En route to Madrid Monday 1st Feb.

What a pleasant way to spend a Monday morning...a working day.....and we were idly sitting on a good old National Express (thanks for the lift Mike), watching the still full blue moon disappear and our lovely English sun rise? We boarded the BA plane for Madrid at a very civilised hour ready for take off at 10am, flew along the south coast, passing Christchurch Harbour, Poole Harbour, and then headed south at Chesil Beach. I must admit to giving ex colleagues at work a thought as we flew over Christchurch.

Arrival at lunch time at Madrid Barajas Airport was very quiet and efficient.I spotted a man taking a movie of the airport and thought that artistically and architecturally it was pretty amazing...where are all the people??????????????? S'pose they were having their siesta.

Thanks to the e mail from tourisimo Madrid we caught the metro for 2 euros which took us painlessly to our hotel AND they were accurate in saying that the hotel was not even 3 minutes from the metro.Very good hotel in a brilliant location for our afternoon and evening stopover.Again following the e mailed instructions we took ourselves on a 3 hour walking tour of the old centre of Madrid.Linda, this included the botanic gardens which I think would be well worth a visit at some point.

Photos taken show where we went, finishing in the old covered market for tapas.

Madrid is definitelyworth a return visit to see the art galleries, museums and enjoy the open air restaurants some time. Now for an interesting observation....on Tuesday morning we took breakfast in a small traditional bar next to the hotel, and frequented by the city business fraternity.It was great, at 8. 15am a 'dress to impress' beautiful business woman in full battle regalia swept up to the bar.Resting her computer on the stool next to her, her stiletto on the rung of her stool she ordered a small black coffee and liquor with ice. Meanwhile the business men sat at the counter, finishing their coffees, open mouthed cigarettes under the bar. She downed her 'breakfast', left the cafe and the men open mouthed and gossiping ...power or what!!!