The Backpackers Club

Our time in Madrid came to a quick close on Wednesday night as we had dinner one last time in our hostel and packed our bags. Both avid readers and tired from the sun and walking around the city we settled in for the night with our books. Beth and I are both pretty big nerds so though you might think it was an early night for us it really wasn't as we were thrilled to find new books at FNAC, an amazingly large book store in Madrid. We ended up turning off the lights at 12:30 am... I think it was our coping mechanism for dealing with the reality of leaving our European backpacking adventure... Our morning was an early one as we hoped to be at the airport by 10 am. We figured in 1 hour of travel time as we both felt very comfortable getting to the Madrid airport by Metro-- we had done it twice before going through our lost luggage debacle. The only minor hiccup was that the metro line running to the aiport was being serviced so we had to get off at an earlier metro stop, hop on a bus with our big backpacks and get on at the next metro stop where the bus dropped us off... There were no signs directing us to where we needed to go at the airport but we figured it all out. We were in quite a few long lines but made it to our 11:30 am boarding with 20 minutes to spare. We first flew into Chicago and were very worried that our bags wouldn't make it but they did and we were off to customs. The moment one of the customs officials saw us he flagged us down and had us go through his line. He was so elated to see a couple of backpackers! He asked us what countries we had been to and shared his backpacker countries from 1995. He was beaming and it was as if we were had now been initiated to some sort of a club. He had us put our bags on the security belt and yelled to the guys on the other side "Hey guys, we've got a couple of backpackers coming through!" The trip was coming to a close but our memories and pictures will always be with us... he was proof of that. Once in Houston our packs were one of the first to come through baggage claim... Justin was the gentleman that he always is, positioning to get both of our packs for us but we preferred to get them ourselves. They are our badges of honor. As we both hoisted them off the belt we endured our last stares from people around us... all sort of suggesting... "Can they do it?" "Will they fall over?" We did it as we had many times before... on and off train luggage racks, metro floors, restaurant seats and park benches. We were now part of the club.

Our Last Few Days as Backpackers

We were on our way to concluding the trip by taking a train ride from San Sebastian to Madrid. Although it was raining for most of our time there, I really lamented having to leave. The city was gorgeous with its beach waters and green mountains. We had some of the best ice cream we've ever had there and got to finally feel like we were on vacation. There were no agendas, no sights we really needed to see... just surf, sand, green mountains and shops and eateries. We got to Madrid with no problem at all. The hostel I chose was only 2 connections away from the Madrid Chamartin train station (where the train dropped us off) and we were lucky to be traveling on the metro right before rush hour. The hostel was directly to our right once we exited the metro station. We were right in the middle of Madrid's most major street--Gran Via. The name speaks for itself. This hostel was a true backpacker's hostel. Bare bones rooms but a decent free breakfast in the morning and free internet if one could manage to snag a computer before someone else grabbed it. Our room didn't smell like sewage so we were already off to a really good start. However, the bed mattresses were just big pieces of foam with blue clothlike material draped over them with hospital sheets... hmmm... not inspiring the most confidence. At least the shower gave out more water than just one lone thin drip of water. So there were pluses and minuses to the hostel. The biggest place was the location. While looking at the Madrid metro map we quickly realized that all the metro stops we needed were only 2 or 3 stops away from our hostel, making it very easy for us to avoid mass transit and walk instead. That first evening we walked down our street to Plaza del Sol, the heart of Madrid. School had just let out for all students and the streets were crowded with families, shoppers, love birds and ice cream eaters. Madrid's beauty comes from its liveliness and energy. No matter what time of day people are always out and the energy of the city can be felt. We drifted from street to street, shop to shop, manuevering through crowds and prostitutes... yes, prostitues. Our street in particular was lined with them. Such is Madrid... We didn't do much that night as we were both tired from the train ride so we enjoyed being out with the Madrilenos. Our last two days in Madrid and as backpackers were very laid back with visits to Museo Del Prado, Spain's National Musuem which houses paintings by Goya, El Greco, Rembrandt and Raphael among others. I got to see my favorite painting by Goya one more time (see inserted pic) titled "El Perro Semihundido". It is one of his darkest paintings. That ate up most of our time on Tuesday... that night we were in for a special treat (well, sort of) at Plaza del Sol with a World Cup celebration as Spain was playing France. There was a very large TV broadcasting the game with thousands of people on hand for free t-shirts and loud revelry. Beth was among the lucky to get a t-shirt... those Olmanson tall genes come in handy. :) Early on into our time there someone got too close to me and shook their beer soaked body off... all part of the experience. I stayed for a bit of the chaos, snapping pictures and listening to "Opa, Vamos por el Mundial" (Opa, we're going for the World Cup) and "We are the Champions" by Queen. I love Freddy Mercury and all but after the 10th intro of "I've paid my dues... Time after Time..." and no game on yet I bolted for some fresh air that didn't include pot smoke or beer breath and headed for the hills... er local internet cafe/sports bar so that I could check email and watch the game without being felt up by the crowd. Beth stayed for about an hour more and came back to our hostel area after things started to get really crazy. The AP reported that "Disappointment turned to violence in central Madrid after Spain lost 3-1 to France and was eliminated from the World Cup, news reports said Wednesday. Municipal police officers reportedly drew truncheons on young people who jumped into a fountain after a broadcast of Tuesday's second-round game on a giant television screen watched by 15,000 supporters. Some fans responded by throwing bottles, leading police to mount a charge. Sixteen people were hospitalized, including one officer, and 12 people were arrested". It was a good thing we headed back slightly earlier... Our last day was thoroughly relaxing with lots of reading and sunbathing at the famous Parque del Buen Retiro. We sat right by the lake and read for 3 hours soaking up the sun. We felt it all coming to an end and didn't know how to feel about it so we read, slept, read some more and then headed back for dinner and packing up our bags. Our adventure was drawing to a close and butterflies were starting to flutter in our stomachs at the prospect of going back to the States.