Travel day #2

This is a familiar routine for me. It makes me feel comfortable and like I’m going to the right place. I arrived in Madrid at about nine in the morning, having had a few hours of good sleep. Because of my Irish (EU) passport, I was able to zip through passport control. From the airport, I hopped on the commuter train to the Chamartín train station and was there in about 15 minutes. The station continues in its state of renovation chaos.

I had a few hours before my train to Miranda, and so I was able to walk around the area and buy my Spanish SIM card, get my fruit, snacks, and water for walking, and even buy some stamps to send postcards home to the grandkids!

My train left Chamartín at about noon. No fast trains, but it was comfortable. I had to change trains in Valladolid, and I remembered how much I had enjoyed spending two days in that city years ago when I walked the Camino de Madrid. Unfortunately, there was a very long stop of over an hour for “problemas técnicos.” But I got there!

Miranda is a fairly bleak place, but like all Spanish cities, it has its ambiente — lots of people out and about, up and down the main street, enjoying what feels like the beginning of fall weather. I am staying in charmless, modern chain hotel, but it’s clean and comfortable.

The highlight of the day was being reunited with Alun and Olga. They drove up to see me for a quick visit. Alun’s going to walk with me tomorrow, which promises to be a pretty day through a gorge. We walked up to the castle and around the casco histórico and had a vino tinto. Now I am hoping for a good sleep and the banishment of jet lag.Read more