Feb 14, 2024 Madrid

 I flew out of SFO Monday on Lufthansa ready to start my adventure. I hadn’t flown Lufthansa in a very long time and unfortunately I wasn’t impressed by their biz class seating arrangement . Unlike KLM & Air France which have separated private space for each seat, I was right next to a (nice ) man which was fine until we went to sleep & then it seemed weird 😉. I thought he was German because he spoke it and it wasn’t till the end of the trip that I discovered he was French!!  But he lives in California. Was able to parler a bit with him. 

I flew via Frankfurt with a 2 hr layover & it was fun to recall previous experiences in Germany over the years. 

Landed in Madrid Tuesday & met up with Merle at our hotel. It’s a lovely hotel Riu Plaza Espana with very attentive & friendly staff. We had dinner at the hotel in the rooftop restaurant and the view was beautiful. ( see pic)

We both were quite sleep deprived and fortunately got an excellent night sleep!  The breakfast buffet here was enormous. We’re glad to be here for 3 nights!  

Today we’re on our own so we set out for 2 museums that will not be included in our tour. 

1. Meseo reino Sophia—

2 Museo nacional Thyssen- Bornemisza— This muséum had a collection of classical paintings, impressionists, (my favorite) and modern art.  We saw some very interesting pieces and could go at our own pace as it was not crowded.  

We walked around an old part of town —architecture is beautiful with wrought iron Juliet balconies ( think New Orléans) and a plaza reminiscent of Italy.  We found our way to a large indoor Mercado displaying more meats that vegs and with lots of tapas and beer or wine stalls ;  it was hugely popular & fun to see.  

Returned to hotel to rest & then meet up with our tour leader & fellow travelers at 7 pm— followed by dinner  ( it is Spain so wouldn’t want to eat too early!)  

I’ll post now & go meet our group  of 30!  Big !  

Here’s the view from rooftop bar.  Looks better in person