Up at 5:00am I had planned to run, but it was dark and I lost my drive--wanted to stay in bed, in Madrid, with Shawn, for a little while longer.
We planned to be at the airport by 9:00am our flight leaving at 11:00. We hopped on the Metro, which Cyrus has since mentioned that all the metros are too loud, busy, and crowded, but they do get ya there fast and we love that even though they do involve a lot of walking through tunnels, on escalators, up and down stairs,and on moving sidewalks.
A retrospective of metros we used this trip:
Paris Metro: Extremely efficient--old and crowded--the dirtiest we encountered and did not really care.
Barcelona Metro: We all agree this was the best--clean, quiet, simple, new.
Lisbon Metro: Clean, secure, new, and fast--rated pretty close to Barcelona.
Madrid Metro: super efficient--the fastest one, I think, older
Overall, the metro is terrific in every city. Ironically, MAX here in Portland was not running from the airport because something was blocking the tracks on the red line, so we took the bus all the way home.
The flight from Madrid to Atlanta seemed quick to me. I watched The Hunger Games, Jeff, Who Lives at Home and The Artist. On the way to Paris, I watched The Descendants and Moneyball. I have not EVER watched that many movies in a row--certainly not since the kids came into the picture.
When we arrived in Atlanta, we were welcomed with an amazingly efficient trip through customs--that airport has it down, wow! In addition, the service at the food court was ultra-friendly. Roman and Cyrus wanted rootbeer and still did not find it in The South--sweet tea or Dr. Pepper and the usual cola options. We still were not home.
The domestic flight from Atlanta to Portland was crowded, long, and a bit humiliating with having to pay for movies and food. We did get stuff to drink, though, and by that time were all really dehydrated. The woman sitting next to us was coming to Portland as a tourist and I gave her some tips about places to visit. We flew next to Mt. Hood and got an incredible view--she was amazed being from Florida swamplands.
We arrived and caught the #71 bus home. Flyer barked and then greeted us. The house was still here and we all found a little nibble and then crashed until morning--well sort ot. I woke up about 2:00am and stayed awake for quite a while. I think the next night Cyrus woke up at 2:00am and thought it was morning.
A few things we noticed*:
• getting an Internet connection seemed to be as important as finding a place to stay--to all of us. We had that in every apartment we stayed.
• travel in foreign lands is tough on an adolescent having a growth spurt.
• key handoff and apartment payments worked well--no problems.
• in Spain and Portugal--this time of year--all sandals for women
• in the end, it all seems to be about the shoes.
* More specifics pending.
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