A year ago, our electronics were stolen in Tanzania. One result of the theft was that blog entries became delayed. Organizing pictures was problematic until I replaced my iPad and phone a month later. I skipped part of Spain and all of Portugal in order to post more timely blogs. Well, I still want to document our experiences in those places and organize our pictures, so I will be adding these posts to our blog. As always, travel dates are at the top.

January 5-8, 2015

We arrived in Madrid on a high speed train and transitioned to our hostel with unusual ease. Unfortunately the hostel's website did not portray the accommodations accurately. The hostel was quite small and smelled of sewer in the hallways. I suppose I wouldn't expect them to say the place stunk and that it was not really a place for a family. However, the location was good.

Once we were checked in, we chilled in our room for a bit. Michael still was not feeling well from eating some funky chicken in Barcelona. He rested while the kids and I navigated our way through local streets in search of a decent place for dinner. On the way, I discovered a much needed laundry service that would finish cleaning our clothes that evening.

A staff member at the hostel had informed us that today was a holiday (later realized it was the religious Epiphany). There was a parade and fireworks that evening. So after we ate dinner and grabbed our laundry, Michael joined us and we headed toward the 'palace' where the event was taking place. It was only a ten minute walk and the area was mobbed. We didn't have much of a chance to see the parade, but we hung out for the fire works. It was a magical introduction to Madrid.

On our second day, we walked around town to visit some local attractions. The first main place we explored was the Buen Retiro Park. It was huge. Throughout the park there were restaurants and all sorts of artists performing. There was even a large pond with paddle boats. As we walked, we enjoyed the unusual performances of jazz bands, harpists and other musicians playing steel drums and dijeridoos. It was a gorgeous day for January so we spent a good deal of time there.

Palacio de Cristal...Crystal Palace within the park

After we left the park, we decided to get some lunch. This was about the time I got sick. I managed to accidentally use Michael's toothbrush the night before and contracted whatever he had. Five and half months without this problem (we have the same Sonicare toothbrush with different colored bristles) and this was the one time I made the mistake. Sigh. I headed back to the hostel to rest while the family enjoyed a nice meal.

That evening was Michael's turn to find dinner with the kids. I hung out and worked on the computer and visited the bathroom frequently.

We had planned to do our usual double-decker bus tour the next day, but decided to skip it and just do the free walking tour instead. We met our guide Harriet in a famous area called Puerta del Sol (gate of the sun) and she showed us around for the next few hours.

Christmas tree still up in the Puerta del Sol

changing of the guards at Plaza de Oriente

Corarl de La Moreria...area where the picture was taken, but view is of the back of the Royal Palace

Harriet covered a lot of ground in Madrid. She told us that some of the guests were going to see Flamenco dancers in the evening. I was feeling a little better so Maeve and I decided to join the group. This was an event offered by the hostel and it was a good price for a private performance. Unfortunately, we had to walk there at night. We went with a guide, but managed to see some prostitutes along the way. We were constantly warned about pick-pockets, so we were extra careful. The walk took much longer than anticipated and the performance started late.

It was a lovely introduction to the art of Flamenco. There was an awesome guitarist and singer too. We were allowed to ask questions throughout the performance. We learned that much of the music is improvised; it is the dancer who controls the music. The musicians and singers watch her and listen as the music flowed faster, slower, louder or softer following her movements. (I had more pictures and video, but they seem to have gotten lost. No idea how that happened.)

It was approaching 11 pm and Maeve and I were wiped out, plus we had a 30 minute walk back to the hostel. We decided to leave early. This meant we were unescorted and had to rely on verbal directions back. I paid attention on the way there, but there were quite a few turns at the end. We started out fine, but then our surroundings seemed unfamiliar. The area became a bit seedy, so I approached an old man walking his dog and asked for directions to the Puerta del Sol. He gladly pointed us in the right direction. That was a good call because I was about to head down the wrong street.

Madrid was filled with narrow brick streets. You could easily get lost, but it was not that bad because the streets usually merged into a plaza that was easily identified. We enjoyed walking around during the day and looking at the all of the restaurants and shops. I had no idea there were so many cervezarias. Too bad I wasn't feeling great to test them all out. We explored other sites a bit more like the Plaza de Espana and the botanical gardens.

The massive donut looked better than it tasted.

Donated by Egyptians in Parque de la Montana

It was a short visit to Madrid, but we saw quite a bit. If we had more time, I would have done a museum or two as they are quite famous, but the rest of the family wasn't too interested. We had an overnight train out of Madrid. I still wasn't feeling well and didn't want to spend the day out and about with all our gear killing time waiting for the train. Michael managed to secure our room until 10 pm for a small fee. That was perfect.

Night train to Lisbon....another adventure.