A Day in Madrid….warning: most of this has nothing to do with Madrid.

I spent yesterday doing what I love most when traveling, wandering around exploring somewhere new. For me, it seems like Madrid has limited sightseeing tourist stops. It has 3 ultra famous museums and lots of plazas, but that’s about it. For me, I pass on the museums in general. In my opinion, the outdoors, the sights, smells, and people of a place are WAY more interesting. Yes, part of me feels like an uneducated buffoon for not appreciating the stunning intellectualism that museums offer…but if that makes me a classless dunderhead, then so be it. I don’t like museums (mostly).

I did visit one museum, the Riena Sofia. The book mentioned it was dedicated to more modern art and mentioned artists whose work I actually enjoy, Picasso, Miro, Dali. So I went and, being by myself, I got to do the museum the way I “do” museums. I walk through and glance around at what’s there. I say: meh, meh, ooh, meh, huh?, meh, nice, what?, meh, yuck, and so on. When I see something worth giving a mere glance because I like it, or because it peaks my curiosity, then I actually go look at it. I might even read the little sign. If I REALLY like something, I just might spend more than a minute or two looking at it. Then I move on, and back to meh, meh, yuck, ooh! The WORST thing ever is to go to a museum with “museum people”. You know, the people who spend ages looking at every single piece of art and read every word on every sign…if there ever was a living hell, that would be it for me. That, and having someone jam sticks under my fingernails. Hard to say which of those is worse. Don’t get me wrong, I admire those lofty museum folks who can approach art with more intellectualism, I just accept that I am not like them. I either like it, or I don’t. I don’t particularly care about the rest.

The rest of the day was spent wandering around. I’m totally kicking myself for buying a 10 ride metro card. All the plazas and the museum and other stuff were so spread out that I had anticipated hopping the metro to get around. Nope, didn’t happen. I kept putting the place I wanted into Google maps and selecting walking, and it would say 20 minutes. I’d think, 20 minutes is quick, and think of all the neat stuff I might see on the way there. Let’s GO! I mean, you occasionally see neat stuff on the metro, but usually that’s a different kind of neat than what I’m looking for.

So, I spent the entire day walking. Bought bandaids for my blister because I brought the wrong stupid shoes, and then kept walking. Speaking of those stupid shoes, a word of advice. Once you “know thyself” , don’t flipping second guess it!! I KNOW there a 2 kinds of shoes to wear for lots of walking (for me, at least). One is for “hard core hiking” (toe shoes, preferably vibrams) and flip-flops for all else. Oh, the miracle of flip-flops! You see, I spent my younger years always getting blisters. Endless hot spots, actually torn skin, and bulging blisters. That is, until I came to realize that the one kind of shoe that NEVER gave me a single blister or hot spot….was the ever so humble flip-flop! What a revelation! Not just for beach wear, for everyday walking around. The flip-flop is a godsend, manna from heaven.

So, WHY, WHY WHY, did I forsake thee, oh blessed flip-flop?? What insanity possessed me to be unfaithful and doubt your true superiority over all other lesser shoes? But…the crock sandals were so cute, so comfy, so tempting! I will never forsake my beloved flip-flops again, no amount of cute will ever temp me to stray, lesson re-learned. Gotta say though, the sandles are super cute 😕

Oh, and that 10 ride metro card I spent 20 bucks on? I used 2, 1 to get from my hotel into central Madrid, and the other to get home. I’ll just give it to someone today, at least somebody can get some use out of it. I am headed to San Sebastian today to begin my 6 days walking a piece of the Camino de Santiago. We will see how the knee that I hurt last week holds up, so far it seems like it will be fine. Famous last words?

One last thing that must be said, I love love love Google maps! I just put in where I want to walk, and go. I turn my phone on silent so people don’t have to hear the Google lady say to turn right in 20 meters onto calle Santa Maria. But damn…so easy it almost takes the adventure out of it. But, then I can turn Google off and wander aimlessly, never worrying about where I’m going or of getting lost because the google lady will always figure out where the hell I am and help me find my way back. Super liberating. And don’t get me started on googlefi, my cell phone plan that is basically a cheap phone with an international plan. No more hunting down a local SIM every time I hit a new country, and no more basic dataless phone when traveling. Full access to all the joy of Google maps and for no more $ than what I would pay at home. Priceless! (No, I am not sponsored by Google and they aren’t giving me one cent for the plug….I just truly find it awesome). But….I do realize it means that the all seeing eye of Google is upon me at all times. But what will Google know about me, that I walk around a lot and that I go through a museum like my pants are on fire?