 35 minutes early; we sped through customs and then waited for our bags at cinta 2. The screen advised that the últimas maletas would arrive by 9:35. At 9:36 the agent called baggage handling and yes our bags were indeed in the cavernous belly of the airport, but not on the belt.
By now I was concerned about our ride. Welcome Transfer is a transport service that is about 5 Euros more than a taxi to get to the center of Madrid, but the difference between Welcome and a taxi is that they are waiting for you. They only wait 45 minutes. We were about 1 hour and 15 minutes in baggage claim, but our driver, Sergio Hernandez, was waiting but not happy. He had a SIM card for one of our phones, also, a pretty good deal at 18 Euros (one does need an unlocked phone to use a local SIM). We were on our way to the small apartment, that we rented for 2 nights, from Fernando and Marina at Calle de la Alameda, 6, nearly across the street from the Prado.
Next issue to be resolved, the phone number that I had for Marina would not accept my text advising her that we were on our way. I called the number and left a message. They still did not have confirmation of our arrival time. Perhaps, no one would be there to meet us. As we pulled up to Calle de la Alameda, 6, Fernando greeted us. He figured out we could not send a text to Mariana's land line. Fernando is smart, he is Marina's father. He speaks no English. He and I got along just fine. He apologized about not having much shampoo in the shower. All was well once I lifted my hat. We were now in our apartment 4 hours before normal check in time, and we had a new friend in Fernando.
Randeen in front of Calle de la Alameda, 6
The hood
We thought to go to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía to see Guernica, again. We saw it about 25 years ago on our last trip to Madrid. At that time it was in an annex of the Prado. Fernando let us know that the Reina Sofía was not open on Tuesdays. It was off to the Prado, which was only a couple hundred yards from our front door.
The Prado, scaffolding ensconced
Main entrance to the Prado
The Prado was not a perfect choice for jet lagged travelers. We made it to Goya and then quickly checked out Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez and El Greco before heading home for a nap.
Prado master pieces (in case you don't get there yourself)
After a well needed 2 hour nap, it was off to the Plaza Mayor. It was a 15 or 20 minute walk past tapas bars almost too numerous to count.
One of many tapas bars
Entering the Plaza Mayor from the southeast
Plaza Mayor is the work of the architect Juan de Villanueva
who was entrusted with its reconstruction in 1790
King Philips III, constructed in 1616 by Juan Cristóbal González,
Jean Boulogne and Pietro Tacca
Taking it all in
Sitting on benches surrounding the lamp posts
Locks of amor around the lamp post edges
Dining is possible - you will pay for the view
And always, the cell phone
A couple of future soccer stars
We were in search of a place to eat after our visit to the plaza. We headed to a place recommended by Fernando, Queyendo. It was closed. We ended up at a tapas bar/restaurant run by women from Galicia, an autonomous community of northwestern Spain, Maceiras.
Maceiras
the wine is served in a cunca, which means bowl in Galician
customer service questionaire
We headed back to the apartment only a couple of blocks away and attempted to stay up until 11 PM without success.
On to the Reina Sofía, tomorrow.
PS They have Lime scooters, too.
Was “Fat Spider-Man” at Plaza Mayor? He is quite the sight. I wish now that I had paid him 5€ to take his photo. It would have been money well spent.
ReplyDeleteSpider-Man was not to be seen. There was a pirate with quite an elaborate costume wandering around the Plaza Mayor seeking cash for a photo op.
ReplyDelete