MONDAY, DECEMBER 31
Our last day of 2018 was just perfect.
LUNCH IN SUNNY MADRID
We ate lunch, each of us ordering our own kind of paella (Chloe, vegan; Hazel, fish; and me, chorizo) at a nice restaurant behind the Reine Sophia in Madrid. It was 12:30 or 1:00, lunchtime, quite extraordinary for us to be eating on time. The rest day, long conversations, and fact the sun was out (we had about ten minutes of it before it hid behind a church across the street), helped us relax; we were laughing again.
RETIRO PARK
After lunch we headed toward Retiro Park, passing the Thyssen, the National Museum, near the Prado, and many other grand buildings. Madrid is truly a beautiful city. I think the pushiness of the crowds cast a shadow over the city, but that shadow definitely lifted.
The park, from its sculpted shrubbery and trees, hedge paths, the Crystal Palace, and good -sized lake surrounded by a huge semicircular monument and cafes, is impressive. The beauty of the weather provided a nice backdrop; the sky was a perfect deep cerulean, and not a cloud in sight. The sun was strong enough that we took off our coats while sitting on the monument steps.
SITTING IN SUNSHINE
“We’ll get corns on our hinnies,” said Hazel, as a way of encouraging us to move on from sitting in the sun too long. I think Chloe and I would have happily rested taken in the sun all day. But we moved on to see two pavilions with art exhibitions; one, the work of a German artist, which was too intellectual and conceptual without being compelling; the other, giant sculpted wire heads in the Crystal Palace.
RUNNING FOR A NEW YEAR
We bought suitcases after we left the park, then headed toward the train, just as the famous Madrid New Year’s Eve 10K run, passed near the station. Thousands of people ran between rows of cheering crowds. So moving that I cried. Ah, the human spirit. We can be strange and wonderful animals, with our drive, sense of community, hopefulness.
FIREWORKS IN MADRID AND MILAN
Hazel was so exhausted by day’s end that she was a bit cuckoo. We walked another 13 kilometers and took little time off to rest. After a pasta dinner, we stayed up until midnight to watch live feeds of fireworks both in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, and in Milan’s Duomo Plaza. But there were fireworks outside our door as well.
2018 was a magical year, our time in Vancouver, and then even better on the road. Is it possible for 2019 to be as good, even better? Here’s hoping…
