Blogs from District of Madrid, Spain, Europe - page 174

Isn´t their something to be said for a man that picks friends that are more cultured than him? Or maybe it says something about his friends? Anyway, thank you Rawley and Brian both for informing me and an our audience about this 2nd Renoir. The trip is coming to a close. We´re in Madrid, and frankly, we´re tired of seeing the sights. Today we had a nice train ride, tasted a very, well, sh·tty meal at the train station, we found an affordable hotel, we walked around and shopped, and we´re checking internet. Nothing complicated, and we expect more of the same tomorrow. We did look at some of our Alhambra photos yesterday at Christy and Dan´s (and Colin´s), and they look great! Unfortunately, currently the only thing that I can figure out how to do ... read more

After a quick day at home to do laundry and pack for the next trip, me and two friends from the program (Erica and Beth) set off for Madrid. We got there mid afternoon found our Hostel and went to visit Beth’s friend Lyn from Weslyan who was studying there this semester. Madrid is not Berlin. It is not Dresden. It is not Prague. It is amazing how different of a city it is from those that I have visited in Central Europe. For one thing, it was never really touched by WWII or Communism the way central Europe was. Also, of course, it has a massively different culture from them as well. Unlike Berlin, it also has a feel of Hustle and Bustle that is lacking in Berlin. Berlin does not really hustle or bustle. ... read more

Note: hi all, thanks again for reading. I've added some pictures ot previous entries. Check them out. Keep them comments a'coming. Love them! -- The theme of this episode of my travelblogs is the perpetual quest to find my travel partner, Angela. The story begins with the trip from Barcelona to Madrid, which was maddening, as both Angela and I were worried about and busily working on our take-home finals due Tuesday morning even while the cleaners of the apartment we rented in Barcelona was kicking us out early due to some miscommunications. The four of us hopped on another pleasant Vueling flight and made way to our centrally located hostel in Madrid, being between Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. While Carolina and Sandra made plans to see the town, Angela and I were working ... read more

As we depart Salamanca for Madrid and the last three nights of our European vacation 2005, we remember we didn't bring our map of Madrid or the book about Spain, so we "flying" using visual rules. The roads to Madrid are also under construction. In fact, we discover that they are in the process of burying one of the main arteries into the city! After a hasty internet Map Quest, Herv the Magnificent Navigator believes he knows how to get us to the rental car drop-off at Atocha Station. When we exit a little earlier than planned, his keen sense of direction and our memories from our previous visit to Madrid actually get us to the Gran Via, Plaza de Cibeles and ultimately, Atocha Station unscathed. And, although the Hertz agency is unimpressed, those of who ... read more

Arrived in Madrid. Local time: 19.40. Height: 655 m. Temperature: 24ºC. WOOO-HOOOO!!! Start peeling off layers…. We set up camp in Maria’s old family home. Felt a bit eerie, as the place is now virtually empty of not just people but furniture as well, but after an initial weird couple of days we settled down and enjoyed the privacy. And the fact that it’s free accommodation in a major city is not to be sniffed at either… Had a bit of a dodgy start though as Maria arrived in Spain with a cold which she naturally ended up passing on to Mark. This meant poor Mark spent his 35th birthday poorly in bed… Certainly this year’s birthday present left a bit to be desired and Maria’s still trying to find a way to make it up ... read more