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Madrid Wrap Up
I had a hard time adjusting to this whole Siesta thing.Most places really do shut down in the middle of the day for several hours, even some museums. And most restaurants don't even open again until 8:30 or 9and that's considered an early dinner. But again it doesn't get dark in summer until 10 pm. So I adjusted.
There are lots of hippies and 'rastafari' in Madrid, I have seen more dreads, gauze clothing and jingly things on people than when I visited Jamaica. The only thing missing was the patchouli.Too bad, I would have loved to pick some up.But, I did have an old boyfriend that used to call it my 'man repellent' every time I would put it on.
I loved the area it was really funky.
Another thing I noticed here is dogs are VERY well behaved just like in Paris.They walk crowded streets off leash and always seem to keep track of their owners,they don't jump on people or bark. Today a woman was walking with her dog. She dropped her bag of groceries, there was bacon, and meat and bread that all fell out on the sdiwalk and her dog never made a move towards it.That's impressive.On the down side, dogs pee and poop anywhere and I haven't seen any owners with poop scoops, so you always have to be on the look out.
I mastered the metro here too. I didn't even have to carry the metro map after the second day.They make it easy.
Madrid is a very clean city, but there is one glaring exception."Graffiti" It is out of control.It's everywhere, on store windows, cars and even on historic monuments. it's sort of sad.I don't know why someone would do it and between the police everywhere and the street cameras, I don't know how they get away with it.
I am at the Atocha train station to meet up with Lani, another traveler, from AZ. We are going to catch the train to Seville together and spend a few days there before she goes to catch up with a tour in Madrid and I move on to Barcelona
I though it was a cool train station when I first got here.In the main terminal, they have a mini rain forest with fish and turtles, palm trees and orchids, etc. It was great until I realized that they don't air condition this area and about every 30 minutes, about 1000 misters go off to make sure it stays nice and humid.I guess it is good preparation, because every time, I tell local people that I am going to Seville they say "In August!"
I guess that is the same reaction that I would have if someone said they were vacationing in Scottsdale in August.
I'll be adding the rest of my Madrid photos as soon as I find a solid internet connection.I can't wait to drop Sprint when I get home; they promised me constant internet access using my cell phone to get me to purchase the new Blackberry "World Edition".Apparently it's so new there is not trouble shooting and support information about it on the web and I can't waste my locally purchased calling minutes waiting on hold for help.Damn You Sprint!!.
I have also posted Photos of my day with the Hudson family, Friends of Mimi girls back in Florida.They moved here for 6 months, because it was something Jennifer always wanted to do and her husband was able to get his company to agree to a temporary.The kids will spend the first half of the school year.I thought it was great because kids pick up on language pretty quickly and their Spanish would improve, but they are actually sendingPatrick (5) to a Dutch/Spanish school.His father is Dutch, so he will be studying only in Spanish and Dutch, how cool is that.
Anyway, I am off to meet Lani then off to Sevilla. Until then. . .Luego
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