Madrid: grandiose and weird

If I had to pick a word to describe Madrid it would be grandiose. Per dictionary it means: "impressive and imposing in appearance or style". That's it all right.

When I walk down the street in the center I feel very small because everything is so big. The buildings are giant and imposing. Grand. They are often topped with ornate round domes that make them even bigger. 

The plazas are big, often with roundabouts. in the middle is usually a large statue commemorating some ancient dude on a horse. Around the plaza are very tall fancy buildings. Nothing is small here.

Even the subway (metro) is grandiose. Today  I took 3 trains back to the hotel. Going to the exit of the station, I took 5 escalators, one staircase and walked 1/2 mile to the exit. That is an epic exit.

Even our hotel is grandiose.Starting at about 8 pm there is a giant neon sign that flashes off and on for 2 hours and then quits.

It's a place where there are random people in giant transformer costumes. This is weird: A guy (or girl) was dressed in this giant (their  head was in the middle of the costume) teddy bear type costume. They were standing against a wall doing nothing. They had a cup in front of them. They wanted money for dressing in the costume. I almost slapped them and shouted: Get outta here with that shit! Har

There are random men who come up to you and greet you like you are their long lost brother or sister. As they ask where you are from and say they have family there, they slip a couple beaded bracelets on your hand and say they are "just for you". When you say thanks and turn to go, they beg you for money. This happened a couple of times. It's like a roving band of hustlers. 

So Madrid is grandiose and weird and just normal all at the same time.

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October 11, 2022 at 09:09PM

The reality of traveling long term

This is a realistic picture of what it is like to be a 67 years old woman and set out on a year long trip through many countries. 

This trip has been one of highs and lows. The highs have been the beautiful cities we have seen. The lows are how hard it is to travel like this. I wouldn't recommend it.

 When I thought of this trip, it was a dream. Then the dream became a reality in January of this year. I rented an air bnb and bought plane tickets to London. I talked my son into going.

Planning this trip, thinking about this trip, helped me not to think about my husbands death so much. I don't know if that was good or bad. 

We thought we would go to 12 countries in 12 months. That didn't work out, large cities are  too expensive in Europe. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I thought we could afford that. I wasn't thinking. I was dreaming. So things changed after the UK. We stayed in places for less time and in more places. That was good and bad. Good because you see more places. Bad because you are constantly moving. 

Moving all the time is hard. A new place every week is rough. Especially in airbnbs. You never know what you're going to get, as I've said before. I honestly wouldn't recommend airbnbs to anyone. They are a crapshoot when you are staying in them all the time. The majority have been mediocre. If you don't have $200 a night to spend well...you get what you pay for. 

Then there are the trains. When you are riding them so often things will go wrong. Just ordering tickets can be confusing.

Riding the trains themselves and seeing the countryside between cities has been a highlight. Dragging bags to and from train stations and airbnbs has been hard. I'm 67 years old after all.

Speaking of age, this kind of travel isn't for someone my age. It's physically hard. Dragging luggage. Walking miles a day. Ive lost 15 lbs on this trip so far. When you are older, you want some peace, you want stability, you are particular.  Moving so much is not peaceful. It's stressful. You aren't stable. I am living out of a suitcase and backpack. I miss having my own home, my own stuff, my own neighborhood.  I never realized how persnickety I am. 

So disclaimer here: You might think I sound like I regret this whole thing, that it has been a bad experience. Hell no! This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I wouldn't change it at all. Being able to do it with my son has made it even better.

Has it been easy? Far from it. Its been one of the most challenging things I have done. I have learned to navigate foreign countries - their neighborhoods, transportation systems, grocery stores, etc. I have learned to ask questions of, and talk to, strangers. People are kind everywhere.  

I have been amazed, bewildered, frustrated, sad, ecstatic on this trip. Would I do it again? Not like this but I would travel for shorter periods. I would even go alone. There's a whole big world out there.

 

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October 10, 2022 at 06:49PM

Who's the guy with the handlebar mustache?

Today I went on my own to Central Madrid.I walked to the but stop and found out the bus wasn't coming due to some event. So I decided to walk the 2.2 miles. It was a beautiful day. 

A big part of the walk was through a large park. I came to the cause of no bus service. It was an annual event called "Run for the Child" which benefits the Nino Jesus hospital (childrens) research foundation. Ten thousand people participated. It was just ending.

As I walked through the park there were many roller skaters.It seems to be so popular in Spain. There were classes for children happening and lots of adult skaters. 

I came across a group of  maybe 30 people meditating in a group. The funnest thing I saw was a group of people doing a salsa dancing class. Looked like fun. 

I got through the park and came into central Madrid and could hear loud music like a concert, so I walked toward it. There were maybe 5,000 people gathered in a plaza listening to Camilo. He is a very famous and popular singer from Columbia. He has a handlebar mustache. Lots of people of all ages were singing along. 

I walked up the street and asked a lady about the music. She said it was part of an upcoming La Fiesta Nacional de España on October 12. It celebrates Columbus claiming the Americas for Spain in 1492. It led to the Spanish Empire. 

October 12 is also official Spanish language day, the Feasts of both Our Lady of Pillar and the Virgin of Guadalupe as well of the Day of Spanish Armed Forces. (per wikipedia) There is a big military parade, ceremonies with the Spanish flag. Government officials and the Royal family participate. It celebrates Spanish culture and history. Its one big fiesta! Cant wait!

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October 09, 2022 at 06:42PM

Hello Madrid!

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October 08, 2022 at 08:39

Valencia: the ideal place? Or not?

Valencia is a place you could easily live. It has 100,000 non-Spanish foreign nationals living here, fourteen percent of the local population. It has been ranked the best place for expats in the world in the past.

The rents are relatively cheap. It is about $800 a month for a one bedroom in the city center. That's a lot cheaper than Minneapolis.  You might need another 1,000 a month for other expenses. 

One of the reasons I wanted to come to Valencia was because I knew it was popular with expats. I wanted to see what it it is like if I decided to live in Europe for a while. 

Valencia is a remarkable city. It sits on the beautiful Mediterranean and has a nice clean beach that is miles long. A nice harbor and marina. It has the old town with architecturally gorgeous beautiful and interesting history. There are lots of restaurants, museums. In the middle of the city is a 6 mile long park that used to be a river. There is the city of arts and sciences. It's really got everything you would want.

The weather is mild in winter, pleasant in summer. The sun shines all the time. I should like a sales rep for Valencia.

You would have to get used to the culture. Everything here is done at a leisurely pace. People sit at dinner here for hours. It feels very different from American culture which is frantic and frazzled. We don't have much tolerance for waiting or bad customer service.

You would have to accept that things are different here. Nothing is changing if for you. You will be the one to change. You will have to calm down.

Would I live in Valencia? Probably not. I wouldn't want to live in Europe. I'd rather just visit.

BTW, the best thing about Valencia is the beach.

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October 07, 2022 at 07:42PM

Black people ruled Spain for 500 years

The Moors ruled Valencia for 500 years starting in 711. Who were the Moors? They were north Africans who were part of the Berber tribe. They actually controlled all of Spain and Portugal.  In other words, they were Black. They were also Muslim. 

What Black people conquering white people? Huh? Who ever heard of that? Hardly anybody because it is not talked about. 

Valencia thrived during the time of Moors and became prosperous. They introduced an irrigation system to the area around Valencia which allowed land that was unable to be used prior to then, to have a variety of crops. They introduced different crops. This caused the city to prosper.

During their rule education, arts and sciences flourished.

Moorish design is evident in older parts of the city.  Neighborhoods were a labyrinth of narrow, zigzagging streets that widen into small squares. Muslim neighborhoods were based on privacy and religion. Streets were only used to access housing. 

The Moors brought algebra and chemistry to Spain. Flamenco music comes from Moorish history. It is similar in structure to the music of North Africa. Food and spices still influence Spain today. Language has Moorish elements.

When a christian king took Valencia in 1238, most Muslims were forced out. Those remaining were put in an area outside the city called Moreira. In the 1600s the king ordered the expulsion of Moors from Spain. This particularly affected Valencia because 30% of the population was Moorish.

Many advances in Spain, particularly in Valencia, would never have been possible without the the Moors. They influenced every aspect of society. UnfortunatelySpain, gives only lip service to its Moorish past.

 

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October 06, 2022 at 07:12PM

Spanish customer service and horse left overs

 Today M and I went our separate ways for a day. We do this periodically. I went to the beach because it's supposed to rain the next 2 days. It was cloudy with some sun. Perfect. No sun beating down. 

I have a large scarf that I used to sit on. I stayed there for 2 hours and and relaxed. It was so nice. Occasional interruption from guys selling sunglasses and beach sheet type things. 

I walked to the beach from the airbnb. It's about a mile. First you come to the harbor and marina. The port with its big cranes is visible in the distance. The marina is full of yachts and big boats. There are people kayaking, windsurfing and paddle boarding. 

The beach itself goes on for 3.7 miles of fine grained sand.

Before I went down to the beach, I walked along the promenade by the fancy restaurants. I came to a Burger King and decided to get a shake. It was here that I experienced the notorious Spanish customer service.

When I came in, there were 2 other people at the counter and they were together. They were waiting for 2 kids meals and it looking like they had been waiting for a while.  There were 3 people working the counter. They were walking back and forth, disappearing like they were on a mission to get something. Lots of talk between them. It felt like nobody really knew what they were doing. It was like the keystone kops make a kids meal. OK they get their order. So I'm the only one left.

Now by this time I am almost laughing out loud. It was comical

So I had already ordered the shake and paid for it at the kiosk. Just a matter of dispensing the shake from the machine right? Of course not. More talking, disappearing. Finally the guy sits the shake on the counter in back of him and walks away. Huh? I finally get it. Now mind you, it is after lunch, there is no one else there. What do they do when there's a rush?

So I go out to sit on the wall along the promenade to drink the shake. in the middle of the promenade and there are 4 horse poops perfectly lined up one after another. The police had some big event going on for themselves down the way and I assumed it was their horses. I had more of it on the way there. Apparently they were not going to clean it up. I don't know why but it struck me funny. Four horses had to go at the same time and synchronized the drop precisely.

I love Valencia.

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October 05, 2022 at 05:08PM