Madrid

I like Madrid. I like Madrid despite and because it is the capital city smack in the middle of Spain. I like Madrid for its chicken empanadas at the bakery two doors down from where I sleep. I like it because I speak the language better than any place where English isn't the primary language. I like it for the way the streets in the old city come alive in the evenings and well into the nights. I like it for its daily protests in support of public education. All over Spain during our time here, we have seen and heard vocal and active resistance to the cuts to public education that are being made in this financial crisis.

I like Madrid because of our hosts, Juanma and Livo. Juanma is a friend of Makayla;s, my friend and former co-worker. He is warm and gracious. And Livo is spirited and funny. Juanma works for Accencure and will be moving to Birmingham next month. Their place is small, but cozy. I like Madrid for the pintxos and lively crowd at the Mercado de San Miguel just after dusk. I like it because of the street performers and people-watching at any number of squares across the city. I like the scientific catalogue of plants in its botanical garden, designed more for botanists than tourists. I like Madrid (and all of Spain) for its plethora of people wearing red pants and/or shoes (including my wife in her Keene's). There are not very attractive and scantily dressed prostituted leaning on trees like they are stripper poles just off the Gran Via in front of the police station here. But I like Madrid anyway.

It is a fitting place to leave the car. Traveling feels easy here. The post office, food, socks, bus tickets, the metro, parks, are all within a short walk of Juanma's place It feels like it is that way all over the city. From here we have charted our course through Southern Spain and Morocco, onto Senegal and Mali. Probably another six weeks of travel. We will book all of the tickets along the way, except for the Alhambra in Granada. We reserved that online yesterday. The earliest availability is three days from now. I will tell you why, hopefully, after we have been there.