Madrid

Again we had a reasonable sleep, woke and breakfasted....in the morning at 8.30am it is almost a pleasant temperature....but we still feel a bit fuzzy in the head during the day, so annoying...I think tomorrow it will be over. The intense heat doesn’t help of course, but we dealt with that quite well today. We met Omnia at 9.45 and went to the Thyssen museum, which is also nearby. We had visited it last time in Madrid, really good..large building, but easy to find your way - the numbers of the rooms actually follow on, and a huge range of art - from madonnas and bambini to modern, and good examples. The also was a special exhibition of Monet and Boudin. Excellent, and as always with special exhibits you see works from all over the world that you have never seen, and would never have seen. Have to confess that I don’t remember hearing of or seeing the works of Eugene Boudin, but he was 15 years older than Monet and a sort of mentor...they influenced each other, but he largely got Monet going...the comparison was very interesting. So all that kept us cool for the morning. Around 12 we went to the cafe and had a light lunch and then Omnia had to hop on the airport bus which stopped nearby to catch a plane back to the UK. So after saying our goodbyes we continued on in the cool and explored the floors we had not yet seen.

Finally, around 3 pm we ventured out and had a beer at a basque cafe we had noticed in the same plaza where we had dinner last night. It was a trial run for tonight and we liked what we saw and indeed did come back there for dinner today. But first we walked back and had a short break in the a/c and wifi of our room. While there we booked online tickets to visit the Royal Palace...so much better than standing in the heat in a queue - Omnia had recommended this and it worked. We sailed past the queue - not a long line, but even 10 minutes in the heat would be unpleasant- and had the tickets zapped on my phone! The palace is quite near our hotel, just behind the opera where we are.

So it was a good visit, with all the splendour of Royal palaces, and the armour, glassware and porcelain, sumptuous rooms, gala banquet table set for 50....lots of fun. Couldn’t take photos in the special rooms. We called into the cathedral that is beside the palace and which was open...I’ll have to read up about it, but it is quite modern and light in comparison with the cathedrals we know are coming on the Camino. Lovely but modern looking stained glass, though enormously tall column and arches.

Then we went straight back to our chosen place to eat and drink - Golfo de Bizkaia. Drank copious fizzy water and wind and the best food....my favourite baby squid grilled being my highlight. Too tired to add more detail. I think it is cooling a little tomorrow and anyway I think Pamplona is a little cooler than here. The max today was about 35° supposedly which is high, but not super high, but sure feels hot when you are out in it.

Tomorrow we pack up and get the train at 11.30, arrive Pamplona about 2.30...a new adventure and the beginning of the Camino! A day to see Pamplona and we walk on Wednesday!Read more