A few things from yesterday that I forgot to mention. Fatigue must have caused it.

1. The taxi (€33 fixed price) front the airport to Madrid city is worth it, quick, well managed at line up at the airport. We got a great driver, a Rumanian guy who came to Spain 20 years ago. Good advice, on the money, an Athletico Madrid supporter but prefers skating and rugby. Whodda thought!

2. Italian food near the hotel, rude people, food only OK and expensive.

3. Belly troubles remain, no explanation to be provided but it’s causing me a bit of grief. Unblockers have been deployed.

Back to today now, we start with breakfast at Starbucks (only normal looking breakfast around) and the travelling crew are pretty limited with food range.

Hop on Hop off bus is next and we do a few laps of Madrid. It’s leafier than I imagined and the bustle and hystle builds up until 8 or 9pm and it’s then positively teaming with people heading out to eat and have a drink. The Spaniards we’ve met seem friendly and it has a nice buzz about the city. Shame that we don’t have more time here.

We walk quite a bit. The museums are busling except for the Thyssen which is closed when we thought it was free today. The Prada museum has a long line up. There is a Ruebens exhibition on at the moment. The Reiner Sophia Museum is one I really want to see with contemporary works from Dali and Picasso ( especially Geurnica) plus many others  but the line up at the free session is about 500 metres long and I’m too weary and not feeling so crash hot so give it a miss. Apparently the line does start to move but my gut us suggesting it’s time to move. Maybe next time.

The Navigator does some shopping. A late lunch in the Atocha area, lovely little Cafe, great waiter (Roberto)

Dinner is at a little tapas bar in an alley near our accommodation at Woohoo Suites Grand via 44

Ciao for today

Pauolo