Daily Archives: December 19, 2024

December 19, Part Two

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Sooo … we got settled and went out. Um … HELLO?! What is this wet stuff? We had to go back into our room and collect our raincoats. We had no idea it was raining, because I’d closed the shutters. Oops!

So then we went out yet again, and walked toward the opera house. It’s amazing to think they perform eighteen operas a year. Crazy! We do four. SF Opera has cut back to six.

The rain, though, was getting heavier, so we quickly went in to a local spot and had coffee and cake. Not healthy, but hey, it’s vacation! (Of course the rain then stopped.)

After that we walked some more. The person at the hotel desk had said something about the crowds. Little did we know!! It is absolutely insane here. Who knew? Certainly not us!

We finally went into Mercado de San Miguel to have a tapas and vermut. Big yum. And great memories of the first time we visited Madrid.

Then more walking. And the crowds became even more insane. (To the point of, “Is this really even safe?!”)

And then there was this (this should be a video, but I’m not certain it is loading. Maybe later …?):

Eventually we decided to get dinner before the crowds did. It appears they don’t eat until 9:00. Too late for me, for sure. We chose an Argentinian spot that said it was 19.90€ for a full meal including a drink and dessert.

We sat down, and the menu said 175€. Um. REALLY?!?! Turns out we had to go to the bar area for our deal. Which we did. We aren’t interested in a huge, more meat than you can eat, meal. (At home we don’t even eat meat!) Nor do we need a fancy table. So we moved, apologizing to the people there (but I’ll just bet they are used to this), and placed our order. Even with the smaller, less costly meal, we couldn’t finish. SO much food! TOO much, actually. I think tapas work better for me.

After finishing we had to find our way back to the hotel. My phone navigation system wasn’t working at all (my phone barely worked earlier as well). Turns out I was on something called “Movie Star” rather than the typical “Oxygen” service. Now really … I know I appear a bit like a movie star, but this was a bit much. I’m glad, though, that I figured out the problem

So now we are back in our room. I’m hoping to sleep tonight, but these late meals do make it a challenge, so we shall see how it goes.

Buenas noches!

Moving On …

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Today began with a shower, packing, and a final view out our window, which included the moon. I will miss this nice view!

Our train departure wasn’t until after 1:00, so we had time to go out, get our cappuccinos and croissants, and walk for a short time. One more walk through the market, and down a few streets, but not much time to make photographs.

As we were ready to catch our taxi, our new found friends, Sharon and Bill came out the door as well. Turns out they were on the same train to go to Madrid. We thought we might catch a taxi together but that didn’t quite happen. Our ride was in a Tesla. I think that’s my first Tesla taxi.

We arrived at the station, thinking we could hang out in the IRYO lounge, but looking at it there really was nothing there! So after wandering to see if maybe there was another lounge, we went back to the security line to get to our track. You might guess who was also there — yes, Sharon and Bill! So we hung out for a time, waiting for the train to arrive. They have traveled much more than us so I do believe we will have to play catch up. 😉

When the train arrived we got into our carriage, which was the first one. It was quite nice, which is good since I (probably foolishly) purchased the “Infinita Bistro” ticket. This meant it was first class and they fed us. Rather ridiculous, as the ride was about 1 1/4 hours. But whatever. It was fun to have the little meal.

We arrived at our next and final European city … HELLO MADRID! We made our way out of the station to the taxi line.



Um, one guess as to who we saw there. Heh. I regret, though, that we didn’t get to say goodbye, and I didn’t grab a photo, as I’m not sure we’ll run into Sharon and Bill again. (But maybe they’ll read this and drop me a line … hint, hint ….)

A little taxi ride later (and it does appear that there are crowds here now) we arrived at Hotel Medinas, where we will spend the next four nights. We are on the fourth floor and we could stand out on the balcony and even jump off if we were so inclined. This means, of course, that I cannot go out there! Me and my acrophobia! I do like opening the window, though, getting fresh air in and hearing the sounds of the city.

Speaking of air … it was a whopping 57° when I checked the temperature after getting settled. Plus I saw blue sky (albeit with some clouds as well). Pretty darn warm!

Another shot of the bathroom amenities. This time we get toothbrushes with the tiny tubes of toothpaste. Those might come in handy since our tube is running low.

I cracked up at the note we have — the typical “we don’t change sheets every day unless you ask” — that begins “DO YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT ENVIRONMENT?” Hm. Are they trying to make me feel guilty? But yes, we care, and no, we don’t need our sheets changed daily.

I will post this now, and then update later for the remainder of the day … stay tuned!