Madrid

Had I started writing about this week I spent in Madrid as soon as I'd come back I'm sure the account would have been more accurate and perhaps more interesting. However, since I didn't really have time to do it--after a week off less enjoyable tasks had to be done--I'll have to rely on my memory about those things which made a lasting impression.

I didn't do ANY sightseeing. I saw whatever happened to be around me when I was on my way to the Prado and the Reina Sofia museum. This means I got to walk in the Retiro park rather a lot (an excellent park in a "French garden" style, with a substantial number of "avenues" and statues sprinkled about). There are a number of cafés in it, and one which I particularly enjoyed in front of the Alphonso XII fountain/monument/lake. I thought about renting a wee boat and rowing for a bit here

but decided against it, since I was alone and if I got tired of rowing I'd have to either carry on anyway.

The first two days were spent walking around a lot, looking at old buildings in tiny side streets, buildings which have for the most part been painted but not redone, so they look very old despite the "shiny" coats of paint, an interesting contrast.

The San Miguel market is where I chose to go in order to see how Madrileños live, where they go to have fun, what the atmosphere is like in a place where people gather to have fun during the day. It was a delicious market to spend half an hour in; one walks around, looks at the stalls, then decides what to eat, standing up at the counter, looking at the busy waitresses placing small chunks of bread with the inevitable slice of ham on a plate and saying un Euro con vinte por favor. I thought that was a very cheap way to taste different things without having to spend three hours sitting in a restaurant. One hiccup: it felt like an anthill. Hundreds of people trying to get a place at the counter does not make for a very relaxing experience. Still, I didn't want to spend too long there so it worked fine for me.

I will probably write a whole entry about the Prado and another one about the Sofia museum, but I'll say here that just being around those places can be a lot of fun. I spent some time sitting outside the Prado, by the Goya monument-- very fortunate depiction of the man, I thought

-- reading and looking around. The Botanical Garden is right next to the Prado, too, so I went there a few hours before my first visit to the museum. I thought it would be good to spend some time outdoors, around flowers and plants, before going inside.

Madrid is a city that welcomes one, I felt. People are very patient with foreigners; they smile and laugh, are approachable, helpful, and if you ask for directions, it is quite probable they'll walk a ways with you in the right direction, to make sure you don't get it wrong! I found that lovely. They take their time with people. It took a while to get used to how slow the pace can be, but once one gets into that frame of mind it can be fun.

The other side of the coin is nothing works before 10AM or thereabouts. Waking up early is a waste of time. Sure, you can have a coffee somewhere but that's as far as it goes. Shops open later, and 'having lunch' doesn't really happen before 2PM or so.

More later.