José and I took advantage of the holiday on Monday (Día de la Hispanidad) and went hiking at Cotos in the Sierra de Guadarrama above Madrid. I discovered that I am much more out-of-shape than I thought. But we had a great time and enjoyed some beautiful scenery and fresh air. And the old-time train which takes you into the mountains, was fun.
And now that José is back living in Madrid, we hope to be able to do a lot more of this type of thing.
Congratulations to Rio de Janeiro on winning the 2016 Olympics. And to Madrid for the strong second place finish. Frankly, that’s just the way I wanted it. After having lived in Atlanta during the run-up to the 1996 games, I have no desire to live in another Olympic city. Just headaches. And higher prices.
I did, however, go to the celebration that was taking place to watch the results come in. After all, Madrid throws great parties and it was only a few blocks from home. And the hope and suspense was tangible and exciting.
Once again I participated in Ciclonudista, Madrid’s annual bike ride and protest. The intention is to increase visibility of cyclist and demand more facilities such as bike lanes and rack in the city center. And the nudity is symbolic of how exposed we feel to traffic. This year José joined me as well on his new little, slick folding bike. There are pictures for those brave enough (or foolish enough) to look.
José, the kids and I spent a great week visiting with José’s family during Holy Week. First we spent a couple of days at his father’s in the foothills of northern Cáceres province and later we headed to the south. We stayed in the medieval town of Trujillo but spent most of the time at his sister’s in a nearby village. She was hosting the Trocolada, the 3rd annual gathering of all the cousin. A lot of Family!
But then again, last July I subjected José to my family’s annual reunion which dwarfed his.
Photos: Torremenga, Trocolada, Trujillo, Guadalupe
opera snow man
Check out my photos from our latest snowfall in Madrid, something that doesn’t happen too often. This was only the third time in my 5 winters in Madrid. And like a kid I took advantage of my classes being canceled and went out to frolic in it.
This past weekend Madrid celebrated its gay pride. Actually, the official events kicked off on Wednesday in the Chueca barrio and lasted through Sunday with the parade Saturday evening and night. José and I did the round of the various stages in Chueca on Wednesday and Friday nights. There were 5 official stages plus the ones set up by various bars/clubs and each offered great entertainment.
On Saturday we caught most of the parade along Gran Via arriving at about 8:30 and calling it quites at about 11. After a bit of rest and some Chinese delivery, we changed into our parting clothes, met up with Ignacio and headed off to Chueca again. We didn’t get to all of the stages/plaza that night as there was just too many bodies squeezed into those narrow streets and so, movement was slow at best. But we did have a great time before finally making it home around 4:00. And frankly, I’m realizing that my body just doesn’t do those kind of hours very easily anymore. Of course, that wasn’t helped by the calimochos–a strange Spanish mix of red wine and coca-cola that I discovered isn’t nearly as disgusting as it sounds.
I don’t know what the official tallies wind up being, but the pride organizers were hoping to eclipse the 2.3 million people who turned up last year when Madrid hosted the EuroPride. I thinking from the crowds I witnessed, that they got real damn close. Much different from the less than 50 people pride José and I experienced the previous weekend in Murcia. But both were good. Photos
Pedals, wheels, dicks and boobs. They were all on display Saturday when around a thousand bikers took to the streets of central Madrid to protest the lack of bicycle facilities in the city. And we went ‘au natural’ to make the point of how ‘exposed’ we are to vehicular traffic. Yes, I said ‘we’. My friend Jesus and I joined in the protest/fun. For me it was about bike safety and facilities, exercise and of course a chance to let it all hang out where normally I couldn’t.
We rode for about 2 and half hours covering most of the major streets throug the center/downtown area, starting at city hall and ending at the royal palace. Don’t know if either the mayor or king saw us but many people did. And most of them have the photos to prove it. I was disappointed that I was not shown in any of the major newspapers’ pictures. Though as the only black amoung the thousand, I definitely stood out. I also, took lots of photos but don’t look at them if you don’t care to see me nude. You have been warned.
I’m at home now recuperating from a grueling bike ride today. It was the first time in months I have biked and I’m feeling it. I went to a park a mile or so away: Casa de Campo which is huge. I knew it was big before but now can really appreciate just how big. It covers almost as much area as my hometown. (Yes, I looked it up. No, I don’t really have that kind of time). I go hiking there a lot but it was my first time there on wheels and I only managed a small part of it.
It’s a great place to ride offering paved roads, dirt roads, small trails and endless vistas. Parts are extremely flat yet there are many hills for those not faint of heart, or legs. And it was recently closed to traffic, theoretically, which was supposed to cut down on pollution and prostitution there, though I saw plenty of both. Of course many facilities in the park (theme park, basketball arena, convention center, courthouse, zoo/aquarium, etc.) require a modicum of vehicle traffic to function. And there were more hookers to dodge than there were cars. The working girls didn’t get the memo that they were no longer welcome. Some were doing a bit of promotion and advertising, others taking breaks and a few in full production and distribution mode as I passed.
I also spent a couple of hours taking in the zoo/aquarium. It was only my second time there and the other time was a while ago. I didn’t remember it much but mostly it is just a typical zoo with an aquarium plunked down in the middle of it. It’s nice than the zoos in the other cities i’ve lived in, with the exception of New Orleans’ Audubon Zoo of course which was fantastic pre-Katrina. Now I wouldn’t know. But Madrid’s was quite pleasant. Of course, on a Friday in April, it was full of preschoolers on field trips. I think slaloming around them, and the hookers out in the park was more tiring than peddling the bike. Photos
This past weekend D and I got our seasons passes to one of Madrid’s themeparks and enjoyed an afternoon there on Sunday.
As the pass also allows entry to the zoo/aquarium, water park and cableway in Madrid as well as several other parks theme parks and nature parks throughout Spain, we should have months of adventures ahead. It also offers a discount to the Six Flags park here which I have yet to visit although the boys went last year on a school field trip. They said it was great with many thrill rides and I’m looking forward to it. Of course, Parque de Atracciones also Sunday, we were able to do each of them several times. It was awesome!
Today, while out for an early afternoon stroll, D and I stumbled upon a performance of some opera classic songs. This took place at Plaza Oriente next to the Royal Palace. They had three stages setup and a giant snow-globe with live figures. We caught a song from Don Giovanni and a couple from The Magic Flute. We didn’t stay long as we were due to meet Marc, Monica and d. for lunch. (A fabulous Indonesian spread). But it was nice to catch a bit of the show. There always seems to be something happening around here. One of the benefits, I suppose, of living in the heart of a great, world-class city.
