GRANDMA & PAPA TO THE RESCUE



You may have wondered how I managed to swan off to Nawlinz and beyond sans los ninos and with Dulcinea working. That's 'cos Grandma and Papa (Shirl The Curl and Tom) came over to look after the grandkids, experience Madrid, see a bit of Spain and Portugal, and get some of that famous Spanish sunshine. And so it was a pair of tired but happy travellers we greeted at Barajas airport on the Saturday afternoon (Travel Tip: Emirates - now part of One World - fly from Australia via Dubai and straight into Madrid. It's still a long way, but better than doubiing back from London).



Touchdown UAE0143 2030 Hrs

Who's happy????

We are!!



Cafe perfectro - muy muy caliente

Cafe Pino, blazing sunshine - must be Spain

After they handed over all the contraband they brought over - printable blank CDs, review CDs, specialty printingg paper and cartridges, musk sticks, Tim Tams, and 3 boxes of Irish Breakfast tea (!!) - we had 2 days to bed everything down before my departure, so we did the rounds of local centres, including the mighty Carrefour supermarket. That may sound ridiculous but, believe me, they don't make them like this in Oz. So big that assistants scoot around on roller skates, S&T marvelled at the produce, the pescatorial delights, gorged themselves on cheese, jamon and magnificent Spanish olives, and myriad other delights (paying 2 euro for a bottle of vino blanco does manage to attract one's attention!). When Spain gets it right then it's terrific - they actually make supermarkets a pleasant experience.

Carrefour roller skates

Carrefour coffee bar

 We did a dry run on the local bus system that hooks up to the metro - public transport is one of the jewels in Madrid's crown (indeed most European cities); after one short lesson, S&T were comfortable with it , including the signs in Spanish. Tommy felt a bit under the weather soo Shirl and I then attended a paella luncheon in Chamartin (with Conan - another Aussie Mr Mum - and 2 of his friends) and whilst Madrid is not the heart of paella country, this was as good as it gets here.

What happened while I was away? Well for starters, they picked up daily ritual of los ninos pickup/dropoff, and the kids got to eat decent food for a few weeks. Best of all though, they got to spend time with Aimee and Liam, seeing how they've adapted to life in an alien land, and got to see them in the music concert at their school; and when you don't see your grandchildren for 12 months I can only imagine how good it feels to get a cuddle from them. All the shopowners at the local Centro Commercial got to know them, they re-discovered the pleasures of relaxed reading (having Don L's superb library at hand also helps) and they managed to get into Madrid on several occasions, where they did the Red Bus Tour (Travel Tip: it's compulsory to catch the tourist bus. A snapshot of the city in a few hours. This practise should be followed in every city you visit), and potter around the metropolis. They didn't get out as often as they possibly could due to the weather......now this may come as something of a surprise but it wasn't the heat that overcame them; it was freezing! Something is amiss here, as the warm weather simply hasn't come, give or take the odd day (Al Gore will be ecstatic). Given I told them just to bring a light jumper, it will come as no surprise that neither of them were very happy with me upon my return! For what it's worth, the locals are astounded at the weather here, and there are fears that the famous Spanish summer may not eventuate this year. It was so cold that a day trip to the magnificent Toledo had to be cut short - what a pity, as it is an extraordinary place.

Plaza De Castilla - Gateway To Europe



Austerity measures!!

The air was frosty - literally - when I got back, and everyone was freezing. I thawed them out and then we set about doing a few things in temperate weather. We went to the Plaza Castilla, a stunning obelisc between the two angled towers known as the Gateway To Europe, and just near Madrid's 4 rascacielos (skyscrapers). It was here that we witnessed one of the most extraordinary sights I have seen in a western society city (and a stark reminder that, even if you can't see it normally, there is an underlying crisis here), as we watched not one but two sad souls perform their ablutions in the fountain!


Plaza De Toros





Not so lucky.....

Matador's monument to Dr Fleming!

We dedicated one day to touring to of Madrid's most iconic colosseums. The Plaza De Toros was built in 1931 and is Madrid's magnificent bullfighting ring. The 'season' is now underway and S&T were a little concerned about going in, but were OK once realising that it was only the stadium tour. It was a first for me too, and it's a fabulous experience. Everyone can have their opinion on the 'sport', but it was a fascinating insight into what is to be respected as a national tradition (Travel Tip: make sure you get your photoshop souvenir - it's fantastic!). We then caught a (very nice) bite to eat in the shadows of the gargantuan edifice known as Santiago Bernabau, the 120,000 seat home of Real Madrid FC. The tour is magnificent; it's hi-tech and takes you into the unbelievable trophy room, the board room, onto the field, into the dressing rooms, and is so good that even Shirl was (to her surprise) totally blown away by it all. It was a great day.




Santiago Bernabau  - home of Real Madrid

Ronaldo - Tom - Kaka!

The interchange bench

Tough work sightseeing

It's no secret that I love Segovia, so we did a day trip there. We drove over the sierras (with no snow now - but wait!), stopped to take in the views and then on to the amazing town and its 'has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed 2,000 year old aquaduct and ancient city. The breathtaking experience did just that - Segovia can be a challenging place to walk around - and we had a terrific tapas in the Juan Brava cafe before heading back. I could be wrong, but I think S&T now also share my love of Segovia.

Sierra de Guadarrama ski run

The high sierras

Segovia

Iglesia de la Vera Cruz - 12th Century!

Plaza Mayor Segovia

Amazing - the ceiling didn't fall in!

How good is that!

1st century Roman aquaduct - look mum, no glue!

12th century Alcazar de Segovia - inspired Disney

3 ancient relics

A day in Madrid was spent at Mercado San Miguel, Plaza Mayor, and a visit to the Reina Sofia museum (you've gotta go to at least 1 of the Big Three!) to see Picasso's 'La Guernica' - this probably wasn't the highlight of S&T's sightseeing - upon seeing the work, Shirl did utter the immortal line "what kind of sick mind would paint that!"; art is like wine, we all have different tastes, and I daresay there are many who would concur with Grandma's summation of Pablo's meisterwork. I recovered some lost brownie points by taking them to lunch at Estado Puro!!

We couldn't get into La Terraza Del Casino (thank goodness, as it was pouring on the night we went out), but we weren't disadvantaged as we did get into the 2-star Michelin restaurant Ramon Freixa for our celebratory dinner. What a sublime night we had; Ramon himself welcomed us, told us about the degustacion menu and asked what dietary issues he needed to consider - what a great touch, and he came back to bid us 'adios' at evening's end. The dinner was exquisite (as usual, too many courses) and it was hard to choose a favourite, but the duck with green mustard ice cream, yogurt & onion cake with black sausage and melon, stuffed olives with vermouth, and black cannelloni stood out for me. I think it was S&T's first real experience of molecular nouvelle cuisine and we had a great time just LOOKING at the food, let alone eating it.



Spectacular dinner setting

the ceiling!

Anyone would think they could actually read it!

Yogurt & onion cake; black sausage & melon...mmmm!

Fish tartare: acid, spicy, sweet, salty, bitter. simply outstanding

Red mullett, onion, lemon grass, ginger & lemon

Big duck, green ustard ice cream, idiazabal cheese

Lo siento, I forget what it was - but it tasted as good as it looked

...and again, dessert was a plate too far!!

I felt really bad as grandma and papa headed off on their tour of Portugal and Spain; as the headed towards the ancient walled city of Avila, we were in the car not far behind their bus and it was SNOWING (unheard of at this time of year), and I'm talking serious dumps (more in a later story)! But they spent an enjoyable 9 days touring places we have yet to see, and arrived back in time to experience a genuine 35C day at the King's College Fair, where they got to see los ninos strutting their stuff (as reported previously), and meet up with parents they'd made friends during their stay (Alexandra and Gustavo's brazillian cocktail stall was particularly inviting!).


Equestrian watching

Judo watching

Buzzy in full flight

Still working on the one-legged stance

Piano - the non-negotiable!

 This country is full of so many things to do and places to see, you can't squeeze it all in; next time it will be Granada on the agenda. Sunday it was back to Barajas for the flight to Dubai where they were going to have a stopover (in 50C heat - phew!). Technology, I must admit, is a marvellous thing; we can fone, send emails and blog messages and, best of all, skype with family and friends. And whilst it's wonderful to experience life in a foreign land and be able to see each other on a screen, there's nothing that takes the place of putting your arms around those you love. Thanks grandma and papa - see you here next year.

 Snapshots from the Bus Tour: