To Madrid

November 14, 2023

We're packed up early for our 11:28 train to Madrid, our last stop of the tour. There's time to kill so Barry is reading while I work on the journal. I can hardly believe it when I happen to glance at the clock on my tablet and it says 10:56. Yikes! We have a half hour to load up, ride two miles to the Cordoba station, fold and bag the bikes and board the train.

On the way to the station I realize I have forgotten to clip the mirror on to my glasses, adding on to my anxiety since I can't see Barry behind me, but we keep going on our quest to beat the clock. Luckily the bike path skirts around a lot of traffic and the lights are green at all the bike crossings on the way.

By the time we get the bikes packed up, run everything through security and start down the moving ramp to the platform the station clock reads 11:29, a minute past departure time. We manage to throw our cargo in the door and board the train before it starts moving. There must have been some divine dispensation from the train gods to head off this near miss. Lesson for the day: set an alarm for when to leave for the train.

Pretty ride through the Castilla-LaMancha region

Madrid-Atocha, another classy train station

At the platform in the Madrid-Atocha station there's a nice surprise - a huge elevator that takes us easily up to the exit with our bikes. From there the three mile ride to our hotel is not so easy. It takes us a good 30 minutes, much of it just navigating out of the train station and figuring out where to ride in the traffic.

Paseo de la Infanta Isabel is the biggest street we've ridden in the two months since we left home. There's no bike path, just four busy lanes in each direction. The lane furthest to the right is marked for buses and taxis only. Next to that one, the road is marked with a bicycle and a big 30 in a circle, a speed limit. Looks like that's where we're supposed to ride.

So here we are, with taxis whizzing around us to the left and right. The next big street is Paseo del Prado and it's just as busy. From here we have to negotiate over to the left lane to turn off for the hotel. The whole enterprise is a leap of faith.

Waiting for our moment to jump into the fray

Before we even got to Madrid I was a little intimidated by the thought of cycling here. We are signed up for a bicycle tour of the city tomorrow, our first and only guided bike tour of the trip. Surely they'll know the good places to ride.

Relieved to land at the hotel on Calle del Prado, we retrieve our bike suitcases that have been camped out here since we shipped them six weeks ago from Montpellier. Our room does not have the desk that was advertised, but the folding table and chairs out on the terrace just fit inside by the mini-bar.

Small, but it'll work for breakfast and typing on the tablet.

The view down Calle del Prado from the terrace

After lunch at La Pizzateca, a break from Spanish fare, we have a couple hours of daylight to explore Parque del Buen Retiro, the "nice retreat." Known as El Retiro, it was a royal hunting ground before it became an exclusive royal park for Felipe IV's palace in the 17th century. Most of the palace and its gardens were destroyed during the Peninsular War and the park became a public space in 1868.

We have a stellar afternoon for a walk in El Retiro. The autumn colors are lovely in the sun at this time of day.

The Crystal Palace, made of glass and iron, is used for temporary exhibitions of the Reina Sofia Museum. There isn't a show here currently, which is fine. The building is the show.

I've never seen a black swan this close up before. The red bill is startling.

Palacio de Velázquez, another exhibition hall of the Reina Sofía Museum, has ceramic tile work similar to that of the Crystal Palace. The architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco designed both buildings.

You can rent a boat to paddle around the Great Pond in front of the monument to King Alfonso XII.

Alphonso XII, known as the Peacemaker for his policies that brought a period of political instability in Spain to an end

The monument is a fine perch to people watch, listen to the street musicians and watch the sun go down

Feeling very lucky that we made the train this morning and are here on this beautiful afternoon.

After the sun sets we are under-dressed for the chilly evening. Spying an entrance to the Metro at the north end of the park, we buy tickets to zip back to La Puerta del Sol, the central square in Madrid, and hurry back to the hotel nearby.

Dinner is at El Diario - The Newspaper, an old tapas bar in the Barrio de las Letras. The mussels here are terrific. Barry tries the blood sausage out of curiosity, but doesn't love it, too bland. Seated in the back amid photos of American movie stars, we chat with two American women at the table next to us. They are on the first day of a six day whirlwind trip to Madrid and Lisbon. I hope they got a great deal on the airfare.

Passing the Four Seasons Hotel on the way to the bar

Newspapers line the ceiling at El Diario

Closing in on the end of our time in Spain, we have one more ride to look forward to, tomorrow!

Today's ride: 6 miles (10 km)
Total: 954 miles (1,535 km)

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Scott AndersonI can’t believe you almost missed the train because you were working on the journal, Jan. Actually, I’m realizing you and I have quite a bit in common.
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5 months ago

Betsy EvansI know the stress of almost missing a train. I’m glad you made it!
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5 months ago

Janice BranhamTo Scott AndersonThat's a nice spin on the situation. So many times I think about what else I could be doing with the time I spend on the journal. Sleeping is a big one. It's still so worth it to capture our memories of the journey.
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5 months ago