Madrid

Lizzie trying to spend within the budget I set "cheap as chips

Who would want to stay in that barred window'd HOSTAL!!

Puzzles!!

Street performers, or is that Brendon Frasure??

They are ALL pickpockets, no one goes home with their original wallet!

Prozzie watching, see dead centre of image?

more of that democracy in action, "I'm a flower, be a flower with me"

Dig That, Doom Time, NO WAIT. That's the same as my initials!

Madrid's own crest, a bear pawing a tree. Why isn't Spain a super power??

Urban city metro shot... ooooo

'come to bed' eyes, oh dah-ling, feed me.

OHhhhh the Ochra-ko-Keee

Not My Leg. Lizzie did manage a bit of Meercat shopping after all.

DT. yeah you know me! Rocking the yellow Umbrella-ella-ella, eh? eh?

Schindler's lift. Funny, everytime.

They spell it like my teachers used to say it! not cuwl mate, not kewl.

 "Doing our washing during a 3 day rain storm?" "Maybe we did make a mistake" "yeah"

 

Sunday 5^th to Tuesday 7^th June

Despite the ease of not working and having very few real stresses to deal with, travelling the distances we have been covering can be exhausting, not least because our lovely Hippo does not provide us with the quietest or smoothest of rides. So it was with great relief we holed up in our new campsite for four days, including a day of enforced rest as the heavens opened, tipped on our heads and flooded the campsite. Having said that, we attacked Madrid with real excitement, arriving in Plaza del Sol to yet another nationwide Democracia Real demonstration. We spent our first day soaking up the streets and enjoying the elegant architecture and many plazas. We passed a few hours in a fabulous paella restaurant trying to eat our body weight in sticky rice, ending the day with some people-watching in the main square. D has a newly discovered talent of ‘prozzie-spotting’ which came into use, as we soon realised that a number of the pretty ladies lining a very central road in Madrid, were in fact touting for business. And doing remarkably well! Three hail Marys and all is forgiven.

Tuesday dawned still hammering down with rain, but we rose valiantly to the challenge and headed into the city. Bad clothing decisions for D meant he had to buy an umbrella at the station. A yellow and lime green spotty one, no less! The Renia Sofia being closed, we headed to the Museo Thysso-B. As we puddle-dodged on the way, we came across “La Caibra” (a social and cultural building with public exhibitions) and a fascinating and humorous photographic exhibition of Jacques Martin Latigne, as well as an expo on Socialist Russian architecture. Not exhausted by our cultural learning, we headed to the Museo Thysso-B and spent 4 hours absorbing its many masterpieces, ranging from early Italian religious iconography to pop art. Canoletti, El Greco, Picasso, Hopper, Freud, Rothco, Dali... an absolutely wonderful art museum and highly recommended. Only don’t wear heels. Dinner that night was at the vegetarian restaurant and a lovely day was rounded off with a real treat for me... veggie meatballs. Oh yes.

3,083 miles