Madrid

---

So here we are recuperating beside the pool in Bangkok.

Whose idea was it to spend 30 hours in Madrid? The laugh was on us on that one. Madrid is a beautiful clean, historic, stylish and arty city. There are more museums and galleries per square km. that week would have been better and would have done it more justice. Obviously we must have been a little underprepared after a week of pampering up the Duoro because a comedy of errors ensued. Firstly on the last day of our trip up the river Grant decided to stay on boat as he was villaged and churched out. I believe the term is ABC (Another Bloody Church): bad mistake. Without him to watch were I was going I fell in a hole. Walking around with the camera pointed in the air and not on the ground I ended up in a drain. Blood running down my leg and pain in one knee and the opposite ankle, trying to look composed. Back to the ship for lunch and ice and dressing by the Hotel Manager. You can say what you like about the yanks but they have the drugs!!!!!! And they are always keen to share. This now makes me a bit of a liability to the bag carrier especially in Metro systems. The bags seem to have got heavier. I thought it was the bottles. But have since remembered about the books - guess who bought what. So we arrived in Madrid and successfully negotiated the Metro with one change to get to our stop for the hotel.. When emerged into the light Grant appeared so confidant and without hesitation took off with me hobbling along. I thought he must have had it together. Wrong. It should have been a 150m. After about “6” miles he decided to ask and of course we have gone in the exact opposite direction. It would OK but now it is 30+ oC and remember the bags!!. All the shops are shutting for siesta and we are the only people left. Finally we made it to the hotel - single beds, at this stage not a problem!!! We joined the only idiots out at this time - the tourists on the red open top double-decker. Finally, we had to concede defeat and head back to our hotel for our own siesta. It was much more pleasant later in the evening for window shopping and tapas. After a good sleep we were out for a tour of the Palacia Real (Royal Palace). Old home of King what’s-it????. Carlos and Queen Sophia still use it for official functions. We take a few photos and start to make out way back to the hotel. Have to be on the airport train for 3 o’clock. We are congratulating ourselves on not having had any major catastrophes in four weeks. Back onto the tube station called Opera. Here’s the thing…………doors to train open Grant goes first always trying to get the invalid a seat. As I enter the doors I am aware of a major cufuffle with raised voices in Spanish . At the same time I see a young lad of about 18-19 with his hand in Grant’s pocket. Grant having felt the hand go in now has hold of the fingers from the outside and is squeezing with all his might hoping to break a finger. He then lifts his arm as if to punch the kid in the face who wanting to get away throws his other arm back towards the door. I grab it and bend it backwards against the “holding on” bar. Poor little bugger his face and mine about 12 inches apart and there is pure terror in his eyes. He got out the door just in time before they closed. We think someone pulled him out. Don’t mess with Mr and Mrs Smith honkey!!! Talk about exciting. Afterward we retire to the Hard Rock Café for a debrief. Grant said he wished he had of hit him. I said I wish the doors had closed before he got off as I fancied myself giving him a good motherly talking to and, without a word of Spanish, completely rehabilitating him. Either way I think he had a lucky escape.
So we did finally make it out of Spain. Not smoothly. First we went to the wrong terminal and after walking 6 miles on a wild goose chase trying to get our VAT back (a very complicated game of hidden offices with arrows pointing in the opposite direction). This system is only available to those who can crack the code. Not for the faint hearted we managed it all in time including making a wrong turn on to a moving walkway and Grant in the split second that it takes to make a wrong decision deciding he could change the direction with near on 60kgs of luggage. Hmmmmm! I tell you we have had a great time and seen some interesting things and sometimes we have been the interesting things.
Thank god for frequent flier lounges where one can retire to repair ones dignity.

---

Photos

The Palaci Real
Okay cut the Spanish - Royal Palace Madrid