Home, Cold Home

We Managed to actually leave the hotel room at a reasonable time on our last day, We were up and out by 0915 and The Sleep Monster didn't even make that much of an appearance!

The hotel staff were really helpful and booked us a taxi to go to the airport, with a lovely driver who spoke barely any English but did teach us how to say first in Spanish (I think that was be badly translated "Airport, terminal one please"). He dropped us off right outside the terminal, which was useful because it was a bloody long walk even then, getting the Metro would have made it miles!

Whistle-stop tour of duty free (which seems to be cheaper online anyway?) and we were airside within about half an hour. That is, after my bag was searched and swabbed for drugs! I would have been insulted had I not realised that I brought The Old Lady some nice bath powder things... which were in my hand luggage as 3 baggies of powder. I guess they did look suspicious! Luckily they didn't find any drugs (no comments about "you got away with it then" from you lot, don't think I can't hear you!) and we were through fairly painlessly!

Very cool playing with light in the airport!

Madrid airport is different to Stansted in that Stansted seems very small and cramped airside and very vast and airy past customs, whereas Madrid is the other way around. Airside in Madrid looks a bit like a huge shopping centre, but one that is a bit barren once you get to the gate we wanted, whereas past customs in Madrid was pretty packed and fast paced until you got on the Metro. Interesting how different places in the world do things!

We stopped off for one last Spanish meal, paella! Sadly, no wine this time (which is a shame, I've certainly enjoyed that part of Spanish culture!) but just a simple bottle of coke and some chocolate to see us through the long wait.

Excuse me, we're British!

Our flight was delayed about 30 minutes in the end, which really didn't bother us too much. The funniest thing was listening to other people! We were due to board at 1240 and at 1245 they still hadn't called us, we heard a lady go to the gate and ask the staff "can we queue yet? I'm British, I like to queue". SO funny! As soon as they moved the "does your bag fit" thing in front of the gate about 90 people jumped up form the waiting chairs and formed an orderly queue! Safe to say I think most folks on that flight were British!

Leaving the sunny skies
for grey! :(

One we were on the flight (after dodging the jobsworth who wanted to put my bag in the hold) it was time to settle down for a 2 1/2 hour flight over a country I really have fallen in love with! The plane flew over fields, vineyards and mountainous areas that are just crying out to be explored! Once we were over sea there was only one thing for it: Dr. Quinn on the netbook! Gotta love portable harddrives!!

Why does it always rain on me?

We landed at Stansted in good time and got through customs without a problem, waited for a bus to take us back to mine and finally grounded at around 1630, walking through my front door to be greeted by two overly excited doggies! Nice to know I was missed! Sadly for them less than 24 hours later I was packed up and ready to go and see the Sausages down near Portsmouth for the weekend, but I'm back home now until the end of school term (Easter) when I'll be sodding off somewhere else. Suggestions please!

Happy doggies!

In conclusion: I loved Spain. I know we were only there 48 hours and I know we didn't even see all of Madrid, let alone experience the rest of Spain, but I honestly did love it. I was also being truthful when I said I'd already started the job search and plan to come back in the summer to do some English teaching abroad! Lets hope I fall just as in love in March when I jump on a plane destined for Lisbon, or Copenhagen, or Cologne, or Berlin, or Bali, or Vancouver, or....

iEstoy Viajando con mi Esposa!

We have arrived!!

The day started around midnight on Monday when M arrived at mine, I was busy filling in a job application and watching the Anaheim Ducks win against the Calgary Flames (wooo!!!). We were planning not to go to sleep because we has to get up so very early and spent a few hours settling down with Dr. Quinn on (I've been turning M into a Dr. Quinn fan!), we made it through the first four episodes of Season two (watched in the correct viewing order, not the order it was aired... because I'm a fussy nerd like that!! Despite our best efforts we snuggled down on the bed in my Den and fell swiftly to sleep for an hour!!


We were rudely awoken at around 0430 by our set alarms and wearily piled in for breakfast burritos
(recipe below!) at 5am. Once we were adequately fed and watered we picked up our belongings and went to catch the peasant wagon to the Airport. The only good thing about living near the airport is that its only £1.60 to get a bus right up to the terminal, sadly this also means that all public transport links go to the airport and not through my village, and the bus stops at about 2300 and doesn't start again until 0543 meaning our options for a night out in London are limited to an extortionate taxi fare home!

Felt a bit like The Beatles... but not as much as
when I was in China wandering to a charter jet
 (same as used by private jets) with guitar in hand!

We arrived at the airport at around 0550 and, thanks to some generous fast track passes that were donated to the cause, were through security baggage by 0630! Just in time to have a wander through the revamped terminal. A little tidbit of information here: When I was 18 I had a job working at Wetherspoons airside in Stansted Airport, I LOVED that job and the folks that worked there and had a great time. That was, however, 10 years ago and my goodness how the terminal had changed!! It is entirely unrecognisable and so very easy to lose my barings!! The Windmill Bar has changed completely and looks nothing like it did when i worked there at all, so very strange!!

Memories!!

We stopped in for a drink and then headed down to gate 45 for our flight. Luckily no-one questioned me about my rather large "one personal bag" or the fact that my tripod renders my carry-on bag too tall, so thankfully we were right through and on the plane in no time!

and we're off!!

Settled down in time to hear the Captain state that the journey to Madrid would be "bumpy" and boy was he right! For the entire flight there seemed to be turbulence! I did wave to my house on the flight over (although, truthfully I'm not sure if it was my house!) and I think we flew over Jersey...or possibly Guernsey... or possibly the Isle of Wight?! I can hear my dad singing a song about the IoW right now that I won't share with you!!

Start as you mean to go on: with food!

We touched down in Madrid with a fairly pleasant landing and passed thorough customs in record time (despite having a near miss where my bag got caught on the escalator and almost pulled me over the side!), ready to navigate the Metro to our hotel. We've picked up a tourist travel card for three days that gives us access to unlimited use of public transport in the Madrid area, this will be really useful and, as it runs out on Thursday and we fly home Friday, we're planing on being a bit lazy and hopping in a taxi to the airport Friday morning!

I am so proud of this photo...

Its the first time, as an adult, I've been on the underground service in another country and I was really surprised to note that it smelled exactly like London... minus the piss! It was easy to navigate too, although the Madrid Metro has numbers (line 1, 2, 3, etc) rather than names (Central, Circle, Victoria, etc). Getting to our hotel was a doddle too, we're about a 15 minute walk from a metro station!

I'm please to report that our hotel is LOVELY! We've pad around 30E (can;t find the Euro sign..) a night and were expecting just above hotel standard, but we've actually got a really nice hotel that is above Premier Inn standard! It also has A BATH!! <3

Few hours kip in the hotel and it was off to find some food, what do you eat while you're in Spain? Japanese Sushi of course! It was an interesting experience trying desperately to order from a Japanese lady who spoke Spanish and precious little English, my appealingly bad Spanish helped us through with a lot of pointing, hand signals (the polite ones) and nods... we wont mention the fact that we ordered off of the Valentines menu... We finished off our food by heading over the road from our Hotel to the Irish Pub! Such cultured people we are!!

Back at the hotel by midnight and, after a long day, there was only one thing to do... plug in M's harddrive to the smart TV and watch an episode of Dr. Quinn before bed!

Tomorrow we plan to head into town and see a few of the tourist sights, more selfies to come I promise!!

Buenas noches mis amigos!