Viva España!

Dubai is an incredible place. A mix of very old and brand spanking new, shiny buildings. Clean, green and flowering roadsides rub shoulders with sand dunes. There are gigantic air conditioned shopping malls, man-made islands sprouting from the sea, shops that have absolutely everything from everywhere. My two weeks flew by and it was time to leave. Sadly.

Petunias in the desert!

Next stop, Spain!

The best part of flying is getting off the plane! That sounds odd I know, but, for me, the anticipation of seeing my family waiting in the arrivals hall, makes the whole ordeal bearable! So, when I left Dubai early in the morning after a wonderful holiday, I spent the entire flight to Madrid imagining myself walking through the doors and seeing my son! And after seven hours in the air and another almost twenty minutes after we landed waiting for the 'air-stairs' to be put in place, a march of what felt like ten kilometres, down several escalators, a five minute ride on an underground train, (I kid you not), a ten minute wait in the passport line, another five minute wait for my suitcase, (we took so long to get there, they were just about waiting for us!), a quick loo visit, and a fast walk with wheelie-case and bag, dodging past slower moving people, there he was! With my gorgeous granddaughter Emma! And as I cried with joy, she cried with horror at this strange lady doing a one-person version of a group hug!

I love Madrid!
I love the old buildings. I love the rows of specialist shops that sell freshly baked bread and cakes, or fish, or jamon (the best ham in the world), or nuts and sweets, or coffee! The list goes on!

A small selection of freshly baked bread!

I love the huge 'Retiro Park', that is used for playing, exercising  roller blading, cycling, frisbee-ing, and kite flying (when there is wind!). It's full name is 'Jardins del Buen Retiro' (Park of the Pleasant Retreat), and is 1.4  km sq, or 350 acres.

A view down the road in the park.

The ducks share their lake with rowing boats and the wide roads resound with the sound of music as violinists play side by side with trumpeters and accordionists!

He was playing just for us!

Families picnic and relax on the grass while the children have a number of small play areas with slides and see-saws and climbing equipment to keep them busy. Because most people live in apartments, the park becomes a meeting place for families and friends after school and over weekends.

The view from Andrew's apartment over Madrid.

Just inside one of the entrances is a small 'building' where people can leave books and magazines for others to take. It's a great idea and the books change daily, so it is a service that is well used!

Books are left here for people to take.

And I love the food! More of that next time!