MADRID - A FAREWELL TO MY SPAIN ODYSSEY ...

My small suitcase and I left the Hostel in Seville in the dark and walked the 20 minutes to the Bus Station to journey up to Madrid. The Spanish countryside in general is interesting and in a lot of places - very beautiful. It took us 6 hours to travel up to Madrid and was a comfortable trip. We were 1 1/2 hours out of Madrid when I saw 3 round white windmills with their green pointed caps and large wooden veins, sitting atop a hill. The veins on one of them was still turning slowly in the wind after all this time! As usual, my camera was not conveniently located! Five minutes later I saw 4 very large wind turbines on the other side of the road. When I saw 34 of these (I counted them) marching into the distance across the mountain tops, I suddenly realised that we were travelling through the region of La Mancha - the home of the legendary Don Quijote, and his ladylove, Dulcinea. I fished my camera out in the hope that there might be more of the old windmills and was in luck. I managed to take a good photo of 2 perfectly preserved ones through the bus window as they came into view a little further down the road.

The Bus Station in Madrid (and there are at least two of them), is huge and connects with the city buses and underground trains. Whilst enjoying a much needed coffee, I tried to use my legendary map reading skills to plot a course to my Hostel and succeeded without too much fuss. Must have been the coffee!

There is a lot to see here. Every street contains very old, and either interesting or beautiful buildings. However, my old foot foot injury is back with a vengeance. The cold, lack of emu oil and too much use, has really irritated it, so I walk very slowly. While this irritates me, I do see more of what is around me. I think it has been all the extra stair climbing that every hostel in Spain seems to have which has aggravated it. The Hostels I’ve stayed in usually occupy the fourth floor and most don’t have lifts. Thankfully, this last hostel has a small lift which I always use and the walking seems to be a little better than it was. Because I can't get my foot into my shoes, I use my walking sandals with sox! to keep out the cold. The number of people who look down at my feet and then have to take a second look! They are all wearing warm shoes or boots and can't understand why this person with grey hair is walking through the cold and rain only in sandals and sox!

Hostel life gives one a very different look at the travelling life within 4 walls!
Some of the things I see people doing, are strange to me. Take the internet for instance. Even breakfast doesn’t rouse the young people out of bed in the morning, because they often don't come in until 4.30am. This is fine by me because I have earplugs and an eye mask, so mostly they don’t disturb me. But when it comes to Internet usage there are only a few rules which apply:
Rule No. 1
Get up VERY EARLY (especially if the internet is free in the Hostel)
Rule No. 2
When heading to the computers, trample over anyone else who has had the same idea and might get there first (otherwise you won't find a free place at the computer all day).
Rule No. 3
See rule no's 1 and 2!!!!!
In this Hostel, there are notices in each dorm about respecting other people and keeping only one person to a bed! Late last night, a couple came into our dorm and although they are each allowed one locker per bed , the man insisted in wrestling their two suitcases into only one locker accompanied by a great deal of noisy effort. Not content with that, they bustled noisily around getting ready to go out at 11pm (lights out time in this hostel). When we woke this morning, they were squeezed into the same single lower bunk. No mean feat, because although she is small, his feet hang over the end of the bed!
There are also copious notices around the kitchen and dining area about; "wash your own dishes, wipe down the table you ate at", etc. As well as the fact that "Spain is in the middle of a serious drought, so please use water carefully!", but there are no plugs to use in the kitchen sink. You just have to let the water run on the dishes as you are washing them!
Since I see how hard the cleaners work here and how few people actually do as the notices say, I do a bit extra as well as my own. The other morning, a German girl must have thought I was the cleaner, because she asked my in very broken English "Where is the knife?". She wanted to cut some bread for toast. It was in the sink under the running hot water. I pointed to the knife and she looked at me and said; "But is dirty!". To which I replied; "No, it's wet!" She ostentatiously picked up the knife between two fingers, squeezed 5 squirts of detergent on it and proceeded to run the hot water over it for 2 minutes. She was looking around for something to dry the knife with, but I didn't tell her where it was - I don't think she would have known how to use a tea towel anyway.
I have also learned to keep spare toilet paper in my pocket. People in hostels use the toilet paper for everything from wiping up their mess on the floor to cleaning their glasses and the regular use in between. Constantly, there is never enough when you really need it at 5am in the morning.

Have taken lots of photos here, especially of the beautiful Retiro Park which is amazing. It covers 119 acres. It's huge!!!! and right in the heart of Madrid. Can you imagine how much the land would be worth for real estate? However, they would never succeed in converting it, because it has been a Spanish institution for over a century. They go there to stroll around, admire the beautiful old trees and roses, row a boat on the lovely lake, go for a run in nice surrounds, roller blade and generally enjoy the birdlife and nature. I love it because there aren't many moments where one can get away from the noise and movement of cars, buses and people here. They even have a Sequoia tree over 100 years old - not a record but not bad for the amount of carbon monoxide in the air.

Using the Internet here in the hostel is really expensive - Euro2 per hour and there is always a long queue, as this is a very big hostel. Because I like to stay in touch with my family and friends, I needed to find an alternative source at a reasonable price. After walking the neighbourhood I found that the Tourist Office in the Plaza Mayor has four stations and allows 15 mins. free internet or email access each time. Then I stumbled on one hidden away in a side street which charges euro1.20 per hour. Shame that I only have today and tomorrow before I leave here on Monday.

Most people spend their lives wishing for just one moment of fame! Well, mine was this morning - a replay of the famous Marilyn Monroe Moment. I was wandering around the plaza, just enjoying the small amount of sunshine, in my long travel skirt. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was walking, and crossed over a very large, wide steel grate set into the cobblestoned plaza. Without any warning, my skirt flew up over my head.
When I tried to push the front down, the back whipped up and vice versa. The air current was really strong and of course I was wearing lace undies (because they take up less space in my little case). A sprinter doesn't move as fast as I did getting off that grate! After all, M.M's legs were much younger and better looking than mine. It's quite hard to walk on as if nothing has happened when there are people trying to hide their smiles behind their hands.

Tomorrow I'm going to the area of La Latina which is an area behind the magnificent old 16th century palace (The Plaza Mayor), just a block away from our Hostel. The locals have a combination street market/fair/party which has taken place for over 100 years. Since Sundays in Spain are usually very quiet and the local shops are all closed, I'm looking forward to this. As, no doubt, are all the local pick-pockets, I will take my usual super-market bag to carry a few things in, and keep my camera & purse inside my jacket pocket.

My time in Spain has been a real learning curve for me, but I have truly enjoyed the experience. It's easy to say this when the time is almost over and you can look back at the anxious moments, uncertainty and frustration amongst the really good times.
But I accept that they're all a part of travelling and my 'Spanish Pipedream' has now become a reality. Such a fortunate person am I!

In summary of my time in Spain:

What I loved; The kindness of the local people, the number of nice young people I have
met in the hostels, the sheer antiquity and beauty of the buildings, the
exotic sights and sounds all around me, the opportunity to learn and
experience so many new things.

What I have missed the most:
VEGEMITE, parks, and gardens, and the quiet of nature.

What I didn't like;
The number of poor people I saw in the streets, the smell and taste of
cigarettes (almost everyone smokes here), the smell of transport and car
fumes everywhere and the constant spitting - no-one seems
to use tissues or handkerchiefs over here. Oh, and I almost forgot!
So many locals use their fingers to 'clean their noses!'

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