Glorieta de Bilbao

A varied, happy and successful day! We got up reasonably leisurely, no bags to be packed up and ready in the lobby by 8am, and we are now on our own, no camino back up! Rachel and Richard had left before six, and we had breakfast and left at about 8.30 to wander down to the station, not sure if the tickets on my phone was adequate…the email said to print them, but couldn’t believe it was necessary as absolutely everything is done online - menus you have to get from the QR square on the table etc…and of course it worked perfectly…was smug watching so many people all fumbling with their many pieces of paper…anyway, out TGV equivalent train left a misty grey morning in Santiago and zoomed to Madrid, only 2 stops along the way…through many tunnels..it just ploughed through the countryside and arrived at Madrid at about 2pm. Many camino people on the train who will now disperse into normal lives. First we went through hilly wooded countryside which I think was still Galicia, then it turned into flatter grain fields and vast open spaces.

We arrived at Chamartín which is not in the centre, but with the very efficient and user friendly metro here (which we have used many times before) we got to the stop near our hotel with no trouble, a new area for us on purpose to see different parts, but only a 20 minute walk from Puerta del Sol, and surrounded with many bars and eateries, and very pleasant. So we are settled into our Ibis - a spacious room, comfortable bed, opening window and everything works! And we are here for 6 nights…luxury, after having to pack up each day for so long! And we have our voucher for a welcome drink being Gold Accor members!!

So we set off to test the waters. Had a drink and tapas at a nearby bar as we hadn’t eaten, then walked down to Sol, the hub of the city. Suddenly we are out of camino land and in a city with all the global shops, restaurant chains etc, but such a vibrant and buzzing vibe. The weather held out…there was a little light rain while we were having a meal later, but nothing that impacted us. Menacing black clouds did not materialise into thunderstorms…and tomorrow has no raindrops on the prediction.

We saw my favourite pasteleria where we may have breakfast one day, and also found Rosi La Loca, a favourite restaurant, crazy but with delicious food, and booked for tomorrow night when Omnia will be here. She arrives tomorrow afternoon. So we went and did a little shopping in El Corte Ingles, a department store…I bought some sneakers…my walking shoes are falling apart, they would barely have made it if I had walked all the distance I had intended (they were the ones I walked the 900 kms from Vézelay in 2021, very comfortable but definitely on their last legs)….and Amr went to the VAT refund section and the woman he dealt with had a camino bracelet on (she had just done the Portuguese one) and they immediately bonded about walking the camino and we parted with hand shakes and blowing kisses…that is what the camino does!

Then on our way back to the hotel we also stopped at a Decathlon store as Amr wanted to look and check some things, and I ended up getting another pair of amazing sneakers!!! (And he couldn’t find what he was looking for!). So we continued back and stopped at Gran Via to have a drink and a sit down…very nice, but the wind did blow up and it looked threatening, so we moved inside and ended up eating there…it was wonderful…now in Madrid we are out of the world of Peregrino menus, and this place had an array of small plate choices, but not all the jamon and cheese variations we have been having, but fusion food, and there were wok cooked vegetables with soy and sesame, and I had some seared tuna with guacamole and seaweed..we just realised how we crave some Asian flavours!! So that was not planned, but just wonderful. Now back, showered and ready for bed…Read more