Okay, so where do I start?? I have the opportunity to travel to Spain with Roger while he teaches in Alicante. I flew NWA and KLM through Amsterdam and then on to Madrid. NWA is a nice plane, but very cramped as far as seating goes. They have on demand movies to watch-which is great-but the contraption to run them takes up a lot of room under the seat in front of you, so don’t expect to put luggage or legs down there. KLM was roomier. The flight attendants actually had to wear suits and skirts and most of them spoke at least 2 languages. If you go through Amsterdam, don’t get too preoccupied with the shopping until after you go through the customs and security check because it takes a while.
I arrived safely in Madrid and took the metro to the hotel. The only problem was the metro stop at the hotel was closed, so I had to get off at another stop. This is where I should have followed my gut instinct and walked, but I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going and the metro was providing free bus tickets to those inconvenienced by the next stop being closed. So I hopped on the bus as directed by the bus people and went right past the hotel to the final bus stop-who knows where! Then I got off that bus and got on another, went right back to the place I started and walked up the street about 5 blocks and there was the hotel I would have found if I had walked in the first place!!!
After that, all was well. The Hotel Regina is very nice and clean. The bathtub is a wee bit small, but you can stand in it. One thing to know before you come is that all the electrical outlets are European, so your curling iron won’t work without an adapter. Luckily, Roger knew this. We have toured all around Calle de Alcala, Gran Via and several other places. There is tons of shopping in the Plaza del Sol, some reasonable, some expensive. We walked to the Palacio Real, which is a real palace, but the King and Queen don’t live there; they just use it for royal occasions. All of the architecture has Roman and Moorish influence; the buildings are incredible to look at and are well maintained. I really liked the Retiro Park and the fountains plopped right in the middle of the streets. The city is really pretty clean with the exception of all the graffiti on the buildings.
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There is no shortage of food or beverages. If you can believe it, there is a Starbucks on almost every corner. I even passed a Dunkin donuts as well as McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger King. Starbucks is great, but right next door is a little place called Favorito that also serves coffee and it is about half the cost of Starbucks and just as good. You can’t walk three steps without running into a cervezaria, where the beer and drinks flow freely. There are even a couple of Irish Pubs if that suits your taste better.
Tomorrow we leave for Alicante by way of Toledo via autobus. Air condicionado provided, thank goodness! Did I mention it is really hot here?
