Madrid

February 25, 2011

We arrived in Madrid right after sunrise. We were able to spread out on the plane (two seats per person) so at least the flight was somewhat restful. We managed to catch the airporter bus to the regional rail station, which Dave recognized because it looks like a train shed. Inside is a huge atrium completely lit by sunlight, and the middle is filled with tropical plants – bamboo and palms misted continually. There’s also a fully vegetated pond with turtles stacked on each other. We left our luggage in a locker and wandered past the Prado and then away from the tourist areas. There were almost no tourists, which was great. We walked on streets where only occasionally we had to stand aside for cars or small trucks.

We stopped for coffee and churros at a little place and were treated well – with a bill mnuch lower than we’d expected. The waiter kept coming by with a tray of cookies, and each time we declined, not knowing that they were free. Finally I asked how much they were and we were offered cookies a third time. This time, we took cookies.

Finally we got back to the train station to board the train to Algeciras. It’s a long trip, fortunately with only a handful of stops. There are assigned seats and since lots of people sit where they prefer, there’s a bit of a scramble when new passengers get on. The scenery was mostly rural – most of the terrain in the foreground has been touched by humans in some way: current or former orchards of some kind. It's generally a dry landscape, but recent rains have turned the ground a bright green in many places. I spent the train ride knitting a scarf for Amá as I could keep my eyes on the passing landscape.

So far, I’ve not felt uncomfortable speaking Spanish.