Madrid 10 August 2010

Madrid is a stunning city...I love everything about this part of the world. The tappas bars are everywhere....4 or 5 in a block. Of course the bloodhound in me sniffed out a few really good fresh food markets. I brave the Metro and travel back and forth, just getting a feel for the city. It's awesome to feel so safe...alone, at night...no problem. Viva a libertad!!

Synchronicity is very apparent in my journey....I chose a tappas bar to try out my 1st Spanish meal...it was PACKED, 3 rows deep. I wondered around, much like a lost fart in a whirlwind, trying to see what there was on offer, what it costs and how to order it!! This is what I love about foreign travel.

After going from one side of the bar to the other, looking for a gap...the crowds parted and an elderly man and woman beckoned me to the counter. I ordered a jambon roll and a beer. There is just a torrent of Spanish conversation around me. Then a sweet voice says "I think you must ask him again..he has forgotten your jambon!!" The sweet voice belongs to a sweet old lady...within minutes she has asked me to visit her when I come back to Madrid and would like to know if I am interested in teaching English!!!! My 1st valuable contact in Europe.

I stay 2 nights at the backpackers then head off to Caceres to meet up with Thelia, who will some how materialise a vehicle to fetch me!!