The post below details events from Sat, Aug 30:
We had about half a day to continue exploring Madrid before boarding a train for Barcelona.
After seeing a broad overview of Madrid on Friday, we decided to spend most of the morning in Parque del Retiro. The park is very large green space in the city center and only a long five minute walk from our hotel.
The park was much larger than either of us had anticipated and has so many mixed uses. There are running/walking paths, lovely gardens, statues, fountains, small cafes, a large lake with row boats and sprawling green spaces with many trees. We mapped out a route through the park to see some of the major sights.
First down one of the major streets which is lined with statues of many Spanish explorers, warriors and rulers.
Then we moved on to the lake to see families in row boats as well as a large memorial in the background.
As we walked from the lake towards a few fountains, we started to notice a few pairs of Mormon missionaries. Each set a had an unsuspecting person trapped in a conversation. The further we walked, the more Mormon pairs we saw. We successfully avoided about 9 pairs, but our luck ran out as two Elders approached us as we walked. We didn't slow down, but they were persistent. Bridget talked with them for about 4-5 minutes. I had finally had enough - very sternly I told them that we were there to enjoy the beauty of the park, not to talk with them...and that we had no interest in continuing the conversation. A bit surprised by the bluntness, they just stopped and let us go. Bridget said - "so that's your mean voice?" Hahaha, nope that was just my direct voice....nowhere near the mean voice that I've only had to use once during the trip...so far.
The Elders hard at work...
Other shots from the park:
Our two hours in the park passed so quickly and we needed to head back towards the hotel and prepare to leave. On the walk back we stopped to look at works by several local artists. Bridget bought an incredible original oil on canvas in a wonderful Impressionism style. Such incredible blues, greens, purples.
Luckily we thought to look at our train tickets before leaving - our train left from a different station than the one we arrived. And even better - the station was much closer to the hotel - less than a 5 minute cab ride.
The main level of the train station was quite spectacular. I had seen this same image on several postcards throughout the city, so was a great surprise to find it as we left.
Due to timing, long lines and confusion about where our train was departing, we had to eat fast food again - this time Burger King. We boarded the train, quickly got seated and started to devour the cheeseburgers. We both agreed that an American-style cheeseburger, fries (with catsup) and Coca Lite tasted incredible!
Well feed and relaxed, we settled in for the 3 hour ride to Barcelona.
Seeing the Spanish country-side along the way was quite lovely. Some areas were very brown and looked like a desert. Other areas were a lush green.
Sorry for the quality - took these with my iPad, across the aisle, speeding along at 170+ mph:
Starting to see the ocean in the far background:
This was one of the few trains that we're ridden that it continued on beyond our stop. We had to exit quickly and fight through the crowds waiting to get on.
We quickly grabbed a cab and arrived at the hotel within about 15 minutes. The parts of the city that we saw on the way to the hotel were not very historic. On first view, Barcelona seems like a city that has adapted its architecture and style to the needs of a growing city.
At the hotel - Hilton Barcelona - the front desk clerk was extremely helpful and spent at least 20 minutes with us. Maria Jose covered the full map of Barcelona with us, suggesting restaurants, tours, must see attractions, etc.
The room was spacious, but certainly not the suites that I've been upgraded to with SPG properties. It is a very modern design and all of the photography in the room is of Gaudi buildings throughout the city.
We both spent time really going through our bags. I want to send a shipment of things home before leaving Barcelona and I really need to do laundry before leaving for Rome on Wed. I hated doing laundry in the bathroom sink in Buenos Aires, so am planning to find a laundry mat, perhaps on Tuesday.
The Executive Lounge of the hotel has en evening reception from 6-8 PM. Not only a wide selection of appetizers, but free wine too. I was surprised by the number of people in the lounge. We enjoyed several tapas style treats and a few glasses of wine.
For dinner, we decided on someplace very near the hotel. We were both a little tired and didn't feel like adventuring out too far. We found a wonderful tapas restaurant within the same block of the hotel. We were able to get an outside table facing the very wide sidewalk. Service is still a little slow to begin, but once we ordered, the food started arriving very quickly. We ordered:
- Gorgonzola and walnut croquettes
- Octopus
- Burrata cheese on a baguette
- Three-cheese risotto
- Calamari
- Tuna Tartar
Everything was very good, but we really loved the croquettes and tuna tartar.
The restaurant manager had talked with us numerous times and as we left he offered other restaurant suggestions for the rest of our stay.
As we made the short walk back to the hotel, we enjoyed the cooler, nighttime weather.
Although it is a Saturday night in Barcelona, the idea of a good night's rest sounded incredible...so bed won out!
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