HAPPY CO-INCIDENCES......

Despite all the technology at ones fingers, it's amazing how easy it is to lose touch with friends. For whatever reason, Stewie Cripps and I lost touch subsequent to his (and my) departure from the Flying Red Horse. A chance email alerted Stewie and his lovely wife Georgie to the LegsyBoys being in Espana - just as they were preparing to visit here as part of a Euro holiday.

From L-R: Dulcinea, Georgie, Don, Stewie, some kid, Sancho

And so last week, Aimee and I had the pleasure of taking them on a walking tour of central Madrid, taking in "Don Legsy's must sees" such as Plaza de Espana, Palacio Royale, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel (where we partook of some luscious Spanish olives and a frosty cerveza), Puerta del Sol (and the Kilometre Zero landmark), and (of course) tapas at Estado Puro. We even went for a drive to pick up Buzzy from his tennis camp, taking in the Gateway to Europe and the 4 towering skyscrapers (250 metres plus). The following night I picked them up from Chamartin metro and we all went out for a luverly al fresco meal in La Moraleja, before heading back into their hotel via the Plaza de Toros.

The Imperial Palacio with Aimee

 

Mercardo de San Miguel

Olives......

....Mmmm....Mmmmm...

Plaza Mayor - Georgie & the headless woman

Stewie with a fan in Plaza Mayor

Madrid's Hombre Arana!

Kilometre Zero - Puerta del Sol

Estado Puro - with Buzzy and Aimee

Feasting in La Moraleja

It was great to catch up with Stewie and Georgie again. Who'd have thought that after 4+ years we would renew acquaintances in Madrid - small world. How small???? Read on.......

Last Saturday I sat with fellow Aussie expats in the James Joyce Irish Pub (seriously, it's time publicans showed some originality when naming their establishments) watching the Wallabies get a flogging from the Lions. Rugby folk are very polite and the Brits in attendance spared us the rod. As I quietly sat pondering the result, a silhouette stood in front of me and said "hello". Being half blinded by the sunlight behind the lady and the fog of having drunk 2 pints of Murphy's (at least 1 1/2 pints more than I'm capable of holding!) I congratulated the headmistress of King's College on her team's win, only to be challenged by "why would I be happy". I got up, approached the silhouette and found myself face to face with ANOTHER former Mobil colleague - Maree Holden.

Maree in the James Joyce Irish Pub

 There is concrete evidence that Maree's clearly a masochist - 1. she's now been working in PNG for 3 years; 2. she and her partner Matt hunt down a pub in Madrid to watch the Wallabies get flogged, and 3. they have now headed off to Trent Bridge for the first day of the Ashes Test to watch our chronic underachievers get their collective freckles kicked by the Poms. Did I say....small world!!!

Whipped mozzarella

You forgot to take the top off Stu.