 |
| The Crystal Palace inside the Parque Del Retiro |
Our train from Salamanca to Madrid was at 10:50 AM. Originally we planned to take the city bus to the train station. Since we were ready a little early, we pack light, and the train station was only a mile away we decided to walk. As we walked along we were once again amazed at the calm, relaxed environment in which everyone was going about their daily tasks. It's really a nice place to spend some time. I hope we honor our commitment not to wait another forty years before returning.
We did notice a couple of other interesting changes in Salamanca that are probably worth sharing before completely closing that chapter of the journey. Forty years ago a very common site throughout the city was elderly women who were widows. They were easy to pick out because they were dressed in black from head to toe, usually walking by themselves. This time they were noticeably absent. What we did see this time was very refreshing. In many of the outdoor cafes there would be groups of older women sitting around laughing and talking. The black from head to toe had been replaced with modern clothes and what was really cool was that many of them now had hair that had streaks, highlights or had been completely dyed every color you could imagine. I think there are numerous lessons that can be learned by their new attitude!
The other change was in the merchandise that was sold in the numerous shops around the city center. When we were there in 79 the merchandise was high quality products and none were more popular than Lladro's. If you're not familiar with them they are handcrafted figurines (one is pictured below).
They're quite nice and were all the rage even amongst a group of college kids. We all bought several, even though they weren't cheap. I'm sure we all had visions of them sitting proudly in our houses, appreciating in value and making us all billionaires. They did sit in our houses for years and made a nice display. They may have held their value, but as far as that appreciation thing goes, it just didn't happen. Now without a house to display them in, they're being passed along to a new owner one by one. They look much nicer and have more value, but it reminds me of the beanie babies we bought years later with the same thoughts. I think we sold a whole box of them at a garage sale for five dollars. The stores now are "tourist shops". It's an endless assortment of t-shirts, magnets and probably even a few beanie babies.
The train ride from Salamanca to Madrid was a little over two hours. Our seats were facing two other seats and we quickly struck up a conversation with a fellow American, who as it turned out we had quite a bit in common. She was from the Lubbock Tx. area, which is where Sarah had gone to school (Wreck em Tech). She had gone to school at TCU (Go Frogs) in Fort Worth. It is a small world, something that we find evidence of all the time. She was traveling independently for a week until her husband and three adult children arrive. Lee, it was a pleasure talking with you. Thanks for the helpful tips you shared with us and I hope some of the ones we shared will be helpful to you in your continued travels.
Once we arrived in Madrid and deciphered the metro we made it to our hotel. Which brings me to what
might be my final reminiscing story about days gone by. After an exhausting attempt to try to learn Spanish, a small group of us decided to do a trip to Madrid on our own. Don't worry, our chaperone knew about it!
Of course none of us could speak much Spanish. We were young and had no travel experience to speak of much beyond driving to the bowling alley in Lakeland. I really don't know how we pulled it off but we did. Somehow we managed to take a train or bus (we think it was the train), find a hotel and navigate around this massive city safely without google maps. To pull this off we did enlist the help of Cindy's (Beth's sister) friend and roommate Nancy, who wrote a long and what appeared to be detailed note in Spanish for us to hand to the front desk clerk at the hotel. Of course we couldn't read it, but it probably said something like; "These yahoo's can't speak, write or understand much Spanish. They wanted to spend some time in the big city. If you would be so kind, please give them rooms at a reasonable rate and try to watch out for them". Whatever it actually said worked. We found a place to lay our heads at night and had a great time. I'm not sure my mom ever knew this story...…….she would have surely been worrying and probably placed another call or two to the embassy.
After arriving yesterday we did a little roaming around Madrid. We walked the few blocks from the hotel to the 350 acre Parque Del Retiro. This beautiful park is Madrid's version of New York's Central Park. As we were walking along a force of nature grabbed us, and we were soon enjoying an afternoon snack of Churros and Chocolate. After a little more exploring we headed over to the Prado Art Museum. While rankings are subjective, the Prado typically ranks in the top five art museums in the world. We enjoy a good art museum as much as anyone, but one thing we can do is pack that enjoyment into a fairly short visit. Some people can spend days staring at the masterpieces in a museum the size of the Prado. We can do it in a little over an hour. The really good news is that for folks like us, you can get in the Prado for free. Everyday from 6:00-8:00 PM there is no admission fee (the museum closes at 8:00). We arrived right at 6:00 only to find a really long line of folks like us (cheap and quick lookers). Once the gate opened, the line of the unwashed masses started moving pretty quickly. By 6:30 we were enjoying ourselves inside the museum, staring at works from Goya, Greco, Rembrandt and Rubens. They truly are incredible works of art and we had a great time...…..I guess we're just quick connoisseurs!
 |
| Churros and Chocolate in the Park |
 |
| Monument to Alfonso XII-King of Spain from 1886 until 1931 |
 |
| Inside the Crystal Palace-The sculptures were from an American Artist, Charles Ray |
 |
| Another one of Charles's works |
 |
| We thought these uniquely shaped trees were picture worthy |
 |
Entrance to the Prado Museum...…….the line was on the other side of the building
|
We finished the day with a good meal at a restaurant with a rather strange name, "The Museum of Ham". The food was good and inexpensive. Beth said it was like eating at Denny's. She had a ham and cheese platter...……..I guess that given the name of the restaurant that would make it their version of the Grand Slam.
 |
| Madrid's Plaza Mayor...…..it's the largest in Spain (Salamanca is the second largest). They are getting ready for a big soccer match on June 1. They have a lot of leagues and championships. I'm not real familiar with them, but this is the "Champions League" Finals. |
 |
| Ham, Ham and more Ham! |
