The Two+ Faces of Madrid

Whew - time flies. I'm sitting in an ¨easyInternetcafe¨ on La Rambla in Barcelona. My previous attempts to post updates were thwarted by a computer in Zaragoza that liked to randomly shut down during long blog posts (that sound you hear is me knocking on wood).

My time in Spain began in Madrid - which also turned out to be the most interesting stop. First, a quick background... my friend Michelle was kind enough to come out and visit me for the Spain part of my trip (and do most of the planning - that was a welcome relief). I think it's fair to say that Madrid had us running the gamut of impressions/feelings. Starting with underwhelmed, moving on to happy and relaxed, followed by surprised, angry & frustrated.

Allow me to explain. Madrid at first glance is a little dry... some nice architecture, but mostly just a bustling metropolis like any other. Don't ask me what I was expecting... that's just my first impression. As we walked around a little and discovered a few plazas, back alleys, bridges, Cathedrals and especially Parque del Retiro, the city started to grow on me. Sitting in the park, sun up, beer in hand, boats rowing by on the lake a few feet from us - hard not to appreciate the setting... cue happiness and relaxation.

The next day we're sitting at an Internet cafe (one of my many attempts to post to this blog) and a woman bumps into my chair while sitting in the one behind me. I push forward thinking nothing of it, but not 2 minutes later we get up to leave and Michelle has an awful realization - her wallet is gone. So is the woman who sat down behind us. Doesn't take a lot to figure out what happened there... especially with Spain's reputation as a haven for pick-pocketers. Cue surprise and anger. Unfortunately, despite growing up in NY, Michelle dropped her guard for a second and that's all it took. Not surprisingly, the guys at the internet cafe were completely uninterested in helping - suggesting only that we check the garbage cans outside, as naturally the thief probably just wanted the cash and would toss it as quickly as possible. Problem is, the garbage cans were all covered and locked. The policia we flagged down spoke little english and suggested we call and file a report on some english line. Cue frustration. I'll spare you details of the rest of the day, but suffice it to say it was not spent exploring museums like first planned.

All in all, Madrid provided some good exploration, some good meals, and some good opportunities to relax in true Spanish style - unfortunately the prevelance of petty crime and apparent disinterest in doing anything about it overshadowed and spoiled any positives.

P.S. Pics to come as soon as I find a computer that will let me upload them.