Spain
Madrid–Barajas Airport

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  • Day 14

    Tapas and history tour!

    February 24 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Today was relaxing. We had breakfast at the hotel. For 13E it’s a good option. Plus I get fried eggs the way I like them but usually can’t find. Rod ordered sausage this morning. Who knew a hot dog would be the Spanish version of a breakfast sausage lol!

    We bought another metro pass. 6.6E for 10 rides. We went up 4 stops to find the indoor Mercado de la Valleheos (Mercado is market.) It sounded wonderful where you can buy fresh fruit, meat, fish, vegetables etc or from one of the prepared food vendors. However it was Monday and obviously a down day! Such a bummer! We walked back to metro and stopped for a chicken and sauce empanada. There were many choices but many with cheese. It was pretty good. And we also stopped for a chocolate croissant- or rather Rod supported my craving lol!

    On our way back through the metro, they had a museum for the underground sewer system. There was an exposed tunnel that was the remains of the Roman sewer system. Unfortunately it was closed as well. We have really tried to get an underground tour but very few exist.

    Rod went back to the hotel while I stopped by the restaurant where I had had the oxtail stew Cordoba style. I was using my ‘translate’ app to have a conversation with the host. He finally asked what I was using and downloaded the app also lol! I really needed a meal and Rod wasn’t interested in food. So I took the meal to go. The restaurant is just a block from our hotel. The stew was delicious! They use ginger and cloves in the gravy. Unusual but so good!

    At 5:30 pm we headed over the gathering point to meet our tour guide and the rest of the group. 10 in total. All of us from the US plus a dad and daughter from Paris.

    Dani started the tour with tapa and drink at Casa Labra. We learned that the salt cod was soaked for 2 days before using in a recipe. It was excellent! Best cod we’ve ever had 😉. Vermouth on tap is also a tradition. They mix it with grappa and water. I think it tastes like Coca-Cola. We also tried the specialty local cheese manchego which is a mild goat? cheese. Salut!

    El Escarpin was our second stop. Here we had the traditional Spanish omelette. It had potatoes, peppers, zucchini, carrots and peas. Then they sprinkle a dusting of chorizo on top to give it that reddish tinge of color. They paired this with their local cider. They have a particular way of pouring - which I think they needed a little more practice or maybe we need to try doing it to see how difficult it really is lol! You only get a two or three ounces and have to down it in one shot! Salut!!

    We walked down past the palace which we had been at last week. The palace has somewhere between 2800 and 3200 rooms! No one has been able to confirm the number. Plus there would have been hidden passages and rooms! Beautiful at night.

    We walked to a square that has a Muslim 15th century building, a 16th and 17th century building hosting that era’s architecture. Pretty cool!

    Our next tapa stop was Meson del champinon. The mushrooms are stuffed with chorizo and sauce is sunflower oil, garlic and parsley. Delicious 😋 We also had passing peppers roasted and salted. Not very hot. We’d had them before in Malaga and liked them. The drink here was a type of sangria - cheap red wine mixed the Fanta lemon 🍋. So good!! They like to drink lots but not get inebriated. This establishment created this amazing tapa!

    Our last stop was Casa El Abuelo. Here we had the original owner’s creation of garlicky shrimp. I’m thinking ‘what’s so special about garlicky shrimp and the we had some! It reminded us of escargot except they seldom if ever use butter.

    Spain produces 60% of all olive oil. They export to Italy. If the label said packaged in Italy, it was produced in Spain.

    We also had a great ham croquette and sliced tomato either olive oil and garlic. Dipping homemade bread in the oil from the tomatoes or the shrimp is a must do!!

    Here we had ‘grandfather’s’ wine. A drier wine than the drop a bit of honey in to sweeten. It was sweeter than we normally enjoy, but it was a good end to a wonderful tour.

    Favorites for the night: Rod - cod and mushrooms. Barb - mushrooms and garlic. The summer drink- of wine and lemon was the best.

    History is always interesting but too much to remember. With Toledo being the capitol until Charles II moved it to Madrid in 16th century, Madrid was just a small village outside the main fortress with a daily market. One of the monarchs would have cathedrals torn down and replaced with grass to create a square for people to gather. The graves under the cathedrals were lost.

    The sculptor and Galileo were friends and the sculptor had a problem he needed help with. The stallion rising up on his hind legs had a problem with getting it to stay up. Galileo determined that if the front of the sculpture was hollow and distributing all the weight in the back legs and tail by forming a triangle, the sculpture would stand up. The tail is a little longer than reality but required for the correct dimensions.

    One thing we did notice I was that a lot of places play American music. And other than street musicians looking for donations, none of the bars had live music. Possibly because the bars are so small and a band would take up valuable customer space.

    It was a beautiful evening. Weather in Spain has been around 40-45-60 F depending on the day. But the cooler weather with a jacket worked well. Definitely a good time to be here!

    We had a 20 minute walk back to our hotel. Time to get packed and ready for flight home tomorrow!
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  • Day 5

    Lazy Day!

    February 15 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Very lazy day. With the black out / sound proofing of this room we didn’t wake up until 9:53 am!! I am sure that has happened since I was a teenager! Rod watched his YouTube shorts as I checked out tours - nothing available today or was excessively expensive - checked out trains to Toledo, which I did book for Monday morning, did my Bible study, balanced our checkbook, checked in with the kids, watched tv and eventually got showered and dressed to go out to eat at 2 pm.

    Loleo, our chef from the other day, had explained the eating schedule of the Spaniards … toast or fruit at 7 am, coffee and croissant at 11 or 12, large/main meal at 2 pm, coffee and snack at 6 pm , tapas at 10 pm. However as I write this, home is 7 hours behind us. So maybe we just have not adjusted to time zone here.

    When we finally get out to find a place to eat, so is EVERYONE else!! It took us a bit of walking to find a place that didn’t have customers standing in line outside the cafes/bars/restaurants. The one we did get into was upstairs and evidently patronized by locals. Food was pretty good. However tipping is not expected nor mandatory but for the second time, the waiter expected a tip. They tap on the tin plate they bring the check on. I looked into when we got back. That won’t happen again. Rather rude!

    Rod was feeling a little of a scratchy throat and had gotten a chill the night before from sitting outside for dinner. So it was good we just stayed in all day. Around 6 we went down to the hotel restaurant and got a plate of Iberian jambon - Spanish ham- bread and tea pot - they actually gave me a small kettle to boil water for tea. So we went and watched a movie.

    Around 10 pm we headed out to a cafe and had two tapas: smoked salmon and avocado toast and toast with grated tomatoes with garlic, glass of wine and cheesecake and carrot cake for dessert. Came back and watched another movie and here it is 2 am - ridiculous!!

    Take care and love to all♥️♥️
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  • Day 4

    Tour?? And the unexpected!

    February 14 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We booked a city tour with two options: modern tour and historical tour. It started at 10 so we booked a breakfast at the hotel for 8:30. It was a very nice surprise! Lots of options but they also offered fried eggs and toast. Fancy breakfasts are a write off for me. My belly is so sensitive in the morning that any deviation can cause issues an hour later. But for Rod it’s a nice opportunity to try something more.

    Once we finally got out the door to the tour, we were a few minutes behind. We weren’t sure how it worked but it started at 10. So we hopped in a taxi instead of trying to figure out the metro and got to the bus in plenty of time. However, I really needed to pee and since the tour buses ran every 15 minutes, we decided to head over to the public bathroom. Well that was more than disgust 🤢!!! So we went over to Starbucks.

    While I was I the bathroom, someone knocked on the door. So when I came out I saw this woman standing and waiting at a bar seating area, I asked if she was waiting for the bathroom. She wasn’t but we got into a conversation that led to meeting her husband, to sitting outside Starbucks to visit, to going on the first tour, to lunch, then the second tour and even meeting up later to have dinner together!

    Tour was from GetYourGuide for $26 each. So it wasn’t crazy waste of money but we won’t used this tour group again. The audio didn’t line up with the monuments and unless there was a red traffic light, it was a steady drive by. Going past buildings is one thing but you need a few moments to see a fountain /statue. They mentioned cathedrals but oops none in sight. There is an Arch they compare to the one in Paris, Arc de Triomphe, but it was on a second pass down that street that we actually saw it. Plus the numbers on the map didn’t match the tour audio. But!! We had a great visit with our new friends, the weather was nice and we saw the city!

    Glen and Nereda are from a town near Brisbane. Same age as Rod with two girls 41 and 43. Married 45 years. We had such a great time!

    For dinner? Octopus was the winner. Rod had cod and Nereda had pork. I had oxtail that I thoroughly enjoyed! Glen had the lobster that we all agreed was exceptional!

    Another great day!

    Happy Valentines Day 💕💘💕
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  • Day 3

    Cooking class 😋😋😋

    February 13 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    We had a slow start this morning. Rod was up from midnight to 4 - just couldn’t sleep. On the other hand, I was up and down to use the bathroom but was out each time immediately. So at least one of us had a good night!!

    Our cooking class for paella and tapas started at 11 am. So at 10 we took a 15 minute taxi ride to Chef Loleo kitchen. We were 30 minutes early and since we didn’t have time for breakfast, we found a grocery store/market where we purchased bread and Iberian jambom- like prosciutto but better (as per Loleo). Then we found a table and chairs to sit and eat. Not exactly ideal but it worked :-).

    Loleo greeted us with a glass of wine in her beautiful space: private dining room for 20 and her spacious white kitchen. After washing our hands, we started by making a Russian salad: basically a very good potato salad. I didn’t realize you cook potatoes with skin on to retain flavor. Also you always start cooking veggies in boiling water to retain flavor and meats/bone broth in cold water to pull out flavor and nutrients. We also added a hard boiled egg, pickled vegetables and tuna (packed in oil from a can!) it was very good! The round mold made for a very nice presentation!

    Tapas gets the name from people who would put a cover or ‘lid’ on the top of a glass of wine to prevent dust and bugs from falling into it. They started to put a piece of bread with some kind of delicacy on the plate and ‘tapas’ as we now know it was born.

    We made croquettes that were so creamy, it was like silk on your tongue! The trick was to continue cooking the rue until it was smooth and silky - it slides off the spatula when ready. Then when forming the croquettes, you use two spoons to make a quenelle. Then dip in eggs and rolls in crumbs. Deep fry in olive oil and there you have a delicious croquette! They can be made from seafood, oxtail, mushroom, left over chicken, beef or even turkey. 😋😋

    Next, Loleo started exposing the truth about paella - a special rice - never long grain as it does not absorb liquids. Only three items: rice, vegetables, seafood or meat - finely chopped and not very much. There is a specific pan they use although it doesn’t much matter as long as the rice and broth do not come up higher than an inch or so. Once all ingredients added, paella is cooked on stove for 8 minutes, into a hot over for 8 mins, one minute on stove to get a crust on the bottom of the pan and 10 minutes resting. NEVER stir the rice. It breaks the body of the rice. A good paella has an even amount of crusty rice from the bottom and softer rice from the top.

    This dish was followed by steamed cod and veggies. Cod is very tender so after veggies were cooked, the cod was placed on top of the veggies. The kernel on the toothpick was cayenne. Too hot if left in. The toothpick ensures you can pull out the pepper before eating. Fish was steamed about 10 minutes. Amazing!!

    So background on cod…I’m not sure why this merchant decided cod would be a good idea, maybe a change of diet, well… the merchant didn’t understand the language of the seller well and while he thought he was ordering 10 lbs, he received 10 tonnes. As it was Lent and Catholics were not allowed meat or fish, as the story goes, the merchant went to the pope and asked that cod be allowed to be eaten plus a little $$ encouragement , the pope agreed and voila fish was allowed during lent 🐟

    Loleo had been in the wine marketing industry before taking her training to be a chef in Madrid. So she has an extensive knowledge of the wine industry. The French wine industry needed more fermentation to make their wine. Spain could produce a wine with good fermentation but then the flavor was too strong. So the French would buy the Spanish wine and blend it to make a palatable wine 🍷.

    Loleo gave us suggestions for great restaurants in another area of the city not so touristy. Sure to be a great gastronomy adventure! She also suggested taking the train to the south of Spain through Cordoba and Seville. Then rent a car to go along the coast….

    We headed back to the hotel via metro. Stopped at a coffee shop for a croissant and figure out exactly where we were lol!

    Pretty great day!

    Love to all♥️
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  • Day 6

    Madrid J1

    February 27 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Pas de visite de musée !
    On démarre sous la pluie ☔️... Playa Mayor / Cathédrale et palais royal (de l'extérieur) / Gran Via : magnifique avenue de 2 km.
    Churos con chocolate !
    Surprise en fin de journée : le Mercado de la Cebada typique.Read more

  • Day 120–123

    Madrid

    February 27 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Efter et lille pitstop i Santa Cruz , den kedeligste by vi har set 😲 er vi nu nået til Madrid og startet ud med oplevelserne , vi startede med Reina Sofia kunst museet , ( nu er det da heldigvis overstået ) jeg forstår simpelthen ikke kunst 😱 hvis store sorte klodser og sorte klude liggende på gulvet er kunst
    Nu glæder vi os til et dejligt hotel og by oplevelser de næste dage
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  • Day 150

    Madrid & Torrejon - Ausflug f. ein Paket

    February 26 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Was in La Spezia so schlecht begonnen hat – der (leider nicht vollständig geschlossene) Reißverschluß meines Rucksacks hatte sich unter dem Gewicht der Kamera selbständig geöffnet, die Kamera war herausgefallen und das gute Zoom-Objektiv war kaputt – ist gestern zu einem guten Abschluß gekommen. Von Palencia bin ich mit dem Zug nach Madrid gefahren und habe dort das Objektiv, das von Italien nach Berlin und von dort zur Foto-Werkstatt, zurück nach Berlin und jetzt nach Spanien unterwegs war, abgeholt. Schon ein kleines Wunder, was alles so ght, wenn man liebe Helfer hat. Eine Zugfahrkarte zu kaufen war ein kleines Abenteuer. Ich wußte nicht, dass in Spanien bei Fernzügen eine Reservierung unter Vorlage eines Ausweises/Reisepasses verpflichtend ist. Und nat‼rlich war mein Wunschzug ausgebucht. Aber mit Übersetzungs-App und etwas Geduld klappt auch das. Nur dass ich dadurch später in Madrid sein werde – eine Stadtrundfahrt (vor allem die Variante, die Stadt geführt per Fahrrad zu erkunden) kann ich mir abschminken. Es wird dann sogar noch später, denn mein Zug hat rund 50min Verspätung. Aber die Fahrt war angenehm – endlich kann ich die Landschaft in ruhe betrachten und ein paar Fotos machen.
    Die Station Madrid-Chamartin ist einer der beiden zentralen Bahnhöfe – und zur Zeit eine einzige, große Baustelle. „Stuttgart21“ ist ein Kindergarten-Sandkasten dagegen… Ich brauche fast 20min, um mich durch die ganzen Umleitungen, Unterführungen, Treppen usw. durchzuwühlen. Mal gut, dass ich die Rückfahrkarte noch nicht gekauft habe – die 10min Umsteigezeit vom Zug aus Torrejon hätten nie gereicht. Ich kaufe die Karte aber jetzt – wer weiß, ob ich abends eine Reservierung bekomme…. Und richtig: mein Wunschzug ist wieder ausgebucht (vermutlich nicht wirklich, weil kurzfristige Stornierungen nicht in Echtzeit berücksichtigt werden, aber das nutzt mir nichts), aber ich bekomme eine Karte für den Spätzug. Gut – dann ist der LT ca. 2 Stunden ohne Strom, denn auf dem Stellplatz in Palencia kann man immer nur für 12 Stunden Strom freischalten. Aber bei den Außentemperaturen ist das kein Problem.
    Endlich bin ich, mit der Sicherheit der gebuchten Rückfahrt, aus dem Bahnhof raus und kann mich in das „Abenteuer Madrid“ stürzen. Da es bereits fast Mittag ist, entscheide ich mich, zum (überall als Highlight beworbenen) Park im Zentrum zu laufen und von dort aus sehen, wie ich weiter nach Torrejon de Ardoz zu Raul’s Eltern komme. Das Wetter ist gut (13ºC, windstill, sonnig) und es interessant, auch mal „normale“ Wohngebiete anzusehen. Wobei...ganz „normal“ ist es hier nicht – schon eher gutsituiert und in einigen Gebäuden sind Honorarkonsulate unterbracht. Fotografieren wird dementsprechend nicht gerne gesehen. Nach gut 6km komme ich in richtung Zentrum. Der Verkehr nimmt zu; die Geschäfte werden etwas „glitzernder“. In einem Soutarrain hat ein „authentischer, spanischer Sandwich-Laden“ seine Räumlichkeiten, ich verproviantiere mich und setze mich zum Essen auf einen Platz mit Springbrunnen. Die Skulpturen und die ganze Gestaltung des Platzes wirkt etwas „zusammengewürfelt“, ist aber interessant. Weite geht’s. Der „Parque de El Retiro“ ist wirklich schö, auch wenn um diese Zeit natürlich noch nicht alles grün ist. Aber er ist eine ruhige Oase in einer ansonsten hektischen, vollen und lauten Stadt.
    Von der Station „Avenida de America“ komme ich mit dem Bus in 45min und für 2,50€ nach Torrejon de Ardoz. Oberirdisch wirkt die Station recht klein, aber das täuscht: 3 Etagen unterirdisch bilden einen riesigen Knotenpunkt von Metro, (Überland-)Bussen, und Schnellzügen.
    Das Paket abholen ist problemlos: während der Zeit bin ich mit Raul in Kontakt, der seinerseits seine Eltern instruiert. Der Vater erwartet mich vor der Tür und drückt mir das Paket in die Hand. Er spricht nur spanisch; ich praktisch gar nicht – wir lächeln uns an und mit einem „muchas gracias“ bin ich wieder auf dem Weg zum Bahnhof. In Torrejon de Ardoz geht alles glatt – nun habe ich 1,5Std. Aufenthalt in Madrid-Chamartin. Durch die Baustellen-Situation gibt es keine einigermaßen netten Aufenthalts-Möglichkeiten, aber das werde ich schon überstehen. Was ich dann sehe, gefällt mir aber gar nicht: am Zugang zu den Fern-Bahnsteigen gibt es (wie auf einem Flughafen) Anlagen zum Durchleuchten des Gepäcks und der Jacken. Dazu lange Listen, was man alles nicht mitnehmen darf… klar – Waffen, aber auch Messer oder Scheren. Na toll. Per Zug nach Madrid hineinbringen darf man das alles, nur nicht wieder hinaus?!? Was macht das denn für einen Sinn? Und noch etwas ist widersprüchlich: das Gepäck wird kontrolliert – Personenkontrollen gibt’s nicht. Da ich also nicht durch so einen Scanner durchlaufen muß, stecke ich mein kleines Besteck und das Multitool schnell noch in die Hosentaschen. So „organisiert“ komme ich problemlos durch die Kontrolle. Ich habe einen Platz im „Comfort“-Abteil und so lehne ich mich müde eine Stunde lang zurück bis ich (diesmal pünktlich) in Palencia wieder ankomme. Noch kurz den Strom-Automaten „füttern“ und dann ab ins Bett. 16 Stunden auf den Beinen und ebenso viele Kilometer auf Asphalt laufen hinterlassen Spuren.
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  • Day 1

    Reise nach Quito

    January 26 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Hüt bin ich s‘erste mal allei gfloge! Sehr ufregend gsi, vorallem wills gad ca. 14h (mit zwüschestopp in Madrid) gsi sind. Han im Flugi geuets Esse becho, vill glese und paar Film glueget.
    Wo ich nach em lange Reisetag denn endlich in Quito ahcho bin, isch es denn zum Glück sehr unkompliziert gsi, es Taxi zum Hotel verwütsche. Im Hotel sind denn au scho di andere vo minere Reisegruppe gsi, aber es würklichs treffe hets denn erscht am negste morge geh.
    Bin froh isch d‘Hiireis so guet gange! ✈️
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  • Day 122–123

    Driving home for christmas🎶

    December 17, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Kurzform: gestriger Flug von Granada nach Madrid verspätete sich, somit Anschlussflug nach DUS verpasst, 1 Nacht im NH Hotel in Madrid verbracht, jetzt sitzen wir am Flughafen MAD und warten auf die letzte Etappe unseres Zwischenstopps DUS.
    Wir freuen uns jetzt schon auf ne Erbsensuppe aufm Carlsplatz 🤤
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  • Day 382

    Wieder daheim

    December 4, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Montevideo ist ein sehr familiärer Flughafen, nett und überschaubar. Wir boarden pünktlich und erfahren gleich, dass der Flug ✈️ mehr als eine Stunde früher in Madrid landen 🛬 wird. Da müssen wir etwas schneller schlafen 😴.

    In Madrid landen wir um 03:50 Uhr 🕰️ … weiter geht’s um 07:05 Uhr 🕰️. Wir vertreiben uns die Wartezeit in der Lounge.

    Weiter geht es nach München. Wir freuen uns, dass wir abgeholt werden. Dann freuen wir uns über ein zünftiges Weißwurstfrühstück.
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