September 5, 2013
Our United flight arrived at 10:05am on Thursday, September 5th. We had been in the "travel mode" since 3:20 Monday afternoon. We found the Madrid airport much like Miami, where you have to walk a mile to get anywhere. Upon leaving the plane on our way to Baggage Claim, we had to walk a mile, climb a flight of stairs and then down a flight (we both had a couple of pieces of hand-carry luggage), not an easy task. We hooked up with Ed's sister and hubby (Theresa & Jim Blazek) in the baggage claim area. Their Delta flight had arrived 30 minutes before ours (perfect timing). Ed and I claimed the two pieces of luggage we had checked that were the last pieces off the plane. The four of us were now eager and ready to begin this new journey together and we would meet the other couple, Sheila & Tony Klein, joining us at the hotel because they had arrived the day before.
We got a taxi in front of the baggage claim area and was positive it would take two to get the four of us and our baggage into town. We ended up with the greatest packer and we all fit into one car. We each did have a small piece of luggage on our laps. The ride into town was 50 Euros ($67.50) but the driver did save us the expense of the second taxi so he received a nice tip.
We are staying in the Melia Madrid Princesa Hotel. The hotel is located just within four blocks of two Metro stations, easy to get all over the city. Our rooms are a nice size with a little storage for our suitcases. We all are pleased with the hotel and its location. After we got checked in, the four of us just wanted a nap. We got together and went to lunch at 2:00pm. The hotel suggested a nice local place, La Cueva 1900, just three blocks away.
The Melia Hotel Lobby - I love all the Asian art work…
Off to our late lunch with Jim & Theresa…...
These are the "little plate" they start off your meal with - here it was different slices of meats
I love the Sangria in Spain - like drinking CoolAid
I found out that Sheila & Tony had not arrived because their flight out of Denver was canceled due to technical problems. They finally got into JFK and had to be re-routed to Paris and then into Madrid and that had put them 24 hours behind their arrival time. Tony's suitcase had also not made the flight and the airlines was trying to locate it for him. Since, they had not showed up on their arrival date the hotel had cancelled their reservations…I had to fix that problem quickly. They ended up being upgraded one category in room because that was all the hotel had left (Sheila & Tony didn't seem to mind). Thursday night we all just wanted to go to bed and get ready for our first tour.
Friday I had planned a day trip to Segovia, about 55 miles north of Madrid. The AVE train travels at a speed of over 100 miles per hour so the trip takes about 45 minutes. But first we first to figure out how to use the Metro system and buy our tickets. We got that figured out and ended up on the correct line but going in the wrong direction. So, that meant we had to exit at the next station, go up a flight of stairs, cross the track, and down to the other side. Then, we had to transfer to a different color line at a different station to only learn when we arrived at that station the line we needed was closed. So, a local gentleman helped us out and gave us directions on how to get to the train station to get to Segovia. We ended up getting to a train station (Atocha Train Station) but that station only had the slow local trains that would take us 2 hours to travel the 45 minute ride on the express train (we needed the Chamartin Station). It would mean that we had to reenter the Metro system, figure out where we were suppose to go to and get there before the express train left in 39 minutes. We all believed there was an excellent chance that we wouldn't make it to that station on time and the next express out of that station to Segovia was two hours from then. So, we decided that the local train was going to get us there in time for our lunch reservations….we took the slow local train! It gave us a couple of hours to chat and get to know one another.
Upon our arrival in Segovia, we grabbed a couple of cabs out in front of the train station and got into the center of town. Our restaurant, El Bernardino, was located in the walking only section of Old Town. Our taxi dropped us off just below the Roman Aqueduct, the 2,000 year old exposed section with 118 arches and stand 100 feet tall. It was made with 20,000 granite blocks without any mortar, and still can carry a stream of water. What a spectacular sight!
Our restaurant was only 5 blocks north of the Aqueduct. The restaurant was founded in 1939 and was a charming place.
Sheila and I enjoyed an excellent glass of sangria, others had beer or the local red wine. I had a whole grilled trout that was perfectly cooked. Ed and Jim had the biggest grilled veal chop (looked like a very large T-bone steak) I had ever seen, must have weighed a pound or two. Theresa and Tony had beef steak that was very flavorful and tender (Theresa would have liked hers left on the grill longer). Sheila had sea bass with an onion/garlic sauce, she thought hers was good but sauce a little strong. We all linger over our meal and getting to know one another, two hours passed quickly.
The Cathedral
Well, we did come to Segovia to see a few of the sights so we needed to get going. We walked to the Cathedral built in the Renaissance times (1525 to 1768) and is the third church on that site. This cathedral was Spain's last major Gothic building and is embellished to the hilt. The inside in spacious and elegantly simple when compared to the exterior. There are many side chapels all with big locking iron gates. These were the private sacred domain of the rich families and guilds who "owned" them. It seemed that each one was a mini art gallery.
We needed to walk to our final destination in Segovia, the Alcazar. In the Middle Ages this was a fortified palace, a key fortress for controlling the area. It was one of the favorite residences of the monarchs of Castile and grew through the ages and its function changed many times. After it was a palace, it was a prison for 200 years, and then a Royal Artillery School. It burned in 1862 and since that fire its been basically a museum.
Sights of Segovia city…...
We were taking the AVE train back to Madrid and it was time to get to the station. We called the taxi company to send two to up us up and take us to the Guiomar Station just outside of Segovia. We arrived on the train with 3 minutes to spare. We all were amazed at the speed and the quiet smooth ride of the train.
Please note the speed our train was traveling….249km/h that is about 149 miles per hour….FAST
We even transversed the Metro system and got back to our Metro station with ease! On the walk back to our hotel it was time to stop for a beer and tapas to finish off the night. We stopped at the same restaurant that Theresa, Jim, Ed and I had lunch the previous day and they recognized Jim's cool Stetson hat. They provided a variety of sliced meats (thin Spanish Ham, a salami type, a sausage type) and lots of fresh crusty bread. It was almost 9:00 when we departed for our hotel again.
Another fun filled day……
The next chapter of this story will begin with our first day we tour in Madrid city…..
Peggy
September 2, 2013
On Monday we flew out of Cuenca on the 3:20pm flight to Guayaquil a short flight of only 40 minutes.
We are all packed and ready to go….enough stuff for 6 weeks!
The flight over to Guayaquil is always breathtaking looking at the Andes mountains.
We had lots of time to kill before our 11:50pm direct flight to Miami. Ed and I took a taxi from the airport to the Sonesta Hotel just five minutes from the airport for a lovely dinner. We have spent three nights at this hotel and have found the restaurant very good.
I selected their Cordon Blu with Asian noodles and pickled parsnips. The sauce on the chicken was a rich Asian sauce and excellent. This is the second time I've had this dish and it enjoyed it. Ed had a grilled steak and the best green beans.
We didn't depart the hotel until 9:15pm to check into for our American flight. We were sitting in first class and thought we would be able to sleep most of the four hour flight. Wrong, those were the most uncomfortable seats we have ever had. If you tried to raise you foot rest, the back of the seat would also recline at the same time. The seat also had a gap between the seat bottom and the back seat when reclined to sleep.
We arrived in Miami and got through Immigrations & Customs quickly (55 minutes) and arrived at the Marriott Airport before 6:00am. Our room was ready so we both fell into bed for a few hours of much needed sleep. Ed woke me at 11:20 to get ready to run the errands we needed to do. Our first stop was at the Wells Fargo Bank to pick up the Euros we had ordered, the taxi waited for us (15 minutes) and then dropped us off at he mall (taxi cost $38). I had planned on us having a nice lunch at a restaurant but we grabbed a quick bite at a Chinese place in the food court.
We hit Macy's and I conquered four new tops in the Ralph Lauren department, a new lip gloss, a lime green Totes umbrella and a new pair walking sandals. It was then Ed's turn to find new golf shirts for the trip. I talked him into a light pink, deep royal blue, a light powder blue and a wine colored shirt.
It was getting time for our personal interview at the airport for our GOES card. This will allow us to zip through Immigrations when we arrive back in the States from overseas. The line in Miami can
take up to an hour and that would sure save us that time. So, it was grab another taxi and go to the airport, this taxi ride cost $20. The personal interview was easy and fast and we were approved on the spot. They will be mailing our credit card size ID cards to our daughter's house.
We returned to the Marriott to the Concierge Lounge for Happy Hour. There was enough food there so it ended up being our light dinner. I think we were both ready for a good nights sleep in a comfortable bed. Our flight out of Miami to Newark, NJ and then onto Madrid, departed at 12:30 the next day. I thought we should leave the hotel at 10:00am to allow us time to check in and get through security. We got our boarding pass and got through Security in 15 minutes! I know that had to some kind of record for Miami airport.
The flight from Miami to Newark, NJ was on United and was uneventful. We had four hours in Newark to kill before our flight to Madrid. Our had arrived just two gates from where we were going out but we both wanted to walk, so off we went to find a 'nice' restaurant. We found Gallenger's (showed dried aged beef in the front window). I started off with calamari with a spicy tomato sauce...had to be some of the best I've had in ages...melt in your mouth! I also ordered a spinach salad that was excellent but large enough for two people (we don't get fresh spinach in Cuenca). Ed selected a grilled chicken sandwich. We each had a glass of wine with our meal, besides we were now officially on vacation. The bill with tip was very close to $100! That was to prepare us for prices in Spain.
Our United flight departed Newark at 8:45pm so again we were hoping to catch a few winks on this flight. When I booked our reservations almost a year ago, I had upgraded us to Economy Plus seating. Ed was on the aisle in the exit row where the main cabin entrance door is located, so he had tons of leg room (6 feet worth). The problem was the lady sitting next to him (wasn't me) decided to take her half out of the middle. Ed received several elbows to his arm and side. I was in the seat directly behind him and got to bug him that way. I had a very small Asian lady next to me and it was nice until she spilled a whole bottle of water on the both of us half way through the flight. My whole left side and seat bottom was wet for the next four hours. Needless to say, neither of us got much if any sleep.
The next part of our journey will be begin with our arrival in Madrid…..stayed tuned!
Peggy
We all met in the hotel's restaurant for breakfast at 9:00am. This day was a day to see some of the sights in Madrid. I have arranged a local professional licensed guide for a full day on Monday to take us to the Royal Palace, a walking tour of Plaza Mayor and the afternoon in the Prado Museum. So, we don't need to do those on our own.
Today we started with the Metro system to get us to the Atocha stop. We got there with a little help but no major mess ups! We went to the Reina Sofia Museum, know for its collection Picasso and Salvador Dali. OK, maybe I'm not a big fan of Surrealism and Cubism - I don't get them! The one piece this museum is know for is Picasso's Guernica (1937), it captures the horror of modern war in a modern style. I did find a lovely spot to sit and rest while the group toured the important second floor.
The Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid
We hadn't eaten for a couple of hours and I think most of the group was just looking for something to drink and light bite to eat. We found a nice place and each just had a bowl of soup. Four of us selected the Gazpacho soup and two the cream of asparagus soup, everyone was happy with their selection. It was served with lots of fresh crusty bread.
After our light lunch, we crossed the street to visit the Royal Botanical Gardens. There were a few summer flowers left but the day was so pretty we just enjoy walking and talking. I was amazed at the size of the gardens and it seemed that Sheila Klein knew almost all the plants and flowers, she really into gardening and it showed by her love of the flowers and plants.
Jim & Theresa Blazek
Tony & Sheila Klein
Theresa and I needed a rest, so I suggested that we two catch a cab and head back to the hotel. It turned out that everyone joined us and we caught two cabs in front the the Gardens. It was fun to view the city at street level because we had taken the Metro around town and you don't see much but where you come out and tour. Jim and Ed headed over to the large shopping building just a 5 minute walk from our hotel, they were given a mission. They needed to buy some snacks for our rooms, bottled water and sodas. Ed had the task of finding a cell store and putting in a new SIM card in our phones so we could use them here. He left the phones in our hotel room but he did go in a store and ask some questions. He was told we had to buy new phones here and go on a Spanish plan for 30 days. I see lots of $$$$ involved in that plan but we will need something when we rent the two vans and start driving around the country.
I still didn't up to going out with the group for dinner so I cooled it in the room. It gave me some quiet time to rest and see if the swelling in my left ankle would go down. I believe I twisted it in the Madrid airport while going up and down flights of stairs lugging my carry-on bags.
Tony still has not received his suitcase and Delta does believe he will ever see it again. He will have to do a little shopping to get him through the trip.
Stayed tuned for more of our adventures in Spain…..tomorrow we are doing a day trip to El Escorial an hour outside of Madrid.
Peggy
