I arrived in Madrid on Thursday to be with Kees for the July 4 weekend and the day was hot at 33 degrees Celsius.
We spent a hot night in the tired old Hotel Asturias with no A/C or fan. Leaving the windows open the noise from Calle Mayor and Puerta del Sol was horrendous. I do not recommend Hotel Asturias, Seville 2 if your visit is to be during Madrid's hot summer.
Yesterday Vicente returned home from Paris so we moved to his wonderful apartment. The apartment, built in the 1920´s, has large rooms with high ceilings and it feels light and airy - very comfortable. Here Kees and Vicente are on the steps in front of the wonderful old elevator. The temperature has dropped a little due to the thunderstorms Madrid has been having since yesterday around noon.
All around the neighborhood on stores, bars and restaurants there are beautiful tiled façades. Here, Kees and Vicente are in front of a local store. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Restaurante Ginger in Hotel Percal (the hotel we wanted for our first night in Madrid but was 'Completo'). Last night Kees and Vicente taught me how to play Chinchon and of course ... I lost royally. Today is dark and gloomy and we have a visit to the Museo Nacional del Prado on our agenda but at the moment desayuno is almost ready.
To my friend Rebecca I send love and best wishes and ask my readers to send the same.
Perhaps more later ...
To my friend Rebecca I send love and best wishes and ask my readers to send the same.
Perhaps more later ...
Chinchon.....hummmmm is it a Spanish version of Mexican Train??? We are teaching MT to Paula... she is very frustrated as we all are when learning. She did win on her birthday tho'.... I rode her bike yesterday and CRASHED into a barbed wire fence.... I am up and going today we'll see if I try to tackle the bike again to go to town.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow we pick up our rental car and head to Paris and the Loire Valley....then see some of Germany too....has been nice to be quiet here in Holland for awhile.....Take care and master that game of CHINCHON.... can you bring it back with you would we all like it???? Hope you got my birthday message.....was a bit late as we were out in the HILLS of Denmark with no computer access.... I have forgotten about carrying my BB.... Hugs....
ktk8
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteI hope all your travels are going well. I am trying to find your Blog but Google does not find it. I know the name is somewhere on my site, I will keep looking.
Vicente gave me the Chinchon pack of cards which was really sweet of him because it had been a gift to him. So yes, I will be able to teach us all.
My BB has frozen ... oops I meant to put that on my Blog so I will go back and do so.
Have a fantastic rest of the journey. Have you stumbled upon the Le Tour de France riders along the way?
Love,
Weeza