on the third leg

We are on our third leg of our trip. We arrived in Pamplona this afternoon after a three-hour train ride from Madrid. So far, the train has been the easiest leg of the trip. No long waiting at the airport, plus lots of space to spread out. If only I had figured out how to lean the seat back a few hours earlier.

We spent the first night at the Allandale Hotel in London. Because of the news reports, we got up, ate breakfast and waited four hours in Heathrow for our 2 o’clock flight to Madrid. There were no long lines to avoid. In fact, we couldn´t even check our bags until two and a half hours before the flight. So no need to overreact in the face of the war on terror. There is not much to do at the airport, except eat subpar food, shop for duty free items that you can still take on board, and spend over fifteen minutes trying to type an email on a poorly designed keyboard.

Upon arrival, Madrid seemed a little dirty. Everything is covered with graffiti. Maybe it was just the way that we took into town. And unfortunately, none of it is very interesting. When we got out of the Metro, there was a swirl of debris surrounding us. I was very excited to check into our fabulous hotel, Hotel de las Letras. I took a short nap before we ventured out into the streets and plazas of the city.

I have some fabulous pictures from the Museo del Jamon. I will have to post them at a later time. I know that Alex would have been ecstatic to see the rows of cured ham hanging from the ceiling.