Lisbon to Madrid 9 July to 11 July 2012

Lisbon to Madrid 9 July to 11 July 2012

The trolley and light were good fun in Lisbon. We took a ferry to Barreiro and took it right back--at that crossing, the other side was a bit desolate and we just wanted a boat ride.

By this time, Cyrus recovered from being sick from the water on the sleeper train and I managed to figure out the washer--all was clean and dry. We walked around the squares and Shawn selected a chunk of sidewalk to bring home.

The Lisbon apartment (Paraiso V) was beautiful and really high! There were no protective rails or screens on the windows that were about 100 meters above street level.

We took the bus from Lisbon to Madrid getting up at 4:30am and commencing our 8km walk to the bus station at 5:00am. The kids were up and ready--they are amazing! We had to walk because the Metro does not run that early nor does the city bus and getting a cab was a bit sketchy. We made it and were off on the 6+ hour drive to Madrid. The driver stopped only once for a food an aseo break.

We figured out the Madrid Metro and went to the Sol stop to meet Carlos at a restaurant for the key drop off. We ate a good meal and all went off without a hitch.

Madrid is a thriving metropolis that has been hit hard by recession and you can feel it.  Although we did not witness it, there was a large protest while we were there. Miners marched from some mining communities that were up to 450km (appx 270mi) away to Madrid where they were joined by others in support. Again, the austerity measures help the banks, the rich, the funded but not the average worker.

We stayed near the Arganzuela-Planetario Metro stop in a gated high-rise near a gorgeous park--Parque Enrique Tierno Galván. The Planetario area seems “protected” and at times deserted. I ran some sweet runs and it made me miss Mt. Tabor--a lot.

Roman started to really embrace speaking Spanish to random people. He made friends with some youngish (20’s) guys at the pool at the complex. At that same pool a young woman, whose English was very good, asked me where I was from and then she told me she “loved my accent.” She said she went on her honeymoon last year to Colorado to ski, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, and San Francisco--great trip that I would take in a heartbeat.

We went to the Reina Sofia Museum on Wednesday and saw Picasso’s Guernica in true life--the most heavily guarded painting I have seen with da Vinci’s Mona Lisa at The Louvre a close second.

The Sofia had a lot of modern art that Shawn and I constantly debate with me usually saying things like, “where’s the skill or I could do that.” However, I could not be Dalí or Miró--who have both skill and elements of weird imagination going on and had the courage, like Picasso, to get it out of their heads and on canvas or in sculpture.

There were many film and television loops playing in the museum. Shawn watched a tv show from the ‘50’s with composer, Philip Glass. I peeked in one darkened space and discovered Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

The kids petered out and went into the square. We met up and headed to the shopping area of Puerta del Sol. We searched for glasses for Roman, but he did not find anything he really liked. He thinks he wants to try contacts this next year. I found some lovely big sunglasses!

The area is a bustling shopping mecca and we headed to the mega Spanish department store El Corte Inglés--sensory overload! I bought Chanel Chance, the perfume I wanted, which I think was no bargain, but I it came from España and I found a swimming suit. Heck, I was now ready to head back to the beaches of Salobreña and Barcelona.

The crew, including me, was getting pretty road weary by this time. Shawn took a day to venture to The Prado by himself. I hung out while the kids went to the pool and then we went and got ice cream, again.

Those last two nights, the kids had hot dogs and frozen fries for dinner--home sick. I made couscous with chorizo and sauteed green peppers and garlic--very yummy and salad with the last of the canónigo--loved this stuff and have never seen it at home. It’s like clover and added to salad and delicious. We ate on the balcony and had wine and talked about the next trips, what we saw, and the kids.