sunday, july 27
What can I say? The day didn’t start out the way we planned. I blame the phone navigator, and by default, since it’s on Raymond’s phone, he’s to blame. It’s funny to me that he’s sitting next to me and he has no idea I’m disparaging his name. Hopefully, by the time he reads this, I’ll be back in the U.S. There were two scheduled guided tours: Old Town Madrid and a tour the Royal Palace of Madrid. We did not arrive on time for either. Once again, I’m blaming Raymond. Listen, don’t judge me. I’m not throwing him under the bus, but when I tell the tale, I think you’ll agree with me. For starters, my phone service doesn’t work here. If I’m not connected to WiFi, all I have is an iPod. Raymond’s phone, however, can still connect to the European satellites. When we’re not in the hotel, we were relying on him for internet connection, and dare I say, city navigation. In fairness, it wasn’t completely his fault. Several times when we did Google search, find what we’re looking, click the button for direction, the navigator never delivered. We were almost always asking someone for help. But partial blame is still full accountability.: it’s his phone, his service, his fault. He’s a retired veteran, he gets it. As for me, I’m loading the wagon.
This touring company runs a tight ship. If you’re on time, you’re late. So, after Raymond’s navigator had us somewhere near the U.S. border, and missing both guided tours, we salvaged the day. We purchased tickets for a self-guided tour of the Royal Palace. We were given a cell phone that was loaded with video clips describing 28 sections of the palace. The photo below is of the Royal Palace of Madrid. If you want to see photo from inside the palace, click on the link above: “Sites of Madrid & Lisbon.” We survived. The palace was unbelievable.
For dinner, we went to El Sur de Moratin for dinner. It was awesome. Our waiter was the best, and conversational, which I like. I ordered an old fashion and green tea (great combination, right?), Raymond ordered some non-alcoholic drink. Why did he bother to come here? For dinner, I ordered the Seafood Paella, He had the Curry Chicken with Rice. There was no rush to get back to the hotel. We just relaxed, retelling stories we’ve told countless times, and telling them with all the detail we always have. The day did not start the way I’d hoped, but it certainly ended the way I wanted it to.
