Monday 18th March

Well, that was a short sleep. We went to bed at 9.30pm Sunday evening and we were awake again by 1.30am Monday morning. We must have been the only ones awake in Sedlescombe. It was dark, calm, and dry as we packed the boot with a suitcase and a small piece of hand luggage each.

Our chosen route to Gatwick was a simple one, A21, M25 then M23, we hardly met any traffic and made good time, ah, if it was ever thus. We followed the Satnav to our short term holiday car park, parked up and dropped off our car keys. No sooner had we done so than our coach arrived and after a short ride, deposited us at North Terminal departures. It wasn’t long before Jane, Kerry, Arthur and Hendrix arrived and we began the process of checking in. After showing this that and the other to various officials at various desks our bags were dropped and we were on our way to the Gate. Everything was a little rushed and we found ourselves being squashed on to a very overcrowded coach which took us to our aircraft. It wasn’t long before we were up and away and above the clouds enjoying the sunshine. Time passed quickly and the boys behaved themselves perfectly considering this was their first experience of flying, the whole flight from start to finish went well and time passed quickly, so much so we were soon disembarking albeit the last to leave the cabin picking up all manner of things that had brought to amuse the boys along the way.

Baggage reclaim was smooth as was passport control then began the next phase of our journey, the metro into Madrid centre. Tickets purchased and 2 changes of line later we were above ground and making our way to our apartment which would be our base for the next 4 days.

Our accommodation is clean and comfortable and very well located being near to the centre and thus the main attractions that Madrid has to offer.

After depositing our ‘stuff’ we popped to the supermarket to buy things that would see us through for a few days.

My first impressions of Madrid are that this city is quite modern in its feel with many young people enjoying what it has to offer, the weather helps of course, it is lovely and warm unlike the U.K. at present.

After a rest for us and a sleep for the twins we went for a walk through Madrid’s equivalent of the West End. As expected, it was busy and bustling, there was a noticeable police presence but nevertheless we felt safe and secure. Everybody was out either browsing and buying in the shops or eating and drinking in the numerous roadside restaurants, cafes and bars. The people all seemed very friendly with particularly one elderly lady who stopped to speak to us at length about the twins, needless to say we didn’t have a clue what she was on about but nodded knowingly every now and then to reassure her that her words had not fallen upon deaf ears. Eventually we chose a restaurant just away from the main road where we selected some typical Spanish fayre from the menu, cold beer, quesadillas and Spanish omelette for Maggie and me to share. Our food eaten we made our way back to our apartment enjoying the streets again but this time with everything lit up, Jane likened it to Times Square.

Early to bed – ready to experience more of Madrid tomorrow.

Tuesday 19th March

And it’s another warm and sunny day.

Madrid Centre is quite compact so that most of what the tourist wants to see is close by and easily walkable, we know ‘cos we walked it today and saw it on the way past.

After a late start as we were all seriously in need of some shut eye after yesterday, Kerry popped along the street and bought fresh croissants for breakfast, they were delicious.

Today we planned to retrace yesterday evening’s stroll along the Calle Gran Villa with a couple of detours to look in shop windows, so that we could then visit, with a stop for a coffee freddo along the way, Madrid’s world famous Prado Museum, it did not disappoint, however there was one unfortunate exception, the Goya painting I was hoping to see was on loan to another gallery, oh well. At least our entrance fee was halved, over 60s got a concession on the price of their tickets. After spending some time viewing paintings, some which were world famous and easily recognisable (Bruegel & Bosch), we decided to retrace our steps and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves sat and drinking al fresco style just watching the world go by, the cerveca was cold and smooth. A quick visit to Desigual, note, no purchases made, and we were back at the apartment taking it easy.

In the early evening, with it still light and comfortably warm, Mags and I went out to find somewhere to eat. After a little while we found a busy square close by and sat at a table in a pavement bar come restaurant where we ordered a couple of beers and pizzas, as we drank and ate, Madrid evening carried on round about us, everyone here seems to come out at night, the shops remain open, buses, cars and taxis go here, there and everywhere and crowds of people are on the move. We are close to theatre land so presumably many people are here spending a few days in Spain’s capital city. Following dinner we strolled back to our apartment and were soon to bed following what had been another busy day.

Wednesday 10th March

Croissants both plain and chocolate for breakfast once again, I can’t get enough of ‘em, warm, delicious and greasy! But best of all they’re cheap.

Today Maggie and I decided to visit the palace whilst the girls treated themselves and the twins to breakfast out.

It was a lovely walk in the warm morning sunshine down the main road to a series of wide and modern pathways which led, completely traffic free, to the capital’s palace complex. Both mounted guards and foot soldiers dressed in traditional uniform stood sentry at the palace entrance, the horses taking a walk around every few minutes to help stretch their legs whilst those stood on guard could only change their stance rather than their location. All of this attracted the attention of the numerous tourists as well as providing a lot of up close photos opportunities.

We then walked around the corner and into a large courtyard which allowed us to view the facade of the palace in all its splendour. It was here we sat a while and listened to a solo violinist playing classical sounding versions of well known pop songs.

Whilst in this area we noticed an extremely colourful dome on a building in the near distance so we decided to make for that via some authentic Egyptian ruins. Luckily we chose the right time to leave as around the corner the changing of the guards ceremony was just about to begin. With a drum and piccolo accompaniment new replacement foot soldiers and cavalry were marched out and with some shouting of orders, the ceremony took place. I suspect all those being relieved were extremely pleased, the temperature had risen somewhat and those uniforms looked heavy, hot and rather cumbersome.

We left the palace area and strolled to a hill upon which sat the Temple of Debod with its Egyptian (Nubian) ruins given to Spain in gratitude for them helping in the removal of various ancient buildings prior to the building of the Aswan dam. From here we once again spotted that colourful dome and walked towards it so we could get a good closeup photograph. We were now thirsty so visited one of the numerous Starbucks where an iced coffee was just the thing to quench our thirst. After a short rest here we walked through the backstreets where we eventually met with J & K and the boys in the Plaza Mayor. Here in this picturesque square we had a bite to eat along with a cold beer. Although it was still quite warm, it was starting to cloud over and the wind had picked up so we wended our way home back to our apartment whilst all the time having the twins admired by onlookers.

This city is busy with a capital B and I suspect that the vast majority of its inhabitants are under 25, I know not why!

In the evening Maggie and I decided to go out for something to eat and boy did we choose well – VIP restaurant – (no, it doesn’t stand for what you’re thinking) but it was very nice and sold whole food, the type that Maggie and I really enjoy. Maggie had an amazing salad with goat’s cheese, Feta, tomatoes, salad leaves, quinoa, strawberries, mango, avocado and walnuts all in a light dressing whilst I opted for a quinoa burger with avocado, delicious and it didn’t break the bank.

Thursday 21st March

…..and it’s another beautiful day here in Madrid, warm and getting hotter as the day progressed. Thank goodness we chose this week to visit, the temperature is forecast to drop to 11 or 12 degrees next week with spells of rain, can’t imagine what it will be like then

Today we decided to make for the large arches of the Puerta de Alcala standing close by an entrance to a large park and boating lake with a huge Monument of Alfonso 11th (he must have been important)

To get there we walked our familiar route along the Gran Via but this time staying on the shadier, cooler side of the road. We crossed over by the fuente de Cibeles roundabout near to the Palacio de Cebeles and Naval Museum, see, we’re getting to know this place, and then up the short hill to the 3 curved arches which marked one of the Parc de el Retiro entrances. The park was extremely busy, it seemed that everyone had decided to come here today, tourists, locals, school parties, families and US.

We spent quite a while here simply enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and did a complete pathside circuit of the lake whilst watching the numerous rowing boats on top of the lake and large carp swimming in the lake. Buskers abounded (if you can say that) and we even saw a man playing a serpent, an ancient instrument a bit like a premature saxophone. Not everything was rosy in the garden though, I’ve got to tell you that on our walk,we crossed some bridges spanning the streams filling the lake and they looked a strange nasty colour, let’s hope no one falls in and that carp is not on the menu this evening.

On exiting the park we retraced our steps with a slight detour when we were halfway back and enjoyed a refreshing ice cold coffee whilst sitting watching the world go by all in the shade of a parasol and on the widest of pavements.

We walked back to the apartment to relax awhile and allow the heat of the day to make its way from our bodies 25+ degrees.

At around 6pm we all went for an early evening meal together, it was excellent. Kerry, Jane and the twins returned to the apartment whilst Maggie and I popped down and then across the road to take a look at the Cervantes Monument which was now beginning to be illuminated as the sun was setting. The statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza astride respectively their horse and mule looked good and attracted some attention from the tourists etc, I had to wait my turn to get a reasonable photo.

Finally we walked back to the apartment but not before Maggie had visited a shop to buy a cheap pair of lime green crocs.

We packed and then went early to bed anticipating what was to come, a long morning tomorrow.

Goodnight.

Friday 22nd March

The second early start of the holiday began with a 5.30am alarm as today we would be journeying home. Amazingly we were all packed and ready to leave just after 7am. We walked to the Place de Espagne metro, a different one from the station we had arrived at last Monday, this should make our journey to the airport much easier. It all seemed to start so well until we got off the lift where confusion immediately kicked in and the signs seemed to bear little resemblance to the route we had planned. After some ‘assistance’ from a passer by we soon got back on ‘track.’

With one change at Nuevo Ministerios it was only another 5 stations before we arrived at Terminal 1. Having the advantage of travelling with a buggy and 2 babies we instantly became priority passengers and passed through baggage drop, security and passport control reasonably quickly, at least much quicker than at Gatwick.

The airport was fairly quiet but as we had expected began to get busier as the morning progressed. We were in good time so had a bite to eat and a coffee.

As I look around now, however, there a few empty seats where before there were plenty, there’s something to be said for making an early arrival. After sitting for a good while, which at least gave the boys a chance to stretch their legs, their walking has certainly speeded up since the beginning of the week, we were called to begin our boarding.

This series of events often follow the same pattern at many airports around the world and is as follows

1. queuing, followed by

2. checking of passports and boarding cards,

3. descending the ubiquitous set of steps to be held at the bottom until

4. The coach arrives to transport just slightly annoyingly more than a coach-load of passengers to the aeroplane.

Kerry and Jane +H & A received the special ‘family with children’ treatment which adds up to the same as the rest of us as did the ‘priority boarders’, again, the same procedure, really, what’s the point? We all end up on the plane sitting in our allocated seats!

The flight was a little delayed but did (obviously) eventually take off and we all settled down for what we hoped would become a smooth and effortless journey albeit with the twins remaining active throughout. About 3/4 of the way through the flight Arthur became a bit fractious and for good reason, he unfortunately decided to throw up what he’d been eating and drinking, the wet wipes were liberally distributed and he was whisked off by Kerry to the toilet/changing area at the rear of the cabin. No sooner was he back, looking like a new man with Kerry in their seat than we began our descent into London Gatwick. As we looked out of our window, we noticed our flight path took us directly over Bewl water.

As the plane pulled up at its stand and passengers began to disembark, we remained seated, there was a lot of debris to gather before it became appropriate for us to say our goodbyes to the cabin crew. Finally along with very few others we made our ‘long’ walk to passport control where there were certainly more customs officers than passengers needing their passports checked and thence to  baggage reclaim. No sooner were we through what appeared to be a non existent customs check than we were waiting for our respective coaches to pick us up and whisk us off to our cars which had been parked and waiting for our return for the last 4 days.

It’s cold here.

What a great holiday, Thanks JKHA we thoroughly enjoyed it.