Going from Barcelona to Madrid was a bit of a shock: Barca was mostly warm, very artsy, tourist-friendly and we were staying with friends in a rented apartment. The Spanish capital, on the other hand, was cold (we even had snow), more historical than artsy, and we were staying in a cold hostel (beautiful 1800s building – see photos – but not well heated).

The colder winters have made architects very creative in bringing nature indoors including the train station where we arrived (see photo). Plants, including palm trees, filled the center of the old station building and a pond was filled with turtles, koi and water plants.

It was too cold to walk around much so we did one of those hop-on-hop-off bus tours so that we could see as much of the ancient city in as short a time out of doors as possible. We saw many historical structures of all types: churches, cathedrals and chapels; statues, arches and gates honoring heroes, kings and the war dead; parks and gardens; lovely walkways and bridges – all from the almost-warmth of the top level of a double-decker bus.

We did visit Spain’s most important historical museum, the Prado, where we spent three hours admiring paintings by Goya, Velazquez, Rubens, Raphael, El Greco, Fra Angelico, Durer and Bosch. I’d forgotten how so much of the art work of the 14th and 15th centuries was inspired and financed by the Church and those who wanted to assure their admittance to heaven. After three hours of viewing what felt like every possible depiction of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, John the Baptist as well as the annunciation, the birth, the death and the rise of Jesus, we felt like we’d seen enough. Thrown in for good measure were paintings of the royal families and gentry of the time who were usually the artists’ most important patrons.

We managed to go out a couple of times a day as, unlike most hostels, there was no kitchen available for our use. We had some great meals of paella and tapas and enjoyed great wines as well. What struck us as funny were the many restaurants and coffee shops with tables and chairs set up for customers to enjoy the freezing outdoors. These remained empty even in the warmth of the day.

We both caught colds in the freezing capital and imported them into France with no one paying attention to us despite all the warning posters about not traveling with the swine flu. No one checked our temperatures or was particularly worried when we sneezed, coughed or blew our noses. So much for the big scare.

WHAT’S NEXT: Moving to Hel & Rob’s flat in Carcassonne, France to spend the holidays. We’ve been told it won’t be any warmer but it is a lovely town, a beautiful apartment and we’ll be with friends for the New Year celebrations. We’re likely going to Hong Kong after Carcassonne, maybe spending a week or two in Vietnam if we managed to save enough money, and then move to China for Jacob’s job in Wenzhou, for February 2010.

NOTE: My “This Expat Life” & “Writing on Wednesdays” blogs are on hiatus until we settle down in Wenzhou in February 2010. Between now and then, I’ll be writing only about Baby Boomers Traveling. Hope you enjoy coming along with us.

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