Madrid, Spain

I arrive at my hotel at 4:30am. I think the taxi driver short-changed me five euros or maybe it was an extra late-night charge.

The tired girl at the front desk explains in broken English that I can leave my bags here but I won't be able to check in until 12 o'clock. "Not possible" she insists. The room needs to be made up and won't be ready till noon. We discuss this for five minutes before she realizes I am not trying to check in early. I am trying to check in late from the day before.

She shows me to my room immediately and it is not long until I am soundly asleep. I wake and sleep a few more times and don't get up until about 10am. The girl apologises for the misunderstanding the night before and gives me a map pointing out local sites.

I hit the streets with two goals in mind:

1. Get a basic orientation of my surroundings (i.e. don't get lost.)
2. Get some breakfast.

It's a sunny day, about twenty degrees. Orientation works out okay and I start looking for breakfast. Unlike Asia and Africa the restaurants don't have English menus. Everything is in Spanish. Eventually I settle on a place with pictures on the menu. I recognise the word "vegetariana" and although the dish isn't available I manage to apply the word to a different dish and get eggs and Spanish vegetables without the meat. After brunch I feel more confident and start wandering in earnest.

At first glance Madrid is an ordinary city with cars, shops, MacDonald's. As I start to wander, the city starts to reveal itself.

The buildings display a consistent architecture. Metal balconies on all the windows are almost obligatory. Its not uncommon for the building to be adorned with busts and statues. Just about every corner has a plaza with interesting architecture and sights. Unfortunately there is a lot of renovation and construction under way which undermines the plazas' aesthetics.

The Plaza Mayor is a huge square with beautiful buildings on four sides. The most interesting is adorned with three floors of paintings on its wall between its shuttered windows and two large clock towers either side. In the centre of the square is an impressive statue of Philip III mounted on a horse. But the focus of the square is a central large white building, currently under construction which looks like it might turn out to be a visitor centre or perhaps Spain's biggest fruit juice stand.

I buy an English guide to Madrid in a souvenir store. The girl short changes me two euro. I am really going to have to watch my money from now on. I look at some more sites and the guide book explains what I am looking at. But the city is engaging enough without following the itinerary. Soon I get tired and wander off to a park where I sit on the grass by a fountain and relax.

over the next few days, the more I explore the city, the more it reveals its grandeur. The bright sunny weather helps. Cafes and restaurants are well populated. Streets offer long views of beautiful building after building. The prevalence of Spanish and the absence of English keeps me aware of where I am. Ubiquitous paella and jamon. The respect for ham typified by Museo del Jamon stores.

Often my walks are accompanied by lovely music played by skilful buskers. A solo violinist plays bright classical music. A classical guitarist plays Spanish music. A string quartet plays Vivaldi's Four Seasons. An accordionist plays Gershwin's Summertime with a quick tempo. A Mexican band plays Mexican Music. In the Plaza Mayor a three piece band plays as a girl dancing Flamenco before the admiring patrons of an outdoor restaurant.

And this is just the ordinary Madrid - the typical streets. The extraordinary scenes include a lake full of row boats before Roman columns in the Parque Del Retiro. Goya, Velazquez and Brughel in the Museo del Prado. The frescos on the ceilings throughout the Royal Palace. The religious art in numerous churches. The sculptures in the parks.

Madrid is a truly beautiful city. I am sorry I have to leave it so soon.

Leaving Madrid

I count my cash, I have 99.97 euros. My hotel bill is a hundred euros and it will cost me two euros to get a train ticket to the aeropuerto. In case you are not in the mood to do the math I need 2.03 euros to leave the country.

I decide to go to the ATM and take out twenty euro but the minimum I can withdraw is fifty. When I go to check out, the receptionist tells me my first nights accommodation has already been deducted from my credit card so I only have to pay the balance of seventy-five euro.

This leaves me with 72.97 euro for breakfast at the airport. It should be just enough.