The day was finally here! We had our bags packed, all the "i's dotted and t's crossed" and Broome Shuttle Service ready to take us to the airport. We were heading for Madrid!
Things at the airport went amazingly smooth! Which makes us think we should travel around noon all the time! No lines at the screening, no issues rushing to get food, etc. But just as we crossed into the concourse, we noticed our gate had changed and flight delayed 45 minutes. No worries! We had a 4 hour layover in Newark before our night flight to Madrid.
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| Our "pods" for the overnight flight. Surprisingly, they stretched out flat (feet fit in the little cubby). |
A few scenes of Spain coming into Madrid. Guess the "rains in Spain stay mainly in the plains" is true because eveything was so green!
Bonus points to the Madrid Airport for their efficiency! We touched down at 10:15am and were out the door to meet our driver at 10:45. (Again, something to be said for traveling at 'off hours'.)
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| One of many beautiful cathedrals in Madrid. |
The drive from the airport to the hotel was very pleasant. We remembered how noisy and busy the big European city streets were, but not so here in Madrid. I acknowledged several times, out loud, how quiet it was!
Thankfully, our hotel room was ready when we checked in. And while we caught a few zzzz's on the plane, we were in definite need of a nap and a shower. Once refreshed, we were anxious to explore the area. The concierge gave us some great suggestions and off we went. (Albeit with jackets and without sunglasses. The window in our room is blocked by scaffolding thanks to the renovations they are doing here, so it looked like it was kind of gloomy out.) To our surprise, it was WONDERFUL! Mid 70's and sunny!
We wanted to try our hand at tapas, but our "official" guided experience is tomorrow night. So we opted for a little cafe with plaza seating. While we were waiting for our vino blanco and cerveza, we commented how much the area and experience reminded us of Italy. Fortunately, there aren't panhandlers in the squares like there were in Rome, Florence, etc.
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The ambulance was already there when we arrived...
not sure if we should have taken it as a sign. |
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| There were LOTS of people lined up for the "dancing with music", aka "Friday Date Night". |
Prior to our departure, we learned of the
peaceful protests in Plaza del Sol in Madrid. Many people are upset over the 21% unemployment rate, among other things and have set up camps. It wasn't that far from our hotel and an easy walk from where we ate. So we thought, "why not?".
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| Nearly every "camp site" had a cause they were representing. |
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| At almost every tent, there was someone sharing their thoughts on any given topic. |
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| Sun-powered garden. |
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| The "arte tent" where people are making signs. |
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| Three headed street performer. |
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| Need any papal attire? Here's THE shop. :o) |
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| All the street signs are painted tiles. |
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| Entertainment in one of the squares. |
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| Palacio Real |
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| Teatro Real |
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| Closer look at the Palacio Real. |
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| Beautiful gardens everywhere! |
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| Madrileños hanging out on a Friday afternoon. |
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| Palacio Real behind us. |
Not bad for 3 hours in a new city! We will probably try to get on the 'hop-on-hop-off' bus tomorrow and then we meet our guide in the evening for a tapas crawl of sorts. (And because we will be on "Spanish time", there probably won't be an update tomorrow night.)
Buenos Noches!
