Initial Thoughts from the Road: Madrid
After 29 hours on the road, thanks to delays in Whitehorse, Vancouver and London, we have arrived in Madrid. What a beautiful city! And what a city of contrasts....with almost three-million people, it still has a small town feel to it. Multi-generational families stroll the streets here in the evenings, catching up on the day's news, teenaged boys play soccer in the city squares, tables spill out into the streets and plazas where people enjoy tapas or drinks well into the night. It's the first place I've ever been where you can have traffic jams at midnight! In fact we've seen people coming home from the bars at 7 in the morning. And breakfast often includes a beer or wine. But don't get me wrong....you don't see people walking around inebriated.
There's a strong Catholic force that is very evident here, yet free love is everywhere - on every park bench, square of grass, on train station platforms, in cafes. And a street that has many beautiful bridal shops also turns out to be the red light district, with sex shops and young women selling their services.
Apart from these young girls who look like they've already lived a lifetime, and surprizingly few street people (nothing like the sorrows of Vancouver or Toronto), Madrileons seem to love life and know how to enjoy it. Good wine, great food that tastes like gramma's been slow cooking it all day, laughing with friends and family....what more could a person want?
Plaza Mayor, which as the name implies is the major plaza in the city, where bullfights were fought, royal coronations took place, and people were slowly hanged or burned during the time of the Inquisition. Now it's the site of overpriced bars, restaurants and shops, but it's still very impressive.
The people here are very proud of their ham, the most expensive of which comes from free range pigs that are fed on acorns. They display their ham like it's art, as at this bar/restaurant, which is in fact called Museo del Jamon (Museum of Ham).
Me and my new friend. He's the strong but silent type.
4:50:45 AM 
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