Madrid and More Random Thoughts

Hello,

We are in Madrid....going to their museums, eating some tapas, dining at really odd hours, and generally getting little sleep. Today we went to the Real Jardin Botanico (their botanical gardens-- which was very nice) and to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (a modern art museum--which basically specialized in the works of Picasso, Miro, Gris, and Dali). Both outings were enjoyed at a leisurely pace due to our decreasing levels of energy.

Anyway....here are some more random thoughts 66 days into the trip:

1. P has been keeping a mental checklist of the Europeans that he sees wearing American baseball hats. Basically, there have been thousands of people wearing NY Yankee hats, 1 person wearing a LA Dodgers hat, 1 person wearing a Cleveland Indians hat, and 4 people wearing Atlanta Braves hats.

2. P has 2 peripheral goals for the trip. The first is to make it through all of Europe without stepping in dog poop that is on the sidewalk (this is much harder than you might think). The second is to go the whole journey without having to pay to use a public toilet (this one takes serious dedication, foresight, and willpower). Thus far, P has been successful and hopefully this post doesn´t jinx things. V has already taken a dive in regards to both goals. (I only slight grazed the dog poop, I didn't actually step in it!)

3. Spanish people seem to think that horn-honking actually affects a traffic jam that is already in place on a ONE way street.

4. Even though we heard this before we left, we´ve found it to be true on the street....the Spanish people are the friendliest and most outgoing people out of all the countries we´ve been to so far.

That´s all for now....we are in Madrid until tomorrow and then we´ll head to Bilbao, Spain.

V & P