Madrid!

We feel like rock stars! I know, we don’t really look like them but today went so smoothly and our apartment is so great and we feel very, very pleased. We woke up early – about 3 hours earlier than our ‘normal’ here in Spain and had a quick check-out. It was actually so fast that we realized we had time to hit our new favourite breakfast spot before we headed for the train station. There is a little bakery that we have eaten at for 3 mornings in a row – fresh squeezed orange juice, hot flaky croissants and café con leche! We fortified ourselves and off we went on the 15 minute walk to the train station. It was chilly this morning, and it was the first time we’ve felt slightly cold in the last two weeks. The kids had their little sleeping blankets wrapped around them as shawls and I was thankful for the warm coffee I’d just consumed.
(**Note - I realize that Julia looks like a little babuska in this picture but she's really into that new head scarf!!)

The train came right on schedule and it was surprisingly small for the length of trip we were about to take. (It turns out that halfway through the trip we stopped in the middle of nowhere and added on about 10 cars!) We had purchased “premium first class” for both this trip and the last one, and so far we had not been impressed by the ‘premium’ part. In the 5.5 hour trip from Barcelona to San Sebastian there was not an ounce of extra service that had been implied by the upgraded ticket. We have taken many trains in Europe, and usually when you buy a ‘premium’ ticket you get a meal and a beverage with it. So, with the trip this morning we assumed that we weren’t getting any special treatment by being in the ‘preferente’ cabin. We were wrong! The only downside was that we had just had a delicious breakfast and weren’t hungry at all. First they came by with newspapers (all in Spanish so I politely declined), then either a hot or cold breakfast, juice, coffee/tea… I was so bummed that I wasn’t hungry! Julia got cornflakes and then poured her yogurt drink over it thinking it was milk. The weird thing is that she never received any milk so I’m not sure what was supposed to happen otherwise. It’s weird, we have never figured out the milk situation here in Spain and have given up trying. Croissants and baguettes are easier!

I didn’t eat the breakfast but I was happy that it was available. They played a movie (in Spanish) which I didn’t watch but was also happy to have as an option. As you can see, I’m easy to please. Again we took a crazy weird pathway through Spain to get from San Sebastian to Madrid. The train tracks do not run in straight lines and there are a lot of mountain ranges to navigate around but it’s still very weird. We got practically to the Portugese border and we were glad to have a free CAA map of Spain that we’d brought to follow along with. We would stop in huge, fancy train stations where you couldn’t see a living soul, then in a teeny ghost town where someone would get off. Very strange. We didn’t care though because it was very relaxing. The kids had an elaborate Barbie thing happening and we just read our books and listened to our iPods while looking at the very interesting scenery. For awhile it looked like an African Savannah, and although we didn’t see any zebra or lions we were temporarily wondering where we were! It may have been a haywire route but it was relaxing and didn’t involve any work on our part so we’ll take it… but we definitely prefer the trains in France!!

We arrived at 2 pm in Madrid and quickly headed to a sandwich stand. Not the usual thing to do, but I was hungry and didn’t want to battle the metro with low blood sugar. After a shared tuna sandwich we quickly figured out the metro and went to the office of the apartment rental company. I can’t say enough how impressed we were with the company here – Friendly Rentals. We have now rented apartments in many different European cities and this, by far, was the most professional company we have ever used. They had a beautiful office and it was so easy to (not only get to) but figure out the keys, the maps, the wi-fi, everything. I would definitely use them again. Usually you have a contact person that you need to call, then they arrange to meet you at your assigned apartment where you usually end up waiting in the street for them to arrive. Today it was so much more civilized – go to a specified office, have a chat with a representative, get your keys, move on…. Ahhhh. Not only that, but they had sent a few reminder emails which has never happened before. We arrived at our apartment and it was exactly what we expected and more! We have two floors, a pool, tennis court, mini playground, beautiful kitchen… nice!! Not only that, but we rocked the metro system as though we were locals – hence the rock star status!

One downside… our Canadian blood is boiling. It is hot. Not just hot, but crazy hot for us. And dry…. After being at sea level with massive humidity we have re-entered the arid climate we are used to, except with heat. Actually, it’s manageable now that Jeff figured out the A/C. We were literally melting for the first few hours because neither of us knew how it worked. Desperation can make you very smart… Julia was wearing nothing but undies for 3 hours this afternoon and I wasn’t sure how we’d sleep… King Jeffalot to the rescue! Phew. We no longer have sweat dripping from our brows and a peaceful sleep awaits.

After we arrived and got our bearings we needed lunch. We found a cute place where we had more food than we could eat for a grand total of 15 euros. Total. Chicken, salad, artichokes, potatoes, drinks, coffee, dessert…. Nice! Then to a big supermercado (always fun!) where we filled a cart with provisions and headed home. Then the pool. When I was checking for Madrid apartments I made sure to get one with a pool – knowing it was going to be high 30’s in the middle of the city I knew we needed some water. It was so nice, and a little reminiscent of Melrose Place! This apartment is awesome – a little concierge/security guard, and a gorgeous pool…. This is definitely a nice place to bide some time. I can honestly say that each place we’ve stayed on this trip has gotten better (and isn’t that the best order to have it?).

One quick description left – dinner tonight. There were a few factors involved in deciding our restaurant. Proximity, air conditioning, and a girl in the window. It was late, we were hungry, and the girl in the window was eating the most delicious looking pasta. I wanted it! It was a chain called Ginos. Italian chain restaurant in Madrid… but so good! And fast, which was most desirable tonight. The kids had cute menus and got crayons (fancy, they looked like pencils but were crayons) and balloons. I think the balloons were the most exciting part of the night – until Julia’s popped on the way home. Boo. The food was excellent, we were fed, and went home very satisfied and sleepy.

So now it’s off to bed with a whole city to explore tomorrow. Not only that, but our friend Jennie is joining us tomorrow for the remainder of the trip and I’m really looking forward to seeing her. Last time we were together we were skiing in the Rockies… now the heat of Madrid!
More adventure awaits...

(PS - If you didn't already know, this is the second post of the day... scroll down for a detailed account of last night's dinner!)