As much as I love hanging out with the Vacationeers, traveling for me is also about spreading my wings and exploring new places on my own. I love playing disc golf, and I’ve found and played courses in many different countries and cities. This trip, as usual, I had brought along two discs, my driver and putter, and I was anxious to use them.

Here in Madrid, there is a disc golf course on the grounds of the university, officially called Complutense University of Madrid. It was originally founded in 1293 (!) and is one of the most famous research universities in Europe. Albert Einstein had agreed to chair a new institute there, but WWII got in the way of that, and he ended up going to Princeton in New Jersey instead.

The disc golf course is a little farther away than we usually like to walk, so I had to figure out the city bus system to get there. After taking several minutes to study the map, I chose the only route that didn’t involve changing buses along the way. It turned out to be a great way to see parts of the city we hadn’t seen yet, and it only cost a few coins.

I got so interested in watching the scenery go by that when my stop finally came, I just assumed the bus would… you know… stop. I had forgotten to press the button to tell the driver I wanted to get off there, and there was no one waiting to get on, so he just kept going. Not a big deal, though. I just took the next stop and walked a few more yards back.

The university was not in session, so the campus and disc golf course were deserted. All the holes were pretty short par 3 jobs. The only challenge I faced was trying to throw more gently than usual.

Afterward, I tried and failed to figure out which bus or buses would take me back home to Plaza del Sol. It seemed like every station I walked to was the wrong one and took me farther away rather than closer. Eventually, I decided to just buck it up and walk home.

When I was getting near Plaza del Sol, my Dad texted me and asked me to join him for a beer. He had been exploring on his own a little as well and found a music store that let him play a Spanish guitar for a bit. We sat in a sidewalk cafe just across from the Opera House, drank a cold one, munched some olives, and talked about our day’s adventures.

That night, we made our first home-cooked meal in the flat. Tacos with chips and salsa. Comfort food! Afterward, the others were all full of tacos and tired, but I was still full of energy and curiosity. There were still tons of people milling around the plaza below our window, and I decided to join them and take an after-dinner walk…

Sometimes a simple walk down the street can turn into a lifetime event.

I had no expectations of what the night would bring as I stepped out of the elevator and into the bustling streets around Puerta del Sol. All roads lead here, as it serves as the official kilometer zero point from which every radial road in Spain is measured.

All I knew was I wanted some ice cream and I’d take it from there. So I headed across the square to the Helados Italianos Florenci, purchased a cone of delightful pistachio ice cream, and started strolling up one of the boulevards.

It was about 11:45 pm, and I had already decided to make the 30-minute walk to my favorite chill spot in Madrid: The Temple of Debod. I moved with the herd of people down a pedestrian street lined with sidewalk cafes, making my way to the main avenue, Gran Via!

The first intersection I reached looked like Times Square to me; giant LED screens lined the tall buildings sprouting up all around me. More people were congregated here, so I took a left and started walking up the most famous street in Madrid. At over one hundred years old, Gran Vía is one of the city's main arteries and one of its most iconic avenues. A large four-lane street with wide sidewalks on each side lined with shops, restaurants and giant theatres with grand billboards above their entrances. At night, this is something to behold!

At this point, I saw an old man busker just finishing up a song on his Spanish guitar sitting next to his inebriated “seemingly” best friend. I tossed them a couple of coins and said “play me something” in Spanish, then I started recording. He proceeded to play me a beautiful Spanish lullaby to which I started gyrating my hips, and before I knew it, I had a crowd of locals dancing with me!

It was already becoming a surreal night, and I hadn’t even walked 10 minutes. The busker finished his song, and the crowd dispersed, dropping a few coins on their way, and I kept moving. Following Gran Via to the north end dumps you into Plaza de España, and that’s where I found myself next. But this wasn’t the same place I had passed through before. I mean, it was, but it looked completely different now. Set up as an outside festival, the place was lined with pop-up vendors selling food, drinks, and all manner of other local goods. During the day, this place is just a simple statue of Don Quixote and his pal Sancho, where I had stopped and taken a quick selfie. But tonight it was a party!

Next thing I see is a giant movie screen showing the new Superman movie and a hundred patrons all wearing the same headphones with blinking blue and red lights on the sides sitting in rows. Tall hotels and historic buildings line the skyline, all blinking lights seemingly in pattern with the movie. It was surreal and I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. Was this really happening? Am I the luckiest man on earth right now? Things I ponder as I make my way to the cervecería tent to quench my thirst.

The air is dry out here, and the beer is cold. Quatro euros and a smile got me a beer, but my journey must continue, so I did not loiter around too long. My next leg took me past a really pretty fountain and through a children’s park. As I approached the usually fairly tame park, I heard children… lots of children… LOTS of loud children. I got closer and closer and realized this place is jumping with activity.

And it’s midnight! Like a playground in America on the 4th of July, every single swing, every slide, every monkey bars had children on it at midnight on a Saturday night. It was amazing. I’ve never experienced anything like it before. Kids darting out across my path, parents laughing with each other as they push their kids’ swings, the buzz in the air… all in the middle of the night!

At this point, I started to doubt if I was actually awake. I was pretty tired today. Maybe I got all dressed up and fell asleep waiting for my phone to charge up. Again. But no, it’s real, and I move on.

The next step is, well, the next step is actually several steps straight up! A steep staircase brings you up to the pinnacle of my midnight stroll. A 2,200-year-old structure built as a temple by the Egyptians. The Temple of Debod, which dates back to the 2nd century BC, was transported from Egypt to Madrid’s Cuartel de la Montaña Park. It was cool, but it’s not why I like coming here. It’s the surrounding park itself that is the real hidden gem here. As I strolled past the temple and started to approach my favorite spot, an overlook that spans the whole west side of Madrid, bookended by the Royal Palace to my left and the unrefined nature found in Casa del Campo to my right!

It’s a sight to behold during the day, but what really made it special tonight was the giant orange waxing half moon setting over the city. I just sat down as soon as I laid eyes on it and finished my journey by watching this beautiful moon set over the city, surrounded by local youths picnicking, drinking… smoking… and I just felt overwhelmed with gratitude. Grateful to my parents for bringing me here, grateful for everyone involved in this great adventure, grateful to whomever or whatever created all this.

But I was also pleased with myself for making it here. It wasn’t an easy journey to get where I’m at now, but I wouldn’t change a thing because I could not have been prouder at that moment. A simple midnight stroll turned into a magical ride and led to a spiritual awakening.

You just never know what the next adventure might bring!

We got an early start for our excursion to the city of Seville. It’s 390 kilometers (242 miles) from Madrid, which is about 2-1/2 hours by fast train. We needed plenty of time because there is so much to see and do in Seville.

Our first stop after arriving at Santa Justa Railway Station in Seville was to walk to the city center. We usually end up walking a lot, 5 to 10 miles on most excursion days, so it really helps to prepare physically before the trip.

After strolling through the Royal Gardens, we crossed a moat into what we thought was a castle near the garden. Instead, it was the main building of the University of Seville. We paused at the massive iron gates leading into the building, fully expecting to be stopped and searched by security personnel. But when Kathy asked someone in uniform if we could enter and look around, she said, “Sure. There are no students here now, so the place is empty.”

Next, we headed toward the Plaza de España, which sits within an enormous park. We found the plaza, but by that time, we were all starving for lunch. Now, meals in Spain are tricky. The Spanish people take their meals at odd hours, and when it isn’t meal time, the restaurants are just not open. Anywhere. We walked several miles, chasing ghosts on our map apps that appeared to serve tapas and sandwiches. They were all closed. But we did finally find one that had pretty good lunch food along with very cold cerveza.

The sun was so hot that day. We scooted from shade tree to shade tree, but never completely escaped its laser rays. Even in the back alleys of Seville, our shadows seemed to run ahead and try to pull us out of the light.

Back at the Plaza de España, colorful individual mosaics depict each of about two dozen Spanish cities. The place has so much history and art that we spent most of the day exploring the semi-circular building, wandering around and admiring things.

There was even another flamenco group performing for us in the center of the plaza.

By this time, we were all tired and sweaty and ready to sit down in the shade and relax until the return trip. But there was one more sight to see: Seville Cathedral.

I yawned. Yet another European church like the ones we’d already seen a dozen times in a dozen different European cities. Ho hum. There’s no way it could be larger or grander than the ones in Milan, or Paris, or even Istanbul.

Except… it is. Larger, grander, and at least as beautiful as any of those. It is one of the largest churches in the world, and the largest Gothic cathedral. It began as a mosque built in the 12th century and was “Christianized” in the 13th century. Its cavernous central nave is longer and higher than any I’ve ever seen. The towering balcony you see in the photograph below isn’t the nosebleed section for lowly parisioners; it’s the choir loft!

Bryan was especially fascinated by the vast wooden carving depicting hundreds of scenes from the story of Christ. “How many carvers worked on that?” he asked me. “And how long must it have taken them?”

One of Tracy’s favorite features was the stained glass window.

When the Christians converted the building, they preserved one of the original minarets from the old mosque and turned it into a clock tower, which now serves as probably the most distinctive and recognizable symbol of this great city.

By now, we were utterly exhausted. The laser sun had taken all our energy, and we were ready to find the train station and roll off into the sunset.

On our second consecutive rest day in Madrid, we chose to walk to a park with a temple and a massive rose garden (Parque del Oeste), and attend a Flamenco show.

We headed out from Plaza Sol in a new direction to see beautiful buildings and architecture. and walked through the theatre district, which really reminded me of the New York City theatre district. It was a lot of fun exploring the theatre marquees, buildings, and people walking around everywhere.

We made it to the park and saw a temple that Egypt gifted to Spain, Temple Debod. The park overlooked the city, and the views were amazing. In one direction, you could see an amusement park, and in the other, a Roman ruin, two cathedrals, and palaces. It was a very Zen place, as Bryan calls it. There was a busker in the park playing guitar who sounded like he was professionally trained. We sat on a park bench, listening to the music and looking out over the city of Madrid.

Jim wanted to find the statue of the author Cervantes and his fictional characters Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. So we strolled to Plaza de España where the famous writer and his pair of crazy heroes were immortalized.

Bryan had found a small brunch cafe called Adorado Cafe, so we stopped in there The food there was delicious. We ordered a variety of dishes: eggs Benedict with Jamón Iberico and salmon, the local breakfast plate with eggs, fruit, and a sweet with freshly-squeezed orange juice. Jim had a boring American breakfast with pancakes and bacon, and he seemed to love it. The Chai Tea Latte was delicious, as were the Cappuccinos. It was a quaint place with outstanding food and wonderful service.

After a short rest and full bellies, we walked to another park famous for its huge and beautiful rose garden.

There were plaques on some of the roses with dates on them. Not sure if that’s when the rose was first hybridized or when it was planted. Some of the roots were massive, so I know they have been there for more than a few years. We found some from the 2000s, the 1990s, 1980s, all the way back to the 1500s. It was really interesting.

We started our walk back home. About halfway, we were all hot and decided to stop at a sidewalk cafe to get some cold beverages. After ordering two beers and a jarra of Sangria, the waitress brought out a small plate of paella. We looked at her and said, “No, we didn’t order that.”

She looked confused, then walked away and brought back a bowl of olives. We ordered a second round and a tomato fruit salad, or perhaps a vegetable salad (we’re not sure) came with it. Again, we turned down the dish. Apparently, there are still cafes around Madrid where, if you order a round of drinks, a free tapas dish comes with it. We were unaware of this, so we just confused the heck out of our waitress. But we were all just too hot to eat and really needed hydration more than anything. After munching on crisps (potato chips) and olives and refreshing our drinks, we started back to our flat in Plaza Sol.

We had enough time to get back to our flat and dress for our Flamenco show. It was the longest-running Flamenco in Madrid in one of the oldest buildings. Legend has it that one of the ancient kings built a tunnel from the castle to the Flamenco building so he could watch the shows.

The show itself was simply breathtaking and mesmerizing. The musicians came out first. There were two classical guitarists. It was clear that one of them was the leader of the band. One of them played the saxophone and flute (not at the same time). One guy played and sat on a percussion box. There were two vocalists. The band played a tune for a few minutes, which was fantastic.

Then the dancers came out, and even though it was all in a language we don’t understand, we were completely captivated. The musicians watched the dancers’ feet to follow their tempo. They encouraged each other and smiled in approval when someone did something particularly impressive.

The Flamenco show was one of the most beautiful things any of us has ever seen. I glanced at my uncle during the first dance and saw tears on his cheek. Personally, I might have been a little biased since my grandmother on my daddy’s side was a Flamenco dancer. I kept imagining her — young, beautiful, and carefree, living the life of a Flamenco dancer.

We all enjoyed the show. When it was over, it felt to all of us like it had just started. An hour had passed quickly, and we were all speechless. It might have been my favorite thing we have done so far.

After the show, we found an outdoor cafe and enjoyed dinner, then made our way back to our flat. It was supposed to be a “rest” day for us, but we ended up walking a total of eight miles that day. Madrid is beautiful, and you have to just keep walking to see all the things!

While the rest of us slept in, Bryan got up early and went exploring Madrid on his own. He ended up at a park he called his “zen place” where a guitarist played soothing music. More on that spot in a later post. But the main goal of the day had to do with food, as usual.

Tracy. Loves. Pizza. It’s a known fact. So when we see a nearby restaurant that has a pizza oven, cold beer on tap, and an old cellar downstairs, we plan to visit ASAP.

But first we had to work up an appetite. We strolled the streets and shops around our Puerta del Sol, listened to some street music, and admired the architecture.

By early afternoon we were ready to sit down, order a round of cold beer, and play a hand or two of Spades. We’d played a full game by the time our tummies started to growl. I don’t remember who won, probably it was Kathy and me :)

We shared two large pizzas - a cheese one and a spicy salami one. Both were handmade and hot from the pizza oven.

As we were preparing to leave, we had a loud discussion about which excursions we might take next. One decision came down to either Malaga or Marbella — both coastal cities with beaches on the Costa del Sol part of southeastern Spain.

The family at the next table over had been speaking to each other in Spanish all through lunch. When they got up to leave, the man said, “Excuse me,” in perfect English. I thought he was going to complain about how loud we were. But it turns out he’d been to both towns and offered some good advice on what to do and how they differed.

Two other guys who were originally from Chicago came into the restaurant a little later. They were traveling around Spain and Europe, staying in hostels along the way. I have to say, we Vacationeers looked and felt a lot more rested and “put together” than these guys did. Having a home base with showers and quiet, comfortable beds really makes a big difference. But we enjoy meeting and talking to folks on our travels, getting to know their stories and telling ours. It’s the Cruise by Land way!

Overall, a relaxing day in Madrid. And we still had one more rest day before our next planned excursion. Luckily, there’s plenty to do and see in our hub city.

When we were planning our Spain trip, we all decided we would each pick a coastal town to visit while in Madrid.

So, we can’t remember who chose Valencia (process of elimination, we think it’s Kathy), but off we went. We trained to València and took a taxi to the beach. We generally walk through a town but this was strictly a beach day. And the walk to the beach and back would be past our max of ten walking miles total for a day.

The taxi dropped us off right at the boardwalk. We walked around, changed into our bathing suits, and set off to find the perfect beach spot. We easily found beach chairs to rent for the day. You pick the spot and the person working the chairs will come and take payment from you. It was 9 euros for a chair with a palapa for shade.

Bryan immediately discovered a little snack and drink hut on the beach nearby. We enjoyed Spanish beer and pina coladas while bobbing in the ocean.

The water was fantastic. The temperature was perfect — not too cold, yet not bathwater warm. Growing up close to the Alabama and Florida coasts, this Gulf Coast girl did miss the fine, white sands of those beaches (still the most beautiful in the world, in our humble opinions). However, we did not miss the current. The Balearic Sea on this day had no undertow currents. You could float all day. We spent most of our time enjoying the water, the views, and the company.

Geographically speaking, we swam in the Gulf of Valencia, which is part of the Balearic Sea, which is a section of the larger Mediterranean Sea. We have dipped our toes in many oceans during our travels, but our other trips had been mostly in the early Spring, so the waters were always too cold to swim.

We did take turns watching our things, so three of us were in the water and one was under the palapa enjoying a tasty beverage. It was a Sunday, and the beach was packed with people enjoying the gorgeous day in the sun. As many people as there were on the beach, there were that many more in the water. It was a great beach day!

For American visitors, it is worth noting that Spanish beaches, like most other European public beaches, are more liberal about exactly what articles of clothing are required. There were many, many topless women and girls on the beach, and the guys wore those skimpy European Speedo suits. And did I mention that Spanish people are beautiful?

Later in the afternoon, we decided we needed food and sangrias. We packed up and went back to the boardwalk to check out food options. Jim found a restaurant that served single-portion paella, so we decided on that place with a lovely beachside view.

After a jug of refreshing sangria (the Spanish term for it is literally, la jarra), we ordered food. Unfortunately, they were out of paella for the day. We had a combination of sandwiches, crunchy chicken, chicken Caesar salad, and fries. There were more sangrias, and then we ordered dessert, which was a piece of mixed berry Cheesecake. It was delicious.

After beach, sun, food, and drinks, we made our way back to the train station. Our taxi driver was blaring classic rock and roll music and driving like a Formula One driver. We were having a loud sing-along with the music. Our taxi driver's only concern was that our swimsuits were dry and not wet before we got in his car.

After several excursions outside of Madrid, we were navigating the train stations and Metro with more ease. We enjoyed our fast train ride back to Madrid, hopped on the Metro Line 1 back to Sol station, and settled in for the night back in our cozy apartment.

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Another “off” day in Madrid to explore and relax. Today, we didn’t get far beyond the neighborhood pub, where we sat in a corner table, watched soccer (ahem, football), and played Spades all afternoon.

Iris pubs are ubiquitous all across Europe. And we love them because…

1. They make us feel warm and comfortable

2. They usually have TVs showing local sports

3. They have pub food, and finally,

4. They have beer

On this day, we watched Bryan’s favorite Tottenham Hotspurs win a match against the mighty Man City club. We have to be somewhat careful in Europe, because soccer fans are… seriously faithful to their teams. Bryan couldn’t always hold it in, though, as his Spurs have had a couple of under-performing seasons. They have a new coach this season, and they’re looking pretty good so far.

Another custom we’ve developed is playing a card game, Spades, at pubs across the continent. This is mainly something to do while we drink beer, but we have a blast with it and sometimes get rowdy. This often draws the attention of other pub-goers, especially other English speakers, which is a great way to meet people and strike up conversations.

We munched on typical pub food all afternoon, including crisps (potato chips), Spanish olives, etc. I got an order of oxtails in gravy, which grossed out some of my companions but were actually quite delicious.

We eventually left the pub and roamed around the city some more. By evening, we found the pub food didn’t stay with us, and we were still a bit hungry. Bryan and I had been in the mood to try a Turkish kabob and doner shop around the corner called Kabob Mood, which seemed appropriate. We’ll probably go back there again, because the food was excellent, and cooked to order over hot coals.

When the day was over, we turned in early to rest up for tomorrow’s adventure. We’re going to the beach to swim in the Mediterranean Sea!

The Roman aqueducts have been on my bucket list for years. I couldn’t wait to see them. So off we headed to Segovia to visit the Roman aqueducts.

Since Segovia is close to Madrid, we decided to purchase local tickets at the station and not use one of our Eurail days. We left out of a different station this time and took the Metro to the Chamartin train station in the north of Madrid. There we bought our tickets and figured out the way to the platforms. It turned out that it was a fast train, and our trip was less than 30 minutes.

Once we arrived in Segovia, we took a bus to the Roman aqueducts. It was a sight that was absolutely breathtaking. We all just stood in amazement and stared at a structure that was built over two thousand years ago. It’s crazy to think about Roman engineers designing an aqueduct without all the technology we have today.

Next, we took off walking to find a castle. We walked through old town Segovia, browsing through shops and checking out cafes. The castle is called The Alcázar Castle. Outside had beautiful gardens and gorgeous views of the city and landscape for miles around. Inside, the castle was beautifully decorated with ornate ceilings, artwork and intricate wooden furniture. The replicas of knights’ armor were fascinating, especially the pointy shoe armor. We saw cannons, guns and swords. Another part of the castle was more of a museum showing artifacts and clothing of the time.

After we left the castle, we headed toward a plaza, picked out a cafe in the shade and enjoyed some food. We had cold, refreshing sangria while we waited for our order of sea bass, steak, hamburger, and “pasta”… that turned out to be a pizza (hey, the menu was in Spanish, so don’t judge). The sea bass was the best dish — so flavorful and grilled to perfection.

With our tummies full of delicious food and sangrias, we started back toward the aqueducts to climb to the top. There were so many stairs, but the view at the top was totally worth it. Again, it’s astounding to think that those aqueducts were built by hand two thousand years ago.

On the way back to street level, we let our guard down. We were walking down the looong stairway, and I turned around to ask Kathy a question. I saw an extra pair of feet right under her on the stairs and another girl right beside her.

I said, “What in the world!” (Not really what I said, but keeping it clean for the kids). I thought someone was trying to hurt my Aunt.

We were kind of at a standoff with the two girls, and nowhere to go but up. When my exclamation brought attention to us, the girl handed Kathy her wallet back. It had been in her zipped-up crossbody purse.

We checked the wallet and everything was still in place. Nothing taken. When we looked up, the girls were gone again. Not going to lie, wish I could squat and walk that low going down stairs.

All joking aside, while we do feel safe traveling, we have to keep our guards up, especially in exceptionally touristy locations. Pickpocketing is real, and the skill with which they do it is shockingly good.

When we were ready to get back to the train station, we grabbed a taxi to take us there. Both the bus and taxi were about the same cost: ~10-11 Euros for all four Vacationeers.

Our train ride home was fast and uneventful. We made it back to Madrid and our flat and settled in for the evening.

We opened the doors to our balcony to hear a string quartet play and listened to the comings and goings of the plaza beneath us. Another amazing day trip and back to our home base.

After our first excursion to Zaragoza, we took a rest to explore more of our hub city. Madrid is a BIG city — bigger than we typically choose to be the hub. But it is beautiful and full of history, so there’s a lot more to do on our off days.

We began by taking a short 20-minute walk east from our apartment in Puerta Sol to visit Retiro Park. This is an enormous public garden in the center of the city, similar to New York City’s Central Park. We strolled around the shady, wooded grounds for an hour or so. The weather was clear and temperate. Unlike the prior several weeks in Spain when the temps approached 40 degrees Celsius (100+ Fahrenheit).

The Palacio de Cristal (Crystal Palace) was, unfortunately, closed for renovation and obscured by scaffolding. But we enjoyed walking around the many paths and watching the people. The rose garden was a little heat-stressed, but we could still imagine how beautiful it would be in the Springtime and enjoy the fragrances wafting through it.

When we arrived at the central pond where the Monument of Alfonso XII stands, it was time for a rest and a little refreshment at one of the cafes there. We snagged the perfect table overlooking the water and watched the row boaters bob around the lake for an hour or two.

Oh, and there might have been a pitcher or two of icy cold sangria.

We took a slightly longer route back to our neighborhood and began scouting for a place for dinner. We were all kind of tired of tapas and jamón, so we settled on comfort food: tacos and beer. There’s a little nondescript taco bar just a few steps from where we live, and the tacos were delicious. We’ve found that Arkansas tacos are blander and under-spiced compared to Texas tacos, and the ones we found in Madrid were just right.

We got up and out early on our second day in Madrid to arrive at the Atocha station in plenty of time to eat a European breakfast of croissants and savory cheese bread. During our breakfast, we were able to see another train board and saw the ease of it. It was time to line up.

Having scoped it all out the day before, we got through the boarding process without a hitch. Off we went to see the city of Zaragoza. Cheers to trains, metros, and new cities!

The train ride lasted only about an hour and a half, traveling at 180-200 mph most of the way, and it was smooth as silk. Some of us even dozed off for a bit during the trip.

After arrival at Zaragoza Delicia station, we headed for the Old Town in search of Roman artifacts. We walked along the beautiful River Ebro and admired the different trees and foliage.

About two miles later, walking and taking in the new sights of a completely new city to us, we found the old town. Honestly, it can be overwhelming to see things that were built thousands of years ago.

In the main plaza of old town, we went into a beautiful cathedral inside and out (which isn’t always the case). It was the Basilica Del Pilar, Cathedral of Zaragoza. We were admiring the architecture and artworks when my uncle said, “Have you ever been in a church with bombs on the wall?”

I can’t say I have, but here we are looking at two bombs hanging from the WWI era.

We found the Roman theatre ruins in Zaragoza. It is said the theatre was built in the first century. It was amazing to see something like that and imagine all the performances that must have been shown there.

We were hungry by this time. Our train station pastries were long gone, so we found a lovely outdoor cafe and sat down. They told us, “Kitchen closed”.

We moved on to the second, third, and fourth cafes, where (you guessed it), “Kitchen closed.” We started looking on our phones for places to eat, and all agreed on a burger place. The dreaded, kitchen is closed, was once again the outcome.

At this point, we were hot and hungry. Finally, after moving on to another location, we found tapas and beer. They weren’t the best tapas we have had, but it was all we had.

Spain has different times for their kitchens to be open. We found that perfect time in between being open for tapas and being open for dinner. They call it, “Siesta.”

On our walk back to the train station, we stopped at The Aljaferia Palace. It was gorgeous. It was built as a Muslim Palace in the 8th century, then became a medieval Christian Palace. During the Renaissance, it was the Palace of the Catholic Kings. Today, it serves as the Cortes De Aragon. The parliament has elected members and several responsibilities to maintain the region’s governing bodies.

We made it back to the train station, thirsty and hungry, and found a cafe in the train station to await our train’s arrival. While we were able to get cold beverages (you guessed it again), the kitchen was closed.

Arriving back in Madrid, we hopped onto the Metro from the train station and popped out across the street from our flat. Luckily, right underneath our apartment is a take-out pizza place that stays open twenty-four hours a day. After an adventurous first excursion and ten miles of walking (!), we were done for the day. Pizza it was. At least their kitchen doesn’t close.

— Tracy, Reader of Maps

After sleep (because honestly, we didn’t know what time it was), our bodies said it was US time for the first day in Europe. So, knocking the cobwebs from our brains, we headed out for the adventure of finding the main train station.

We chose to walk to the train station. The walk itself was fascinating, seeing all the architecture of the buildings. It took about 30 minutes to walk to the train station; Puerta de Atocha Station is a beauty in itself.

Now to the fun stuff. You really do have to like the people you travel with. Because once you hit a place as big as a main train station, people are everywhere, everything is in a language you don’t speak, and you are on their turf. Don’t be a “Karen” or a “Ken”! Take a deep breath and scope things out. The amazing thing about European train stations, in my experience, is their departures and arrivals boards. Study the boards, get a feel for reading them. Then find the entrance to the train platforms. Ask questions to the train personnel there. Be patient with your fellow travelers and train personnel.

We found the train station, walked around, each telling the other, It’s this way. No, it’s that way. No, I think we should go upstairs. But the sign says…

We did eventually find the entrance to the platforms, and it was different from other train stations we’ve used. Madrid’s Atocha Train Station has scanners for your luggage and carry-on items. If you have no luggage or carry-ons, you are wanded. This is new to us, as at other stations we just walk in and find which platform we need.

We discovered that there were actually two different departure platforms. After being somewhat sure we could figure out the station, we moved on to the Metro Station to figure that out and find a ride back to the apartment. We purchased our MetroCards, located the Metro train we needed to get back to Plaza Sol, and then went to the Metro platform and waited.

Once the train arrived, we got on, hoping for the best. Again, the signage is generally good on the Metro. We knew our starting point, so when the subway train took off, we kinda held our breath until the next stop.

Yes! We are going in the correct direction. Three stops later, we popped out in front of the building where we are staying. Success, with a dash of… What are we doing? Is this the right way? Do we go up another level or down another level? But the sign says…

Back at our home base, we set out to find dinner. Now, let me tell you, Spanish people eat their dinner very late at night, usually between 9 PM and midnight. But we live on a farm where we routinely eat around seven, watch a show, then retire to bed by… well, 9 PM.

We walked a little more to Plaza Mayor, where sidewalk cafes and restaurants abound. After picking one of them, more or less at random, we ordered tapas and beers. Tapas are small bites meant to be shared, which is perfect for us Vacationeers who generally share food anyway. We ate fried croquettes filled with cheese and jamón (Spanish cured ham), a cheese board with slices of Manchego, and a bowl of delicious Spanish olives (so they tell me — I don’t like olives myself).

Then it was back to the apartment to try to catch up on sleep and realign our bodies to Eurotime… which was 9 PM (I think).

Tracy ~ Reader of Maps

We arrived in Madrid yesterday (I think). The transatlantic flight was brutal, as always, but our apartment is perfect. Located in the literal center of the city, we have a major metro hub just outside our door.

It was quite a way from the airport to the city center, so we hired a Bolt rideshare to take us and our luggage to the address. The driver didn’t speak English, but we had the exact address of the apartment printed on a piece of paper to ensure he’d take us to the right place.

Many of the streets around our place were closed to traffic, but the driver stuck to it and found a route that took us to within a couple of blocks of the address. It was pretty easy to walk it, despite the heat.

There was a little bit of confusion when we arrived at the given address. The AirBnB manager of the building was expecting us on a later flight, so Kathy had to text them via WhatsApp (the preferred messaging app in much of Europe) to get them to come down and let us in. We got a quick tour of the place, dropped our luggage off, and walked down the street to find food and refreshment while we waited for the cleaning staff to finish getting the apartment ready for us to move in.

Puerto del Sol, The Door of the Sun, is a vibrant plaza that is close to… everything. There’s a Metro station just a few steps from our front door, and the plaza below has something happening at every hour of the day.

Our Master Planner, Kathy, chose an apartment with three bedrooms, a kitchen, and A/C in every bedroom. This is more important than usual this year since Spain is experiencing a historic heat wave. The bedrooms are cool and quiet, despite the revelry going on downstairs.

We are on the fifth and top floor of the building, which is really six flights of stairs, since the retail store on the bottom counts as the zeroth floor. Luckily, or perhaps by good planning, there was an elevator too.

Spain is seven hours ahead of our usual time zone in the US and none of us slept much on the plane, so our first order of business once we settled in the new home-away-from-home was…

Nap time!

Only a few days now before our flight takes off for sunny Madrid!

The Book is finished, the tickets are purchased, and we have a lovely apartment waiting for us to settle in and enjoy as our home away from home for the next month or so.

Join us for daily updates on all our adventures and excursions.