Our daughter's employer sent her to an international conference in Madrid, Spain last week. Sarah's work is not always so glamorous, and she seldom gets sent out of Georgia, much less out of the country. So we had to take the opportunity to see her when we could.
Our students left "the flat" (their apartment) on Tuesday to move to the University of Nottingham campus for a four-day international student orientation. That gave us four days to slip away, but it meant that we had only one night back in our own bed before getting up and heading off once again on a back-to-back trip.
The train takes two hours to London, the Tube takes another hour out to Heathrow airport, but then it's only a two hour flight. There was no jet lag, because there's only one hour time difference for us. The Madrid Metro system is easy to navigate and inexpensive. We reached the hotel by early evening, found our offspring right away, and followed her to a reception where we met some of her co-workers and others. After that we hit the town with her -- well, to the extent that old folks do. We had one drink and came back, in bed by 11.
The following day, while Sarah was working hard and attending sessions, Mary and I set off with our guidebook to take the walking tour of the city center. I discovered that my high school Spanish classes were a very, very long time ago! But some key words and phrases come back quickly. It wasn't long before I could ask where the restrooms were, practically like a native.
In addition to walking the main streets and plazas, Madrid's cathedral, the royal palace, and the Prado art museum (home of Las Meninas) were all on our itinerary the first day. No wonder our legs were tired by evening! But we still managed to rally for the closing banquet of Sarah's conference, for which she had secured tickets for us. We were taken by motor coach to a villa outside the city, met by a troupe of traditional musicians, and served an excellent three course meal.
On return, we joined many of the same folks for a tappas dinner, followed by a late show at a flamenco bar. The interplay among the guitarists, singers, and dancers was fascinating! But we didn't get back to the hotel until after 2 a.m., which was less fascinating.
We managed a brief stop at the Reina Sofía art museum to see Picasso's famous Guernica and some Salvador Dali paintings on our way to the airport. We had allowed several hours in London between our flight and our train to Nottingham, mostly in case of a flight delay, but also in case we had energy for more sight-seeing. Unfortunately, we were too tired for much of anything but a pint at a pub followed by a nice, leisurely dinner. Again, one takes one's opportunities as they present themselves (and as one has the energy to enjoy them).
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