8/4/24
The Guys were flying back to Mojacar on Friday via Almaria airport so we were looking for some thing to do that was easy and close.
Dave suggested we walk down to the main Railway station at Atocha where he assured us there was a magnificent indoor garden. For want of any better suggestions we agreed and set off to walk the short distance down the hill to the station, keeping an eye out for a suitable breakfast spot.
Part way down we saw a nice little Cafe (La Vera) and decided to give it a try.
They didnt have any big tables so Jaki and I sat on one and the other guys shared a larger table.
They had a reasonably good range of options including some great Sandwiches though the favourite choice for locals seems to be the Churrios which they dip in their Coffee.
I had never tried one, it always looked too sugary but on this morning it was Jaki’s option, though with hind sight she probably would have chosen some thing else.
It was much saltier than I imagined but without chocolate it was a bit plain and she had drunk her Coffee by the time the food arrived.
I found a reasonably good impression of a Bacon and Egg sandwich which tasted fine and filled me up.
I’m not sure what the others had but there were no complaints so I assume they were all happy.
The Railway station is very impressive and it’s also a bit of a challenge to get to as you have to cross some very wide and very busy roads.
The best way of doing this is to wait at the crossing points till the little walking man turns green. Then you have enough time to cross the whole stretch without running. Trying to run amongst the traffic is folly and you will surely end in trouble. even standing on the pavement cant be dangerous as the scooter riders (the ones with Petrol engines) come up onto the pavement at all sorts of random times to park their bikes and they expect pedestrians to get out of their way.
I remember nearly getting run over by a scooter when i was walking on the pavement in Ho Chi Min City. The lights went red so some guy on a scooter just drove up over the kerb and along the pavement where i was walking so he didnt have to stop.
I expanded his knowledge of English that day.
Once across the road we walked down the slope to the Station and into a pretty unimpressive concourse which will be familiar to rail traveler’s anywhere in the world.
We circumnavigated the whole building without finding a Tropical Garden and it was only when we asked one of the armed Police officers that patrol in gangs with their Tattoo’d arms hanging close to their guns, that we were shown where it was.
The Baja level held the key so we walked down yet another slope and there it was. Sadly there are some renovations taking place which meant the actual garden was roped off and most of the plants were covered in a mix of Pigeon shit and builders dust but it was still pretty impressive.
Then it was time for coffee before we said our farewells.
The guys decided to catch a taxi back up to the Hotel whilst Jaki and I chose to walk and time it to see how long the walk was. (19 minutes).
So we said our goodbyes, hugged, shook hands and agreed to meet up in Mojacar in a few weeks time.
They went off in one direction and we went off in another. So when we all converged just outside the station it was a bit of a surprise. It seems the Taxi Rank was outside the doors Jaki and I had chosen for our exit.
And what a Taxi rank.
There were taxis two abreast, as far as the eye could see, all waiting to get to the front of the queue and bag that lucrative fare. So it was no surprise that the driver who got our four passengers and a €10 fare, wasn’t best pleased.
He would soon be back at the station and at the back of that queue.
When Jaki and I got back to the Hotel the Chums were just leaving, so we repeated the goodbyes before we went to our room and they went to the Airport.
We decided to go for a walk and explore, so we ended up down by the Palace where there is a wide open pedestrian areas that was perfect for strolling. There were fountains and gardens where young lovers seemed to spend their time and large terraces where families watched a group of performers who did a combination of dance and Gymnastics.
There were police cars dotted around at various strategic spots as there seemed to be in all areas of Madrid. They dont seem to underfund their Police here and the presence of armed and slightly menacing Uniforms was everywhere. Their patrol cars are a recurring sight on the roads with their Blue Lights permanently on. Sirens can be heard all the time as large blue vans intimidate the traffic jams and ambulances manoeuvre through the busy streets.
We did a big loop and worked our way back through the Shopping area (Calle Gran Via) keeping an eye out for the huge Primark that lives there somewhere. We eventually found it on Monday.
I dropped into one of the “Cannabis” shops that seem to be everywhere in Madrid and bought some Gummy Bears, which the guy assured me were legal here in Spain. Later when i did some research I found that these Gummy Bears weren’t actual Cannabis, they were CBD which is perfectly legal everywhere. And they tasted horrible, so they went straight in the bin.
By now we had been walking for hours so we stopped at a small Cafe for a drink.
I’ve rather taken to the Tinto de Verano but each place makes it slightly differently and this one filled the glass full of Ice so I had very little actual drink. However, we were glad of the break and the chance to relax.
We decided to stay out and find some where to eat rather than go back to the Hotel where i would surely have fallen asleep.
Dave had recommended a restaurant (El Lacon) and he intended to take us there one evening but they were closed and didn’t open until Thursday, so we headed there which saved us having to research anywhere new.
When we arrived at their doors we were too early, they didn’t open until 8pm, so we walked across the road and went into an amazing little bar (Viva Madrid) that was packed out with drinkers.
Sat at the bar it was too easy to drink the house Red wine and I was soon a bit wobbly.
I took a few pictures of the reflection in the huge mirrors and the guy sat next to us started waving so we obviously started chatting.
Him and his wife were on holiday touring Spain. they lived in California so we soon had plenty to talk about and we reminisced about our visits to Laguna Beach and Sanibell Island.
I knew I was gibbering so I had to concentrate on not being “The drunk we sat next to when we went to Madrid.” Luckily it was time for us to head back to the restaurant, so we said our goodbyes before too much harm had been done.
When we got to El Lacon it looked full, but they showed us up stairs where there was a good crowd but there were still some available table.
Dave had talked about a Square plate full of Meat and we thought we had found it on the menu so we ordered this to share. Jaki continued on the wine but i decided it was time to go on the water.
The food when it came looked delicious but like most of the meals weve eaten here in Madrid, there was almost no vegetables. The Padron Peppers and some slices of Lettuce were the only green things in sight. The rest was Meat.
We tucked in to this dish as if we had never eaten meat before. It was delicious. Jaki wasn’t too keen on the Gammon so I had slightly more than a half share, but we managed to finish the lot with ease.
When we got to bed that night I paid the price for my gluttony.
The meat hung heavily in my stomach and the wine played havoc with my head.
I had all sorts of Bizarre dreams some of which were clearly influenced by the Bosch Paintings we had seen earlier in the week.
I have often thought my Bowel influences my body and recent studies have shown just how this works . A good healthy Gut full of good Bacteria keeps the rest of the body in tune.
But fill it full of red meat floating in a sea of red wine and it doesn’t like it.
I think this was the nearest I’ve come to a hang over in 4 years and I dont like it.
Bill and Jaki go Travelling 