Moving onward

Well, we reached Madrid after a seven hour train ride through the countryside of Spain. It closely resembled Eastern Oregon, but for those of you who haven't been to Eastern Oregon, try to imagine a place that is nearly barren of life and completely inhospitable. We never got out of the train, but I imagine it was scorching hot. I don't think I'd like to stay in some of those small towns that dot the landscape, but who knows.

When we arrived in Madrid it was about 90F, but not humid, so it was comfortable in the shade. We made our way to the hostel we booked while in Barcelona, since learning a lesson while trying to find a place to stay there. It was a nice place and we had a double room, so it wasn't as unpleasant as some hostels. It was located near the Plaza del Mayor(picture). After settling in, we went out and enjoyed the sights, sounds and food of Madrid.

The following day was a lot cooler and there was a 50% chance of rain so we did the walking around stuff in the morning. We went to the Palace of Madrid. What an impressive place that was. I don't know how anyone could actually live there, as it looks as if it were built to be a museum, not a place of residence. I guess that really shows my middle class background, but I'd rather that than have to send email to my mother to ask when dinner will be ready.

After the palace/museum, we went for a bite to eat at...Burger King. You must think I'm nuts to go to a fast food place while I'm in a country with great food. While I'd agree with you, ther's nothing like the taste of home, occasionally. We have actually only been to fast food a couple of times. We did have some very nice spanish meals, but to save a little time and money we chose junk food.

After our dubious lunch we headed to the museums as it was beginning to rain. First, we went to the Sofia art museum that had a permanent exhibition of Picasso, Dali, Miro and others as well. What a manificent place it was. Absolutely spectacular. We stayed there for acouple of hours, then went to the famous Prado museum. It was also, quite impressive, but it housed artworks of Goya and others depicting Christ, Mary and mainly religious themes. While it was amazing, it was also something we've seen since the beginning of our journey and I'm sad to say, tiring. So we spent very little time there.

Anyway, our plans have changed somewhat. We've decided to head for Paris and stay for about five days, then to London, where the remainder of our time in Europe will be spent. We realized that we are getting tired and want to take the last ten days or so slowly. I realize I'll get soaked in London(rain & money), but I'm looking forward to staying put for more than a day or two.