First Days in Madrid

On Wednesday Jan. 21, I got up at 5:00 and left for the airport at 7:00.  As usual, all went quickly with checking one suitcase and then going through the TSA precheck line at the Phoenix Airport.  I had a light breakfast in the United Club and then caught the 8:45 flight to Washington Dulles airport, where it was snowing when we arrived at 3:00.  I then spent a couple of hours online working in the United Club before catching my 5:45 flight to Brussels.  Because of the cold and snow, our Boeing 777 had to be deiced before take off - this meant we left the gate around 5:45 but did not get airborne until about 6:30.  We landed in Brussels about 7:15 Thursday morning.  I spent a couple of hours in The Loft, the club run by Brussels Airline and then boarded my flight to Madrid at 9:45.  We landed in Madrid at 11:30 and it had warmed up to 34° F.  I took the Metro to the city center and got to Hostal Zamora about 1:00 - this will be my home for the next three days.

I had not slept well on my flights, so was tired and took a nap before going out for a walk and dinner.  I found a local cafe and had a menu del dia for ten euros for dinner - first course of pasta bolognese, second course of skewered chicken, fries and salad, and a desert of flan, plus a small beer to drink.  I then went for a walk and found a fruit and veggie store - I bought some bananas and apples to have as snacks.

After a fair nights sleep, I got up and did my classes online, and a few crossword puzzles.  After showering and shaving, I then go ready to go out.  I was waiting for Harry to arrive.  As I started down the stairs (the Hostal is on the fourth floor), I noticed the elevator going up.  Sure enough, it was Harry.  We connected, and then at 10:00 we went out for breakfast at El Horno de Almudena, a nice bakery and coffee shop just down the street.

We then went to the Madrid Historical Museum.  When I was previously in Madrid, the museum was closed for renovations.  It is now open and is beautiful, with all signs in both Spanish and English.  There is no charge for entry.  The museum gives a very nice history of the city.

Around noon, we moved on to the Naval Museum.  Although there is no entry charge, they do ask for a three euro donation and two euros for the English language handheld machines with recorded explanations of the various displays.  You can see the growth of Spain and its empire based on naval power, the loss of some of that empire as British naval power grew and displaced Spain.  And finally, the Spanish American war in 1898-1899 causing the loss of the remaining Spanish overseas empire.

We then went for lunch at the Cafeteria Prado where the menu del dia was twelve euros.  Three courses plus bread and a glass of beer was a good price.  We each had a second beer, but that was a bit expensive.  For dessert, Harry had flan and I had creme vanilla.

We then went to the Real Botanical Jardin.  Unfortunately, since it is winter, not much is in bloom.  We did see a lot of desert flora, both outside and inside the greenhouse.

Outside, we also saw a lot of bonsai trees.

We continued walking and exploring.  Over by the Palacio Real, we saw a street performance of an opera.

And then we went back to our hostal took a break to rest up before going to the ESG.

Lots of hiking and getting ready for Spain

Thursday evening, Patty and I went out for dinner at Ticoz restaurant, just a ten minute walk from our condo.  We had a nice dinner with a tasty pinot noir.

On the way home, there was no unusual traffic.  But five minutes later when I went out to walk the dog, I found a street crew out in the middle of 7th St.  It appears they were cleaning out culverts.

On Friday January 9, Patty and I went to Granite Mountain trail head in the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve.  We took a new trail that lead us north around Granite Mountain and over to the east side of Cholla Mountain and stopping to rest at Balanced Rock.

We came across this massive nest, nearly three feet wide and two feet high.  It is from some type of raptor, probably a harris hawk.

On Sunday Jan. 11, Anne, Josef, Patty and I went to Brown's Ranch trail head and hiked Brown's Mountain.  Several switchbacks led to a nice overlook at the saddle at the top of the trail.  There is another short trail will went all the way to the summit, but we decided to not go there.

We came across cacti that were splitting rocks as they grew.

On Wednesday Jan. 14, Patty, Anne, Josef and I again went to the Granite Mountain trail head but this time hiked the Branding Iron and Granite Mountain Loop trails.

Josef is Shawn's 27 year old nephew.  We have enjoyed several hikes with him.

On Thursday Jan. 15, I drove to Tucson to donate platelets at the American Red Cross blood center.

We still regularly take Mr. Shadow out for walks around the neighborhood.  Here, I was looking at the frost damage to some of the plants, while he was probably wondering if it was okay to pee on the plants.

On Saturday Jan. 17, we again went to the Brown's ranch trail head and Patty, Anne, Josef and I hiked the Cholla Mountain Loop trail, with stops at Cathedral Rock and the Amphitheater.  Since I had left my phone in the car, I have no photos from that hike.  

On Monday Jan. 19, it was the MLK holiday.  For a change, the four of us went to Gateway trail head (in another part of the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve) to hike the Inspiration Point trail.  It is described as 2.9 miles each way and 1,000 feet increase in elevation.  Unlike the trails we had been hiking, this trail was rougher, requiring us to watch where we placed our feet.  Even young Josef noted that the trail was a much harder climb, especially on the way down.  Here is a photo of a rock at the point.

Josef has a series of photos taken at many high spots on his many hikes.  Here are several I took.  He always has the same pose.

The week before, I went to a meeting of the American Pilgrims Club.  Members are interested in hiking the Caminos in Spain - this is what Patty and I will be doing in Spain in May.  We will do the last 110 KM of the Via de la Plata from Ourense to Santiago de Compestela.  The meeting was held at the Total Wine store and included a presentation about hiking the entire Via de la Plata from Sevilla to Santiago de Compestela - some 600 KM.  At the end of the meeting, the Total Wine staff had two wines for us to sample.  I liked the Castillo Clavijo tempranillo wine the best and bought three bottles.  We will have more soon.

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, President Obama gave his State of the Union speech.  VP Joe Biden and Speaker Boehner sat behind him.  After getting sick of watching Boehner smirk and make faces, we put up a folder to cover his face.  I then posted this photo on Facebook and that generated many interesting comments.

One week after snow, we set a new high temp of 81 degrees

The day started with a beautiful moon still visible when I walked the dog this morning.

I later found out that there was an accident further south near Indian School and 7th St., so the traffic was backed up even more than usual this morning.

As I turned left onto Colter St., yesterday's sinkhole was being repaired.

Patty and I drove to the Brown's Ranch Trail Head on Alma School Parkway in North Scottsdale.  We sat in the parking lot and had our regular teleconference with our financial advisor, then set off on a hike.  We decided to go up Brown's Mountain and then hike on from there.

It was uphill, but not bad at all - a nicely maintained trail that had a half dozen switchbacks.  Once there, we chose to not do the summit trail - instead we just went to the west overlook.

Three horseback riders were coming up the north side just as we arrived.

We continued down the north side, and out and around the park, including the Corral Trail and several other trails.

We came across this strange barrel cactus that had sprouted arms - most unusual.

We found this old water tank along the corral trail.

After about five miles and two plus hours, we stopped for a snack.  Patty enjoys her new chair (and she enjoys that I carry her chair and my stool).

We covered about seven and a half miles in three hours and fifty minutes.  When we got back home, I walked the dog and saw that the sinkhole had been filled in and paved over.

The weather is amazing.  There was snow New Years morning, yet today (seven days later) we set a new record high of 81°.  It makes hiking and walking the dog very enjoyable.