The plan was to be out exploring in the early morning around 7 or 8 am. It's almost 10 am and I'm still lazing in my room!
But when I got going, I didn't stop til mid afternoon. First was over to the little cafe I had been to in 2015 so returned there for a very tasty capp and croissant. This was followed by a criss-crossing of streets and squares turning this way and that.
One of the first stops was at the Orange (mobile supplier in Europe) store in Sol. There I bought a data sim card with 100 GB of data, with up to 20 GB available outside of Spain, all for about 20€. They installed it for me so I had data available for directions as I wandered. Again I exclaim at how incredibly different this is from my first tours back in the late 1980s.
Used as a lugagge rack, my Cannondale is assembled and ready to go tomorrow. I had been thinking to explore Madrid on my bike and I might later but for now will stick with walking around for the time being. -- Hostal Santa Cruz, Madrid, Spain
Once I got out I headed over to Calle Cruz to a wee cafe that I had gone to in 2015 and saw that it was still there. A tasty capp and croissant. -- Madrid, Spain
I walked a great big loop and as I headed up Calle Atocha I looked for the cycle shop I had been to in the past. I may stop in later in case I need anything for the tour - chain lubricant, a bell, or... something else? (foreshadowing)
The San Miguel Market has become quite chic with cafes and treats on offer. -- Madrid, Spain
After the San Miguel Market I wandered through parts of the oldest section of the city and was intrigued by these walls and their decor. -- Madrid, Spain
Temple of Debod - This is an Egyptian temple dating back to the 2nd century BC, transported to Madrid’s Cuartel de la Montaña Park. The temple was donated to Spain by the Egyptian government to save it from floods following the construction of the great Aswan Dam. -- Madrid, Spain
Walking along Gran Via I came across this oddity. They did have some doughnuts that looked similar to ours, but the espresso machines were world class and not to be seen anywhere at home. No, I did not sample anhything. -- Madrid, Spain
The bike shop was closed for afternoon siesta 2-430 pm so I continued up Calle Atocha and back to my room to sip on a cool Fanta Limón. It is about 31 C so I must hydrate.
This is when I started to organize a few things and sort out my GPS for tomorrow... when I found that the power switch is faulty and I was not able to turn it on. I depend on the GPS for routing when I cycle, to find my accommodations and to find restaurants or sights when I am wandering about. This is how it has been for many years. I was a bit concerned.
This being the foreshadowing I mentioned, I got ready and headed back out to El Corte Ingles, FNAC, and then all the way back to that bike shop to see if they had a suitable replacement GPS. The first ones had nothing available. The bike shop did have some Garmin Edge 530 units but they seem to come without proper maps, you cannot put in an address to which I would navigate, and the unit is 300€. And it might not really work for me.
At this point my backup is my tablet which can be turned on all of the time so I can pull it out to check routing, and I can jot a few notes on paper (gasp) for routing into larger cities. These solutions will work but they'll be like using your hand to swing the wipers to clear your windscreen. Running a little blind.
With my expectations being that I would travel without the gps, I also called the Decathlon store to see if they have a unit like mine that I could simply pop my maps into. No, they said, only online and it would take two or three days. So, I will have to make do with paper notes and Google map voice directions on a tablet, and stopping to pull out the tablet when I am not sure which spoke to take on the roundabout.
Wish me luck!
The last photo of the day is one of my travel companion for many years. Once my little boy's (he is not so little anymore) wee teddy bear, he has traveled to many countries. I used to do it for Alex so he could see his toy all over. And now 'Pookie' has become a necessary companion on every trip. -- Madrid, Spain
Brent IrvineTo Rachael AndersonWith the help of youtube I was able to figure out a fix til I get home. It works fine once I get it turned on then leave it on til I pull the batteries at the end of the day. So, I'm literally and figuratively back on track. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Rachael AndersonTo Brent IrvineWe have the Garmin 1030 plus which doesn’t allow you to pull the battery out but fortunately we’ve never had an issue with not being able to turn it on. We love that it comes with maps of most of the world with a few exceptions. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Brent IrvineTo Rachael AndersonI expect your unit has rubber buttons around the perimeter of the device. So, in case you ever have a problem with these switches...
Internally there are rubber tabs that press into momentary contact switches on the circuit board. These rubber tabs can wear out so pushing them does nothing. Something else (stick, pin, paper clip, etc) needs to be poked into the hole to click the contact switch. There are youtube videos to guide you. Better than throwing away an otherwise good device. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
