Hola Chris

[Guest guest]

Hi

We stayed in Madrid. Hotel Persal, I think. Lots of Americans there

as well as Europeans. Not far from Plaza del Sol.

Fantastic day and a half in the del Prado, flamenco evening, nice

meals out (needed care for me!) etc. etc. Segovia was great;

interesting cathedral and the palace too. Toledo was incredible; the

whole town is something of a museum!! A tiny mezquita, two

synagogues (beautiful, no longer used as such) and a simply amazing

cathedral! I'd never seen anything like it. That's not to mention

the walls, ancient city gates etc. etc. I even tasted the famous

marzipan! I've just given four boxes to my sons and wife/girlfriend

as little gifts this evening. (They are all staying this week-end.)

Thanks for the good wishes for Jim. It is a really tough time, the

worst yet in 35 years of marriage. However, the kids being up has

been great, work keeps my mind occupied and I haven't been feeling

too bad myself although I have pain to-night....possibly the meal

out this evening. We've just finishes playing Perudo (Sp? Can't be

bothered going downstairs to check!) and I'm about to go to bed very

late! It's 1.45 am here. I just wanted to check my mail before

retiring for the night.

Thanks a million for the kind message. Are you looking for a hotel

in Madrid? The people at the Persal were great...terribly helpful

and friendly. However, the rooms, although spotless with comfortable

beds, were a bit basic....very small bathrooms etc. We'd left it a

bit late to book and didn't get any of the three or four hotels we'd

originally wanted. However, it was very conveniently placed; just a

short walk to metro station etc. We might just stay again if there

for a short time but we might well try somewhere else a bit less

basic. It depends what you're doing, of course. We were hardly in

the hotel!

What did you think of Segovia?

We've just had a school group go to Ypres for a Battlefields visit.

They just stayed one night. It's a very long coach journey but the

kids appreciate it. This year it was just one day after 11th

November, Armistice Day, when everyone here wears the poppy in

memory of all who died in war, especially, of course, in the poppy

fields of Flanders in WW1. Our kids take a wreath and are there for

a tour from a guide. Then they come right back! They should be

safely back now if all went well. There are special ceremonies at

the sites themselves on Armistice Day, with veterans....even still a

tiny number from WW1, but ours were one day late for those. There

might still have been something going on though; I'll hear all on

Monday.

Take care Chris. How are you at the moment?

With warm wishes,

Fliss (UK)

[Guest guest]

Dear Fliss:

So glad to hear more about your trip. I know the Puerto del Sol area.

I remember spending time there, walking through the Plaza in the late

afternoon and stopping for a cafe con leche to watch the sun go down.

On my last visit to Madrid, we stayed in the area where most of the

flamenco shows are held (very late at night, no?) We were just down

the street from Menkes, the shop that makes and sells flamenco

costumes and as I walked by everyday and looked at them, I just had to

have one. So I got a gorgeous red and white many-ruffled flamenco

dress made for me - and never wore it. I loaned it out many times to

a dancer here on Maui, and finally sold it to her. I do have a couple

of pictures of myself wearing it and thought perhaps I'd wear it to a

costume party sometime, but that never happened. And now that I've

lost a lot of weight, it wouldn't fit me anymore. But I have the

memories.

Other memories: Segovia. It was in the wintertime, January,

actually, of 1974 and my companion and I were the only visitors to the

castle. I have a marvelous picture of me sitting in one of Isabella's

throne chairs with the guard/guide standing next to me. We also

climbed the narrow, winding staircase to the top and had panoramic

views of a rather grey, overcast day. I also remember an inexpensive

restaurant and the first time I tried authentic paella. Delicious.

That was back when I could eat anything, of course.

On another trip, my ex-husband and I stayed in Toledo for a few days.

It is a fascinating place. Did you happen to take a day bus tour

from Madrid? We did that one time, too, and couldn't believe how many

churches in the city! And the tour went to every single one of them,

as well as the synagogue and damascene factory.

I can't imagine touring now (with CP) as I did then. Travel is so

exhausting, isn't it? The only trips I've taken in the past couple of

years have been cruises. The cruise part is fantastic - the difficult

part is getting there and home again. I know I'm getting older, but

the hassle of flying is so much worse than it used to be, don't you

think?

Again, thanks for sharing some of your holiday memories. Tell me what

you think of the Prado Museum? I'm more interested in history than

art, and after seeing some of the Goya and El Greco paintings, through

the crowds there at the time, I was bored. Just a short way down the

street, we found the National Musuem of Archeology and I was

absolutely fascinated. No crowds. So much from Spain's Roman period

- gorgeous mosiacs on the floor, and bits of jewelry and hair

ornaments. We spent hours there. Did you walk through the Retiro?

The huge park, also just down the street from the Prado?

You know, my first trip, in 1974, Franco was still in power. On my

second trip, in 1976, he had just died and there were already a lot of

changes. My last trip to Spain was in 1986 and there were tremendous

social changes. I could teach an interesting course at your school!

I'm doing ok - nothing new on the health front. Please let us all

know the results of your tests and how you're doing.

With warm aloha,

Christie