Madrid - September 3, 4, 5, 2018

Okay, Madrid is the place. We will return here. We hope to return and simply live here for 3 months or so. Our intent will be to enroll in classes to learn to speak Spanish. We feel good here. It's easy to get around. Everyone speaks a little English and most everyone here is willing and excited to help us learn Española. Plus it is one of the most beautiful cities, we have ever seen. To say it is deep in culture and history is an understatement. I remind myself that Castilian monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella the first financed Christopher Columbus' expedition seeking a new trade route to Asia. Of course, he discovered the Americas instead. I've read that even at his death Columbus maintained the belief he had found Asia. Still, some of our deepest roots are in Spain.

I just looked up and was literally captured by the view through the window of our apartment right that very moment. Just yesterday morning, quite accidentally, I saw sunrise over the city. I captured the dark silhouette of the city landscape against a pale blue satin sky in photos. At this moment, at 6:45 pm, and in contrast, the same scene was blindingly beautiful once again but in a totally different way. I saw new; I sew old. The sky was completely golden and the buildings were lit in hues of white, and yellow and their lines look long and sharp. I was struck by the scene and how quickly it disappeared.

In just a short time we learned to get around the city and the very best way is to simply walk. We must have walked 7, 8 or maybe even 10 miles each day. We explored the Jardin de Botanica. This late in the season dahlias were the blooming spectacularly. Nicely irrigated, the grounds were green and well-attended. We remarked at the number of people cleaning the paths, dead-heading blooms and trimming dead leaves. There are over 4000 plants and trees in the gardens, most of them tagged with its scientific name. Tags on trees also included the tree's approximate age. Some were over 250 years old. We commented to a man whom we guessed to be a manager of the grounds keepers, telling him how beautiful we thought his park. He spoke no English at all but became excited and started talking fast and pointing in a direction. We thought he might be directing us to banios. Finally, he nearly dragged us to a path we had not seen before and led us up to an area that held the most incredible collection of bonsai imaginable. You know, we might have missed that, but the man knew we enjoyed the park and made it his mission to make sure we got to see the best. What a world!

We had a glass of white wine at the iconic Plaza de la Cibeles at outdoor bar on the sixth floor of the Cibeles Palace. The air was clear and the view overlooking the city was impressive. I told Stan if we are in Spain in March next year, this is the place where I'd like us to celebrate our anniversary. This stunning white, sandcastle of a building, once called the Palace of Communications, is one of Madrid's most majestic. Strangely enough, this building held the post office and center for telegraph and telephone communications. It serves now as Madrid's City Hall. In the plaza below, a traffic roundabout circles a large circular fountain featuring the Roman goddess Cybele, goddess of fertility, being carried on a cart pulled by lions. Imagine that sight as you make your morning drive to work each day!

The National Museum of Archeology is a treasure, as I am sure all of the museums of Madrid might be. We just did not have time or the desire to visit all of them this trip but this one holds an exhibit we particularly wanted to see. While the collections at this museum are wonderful, the design and architecture of the building alone is a piece of art in and of itself. Virtually decorated with nothing but sleek white marble and teak, the quality of the clean lines of the spacious interior creates a stark but artful design. Our priority in this visit was to see the replica of the Caves of Altamira. The actual drawings were found in a cave in far Spain in 1879. It is believed that the drawing of a bison, horses, a doe and a wild boar were made over 15,000 years ago. Quite naturally and sadly, over the years the cave drawings were damaged by large numbers of visitors. To preserve the cave the number of visitors were first limited, and then ultimately closed all together to public access.

The reproduction cave and museum is on the gardens of the Archeology Museum in an underground cave-like setting. The true-to size paintings are on the ceiling but are reflected on a waist-high dark mirrored platform which makes easy and intriguing viewing. You know, just a different way of doing things. One aspect we thought most interesting was a video on how, perhaps the drawings were made and colored.

Our trip ends tomorrow. We have seen a lot and have been tantalized by Spain, especially Madrid and do hope to return.

We will travel home with home with less clothing in our bags. Some items just too well-worn to carry along any further. We will bring home an expensive plastic fan with electrical plug that requires a converter for use in the USA but one that served us well during Europe's hottest summer in decades and some cases hundreds of years. Of course we have a few souvenirs, but actually . . . not very many. We prefer to spend our time exploring and sight-seeing over spending our time shopping. Also in our luggage will be a small collection of bottles and bags. I must admit, I am a sucker for cool shopping bags. I just love them. And I like small bottles. Seems I'm always needing a bottle to take a just a couple of ounces of something to the beach or other place. One set of bottles came from a little pack of cream for Stan's morning coffee. The pack held three little bottles and needed no refrigeration until opened. They lasted nearly through our entire stay in Spain. They are so cute! Stan thinks I'm nuts but he indulges me.

Of course we are bringing memories and observations too. I try to share those as I as I can. One observance I know I've mentioned is the fantastic transportation systems we encountered throughout our trip. I am completely envious, and I just do not understand our USA stubbornness in adopting alternatives to our cars and more lanes to our streets, roads and highways. Why not subways? Why not high-speed and local trains? Why not underpasses where cars can go underground to avoid intersections they plan to go through? Why not?

They are doing a great job with trash and recycling too. Recycling is highly encouraged and it is easy. Along each city street are huge heavy metal containers nearly as tall as me that cover large metal shafts under the sidewalk. The containers hold tons of stuff and cannot be overturned. They are made so that once in, trash cannot get out until picked up by a big truck with special lifts. There are separate containers for each type of material: glass, metal, paper, plastics, compost and pure garbage. It works. The city is simply immaculate.

Finally, I am impressed with what seems to be a very industrious, hard-working society. When we passed farms, we saw people working, and in the city, fast-paced people moved about from early morning until night selling, seeking, serving, learning and conducting commerce.

So another travel ends. Sometimes in the middle of the night when I wake and cannot return to sleep or sometimes at random moments I think about our how nice if might be if everyone had the desire, the opportunity and means to travel. Of course, it is fun and it is exciting seeing new places and meeting new people, sampling new foods, hearing history, and learning to get around. It is simulating; sometimes totally exhilarating. Sometimes it's hard too. Without a doubt it takes energy, but it is worth it. I know it doesn't suit everyone, of course, but to me travel makes the world a much smaller place. Exposure drives familiarity. Familiar places, people and cultures no longer seem so strange. Some are downright inviting. Isn't it possible that the more we learn and engage with each other, the more understanding and tolerance we might gain and isn't it possible that this might lead to more caring world and greater peace on the earth.

It is an understatement to say that Stan and I enjoyed this long adventure. We spent treasured time with our girls, Cody and Tessa, exploring Alaska in June, and from then to September we traveled Scandanavia and Europe where we met and spent time with wonderful people from all over this amazing earth. We have seen and touched not just vintage but ancient and time-endured structures, places and icons of our world's cultures. Amazing, simply amazing! This summer was truly God's gift given from Him to to us.

I'm not certain when it will be but we will surely strike out again. We have so many dreams yet to fulfill. Thank you for followong and indulging us. I hope you will go along with us next time.