Final days in Alcala

When I was visiting the top half of Europe I thought that perhaps I had visited them too late in the year, as the weather was often rainy, cold of overcast but now that I have really reached the south of Europe I feel that I chose perhaps right or maybe even still a little early as the next few weeks there will be festivals and celebrations all over Spain.

Although I had a few hours of sun in Prague and Vienna, it was not until I reached Toulouse before I was blessed with day after day of solid sun, and since then the weather has been sunny and with clear blue skies solidly throughout and the temperature has barely dropped less than 17 degrees even past midnight.

Being a guy from the UK I am certainly not used to sun consistent sun day after day and as I have been doing a lot of walking to capture the many sights and scenes of Europe I am beginning to get a slight tan on my arms, face and neck.

If I were back home even the coldest of days here would be considered weather nice enough to go out at lunchtime with my friends and just lay on the grass chatting till we had to go back, but here it is just like any other day and in fact I have seen some of the locals with shirts, jumpers and jackets, so they clearly think that 24 degrees is still a mild day.

As my friend works, not being on holiday herself, I had to amuse myself yesterday, but being a Monday a lot of the museums and attractions were closed to the public but I was determined to see as much of Madrid as I could anyway, and I was glad that I did, as I got a few great photographs.

I have seen brochures and leaflets about free guided tours of many of Europe's capital cities, and the one for Madrid started at 11am near the metro station Sol, however after a slight misunderstanding and confusion in getting to the Alcala station I was not able to get into Madrid's city centre until about half past and so I missed my chance, but if you ever get the chance go to one of the meeting points early and get yourself a free treat, though a tip that you find suitable and can easily afford for your guide at the end would always be appreciated.

Similarly, on a side issue if you do spend a lot of time in big airports then you might be interested to know that there is a firm that has agreed a deal with most of the major carriers and so offer for a annual subscription of about £60 the chance to visit and spend your time and use the facilities of the VIP priority lounges regardless of who you are actually flying with or what class your flight ticket you have booked.

As I am trying to travel as much by land this is not something that I can really take advantage of, but I just thought that I would pass it on.

I knew that in Alcala they are proud of Cervantes, but I was not aware how much the rest of Spain felt, but when I rounded a corner and saw a huge fountain overlooked by him and his two most famous characters I knew that he must be loved all over, and also that I must get to know more of him as currently all I know is what was in a song by Nick Kershaw about him tilting at Windmills.

Thankfully this is the perfect time in Alcala to ask about him, as this is his festival time, and so tomorrow I will go inside his small house that is now a museum and possibly even purchase a book or CD. Speaking with my friends later apparently he has wrote at least thirty books, so I will have plenty to chose from.

After I had a bite around to eat I chose to follow down a lead of a place that sounded half interested in Madrid, however despite having a map, a compass, the sun high in the sky, sign posts and a growing sense of direction that I have never possessed or fully able to tap into before, I was still unable to find the place where the internet told me it was, and if it was not for a very recent brochure with the advert in I would have sworn that it did not even exist.

As it is I feel that perhaps it was a hoax or an misprinting error as I searched the area for over an hour, scouring every track and path till my feet were screaming at me and I had to give up and head back.

During my walk back to Madrid's main train station I found myself walking down a shopping street like any other when suddenly as I passed a doorway a woman called out right in my ear "I looooovvvvveeeeee you" and so naturally I took a glance at who was talking to see if I knew them and then realised who, or rather what, they were and continued on my way for about twenty yards before pausing to sit on a bench and reflect.

Looking up and down the street I would have said at first glance that it looked like any normal Saturday afternoon in Gillingham or Chatham, busy but not too much and with teenagers hanging about in shop doorways doing not a lot.

It was only when I took a proper look that I noticed the few subtle sex shops, cheap and grimy looking two star hotels and that the doorway lurkers were all female, well at least in appearance!

Even if the warm afternoon sunlight the women were not overly exposing themselves, some I had mistaken for normal shoppers and I believe I probably would again if I were to pass them in any other town or city, but then others had the tell tale FMB's and make up enough to cover half a city block.

I hadn't even considered trying to find out if Madrid had a red light district and if so where it was, so I certainly wasn't expecting to walk right into it between two of the biggest shopping streets and less than two minutes away from the main central metro station.

I had my camera on me and I was about to take a photo or two when from slightly further down the street I could hear a fight / argument ensue between one of the girls and a passer by, so feeling that probably they felt the same way as the women in Amsterdam, I decided against trying to take any photos and just continued on my way.

By the time I reached Alcala I reckon that, baring a pause for a bite to eat and the train ride into and from Madrid that I had been walking for about 8 hours solid, so instead of meeting my friend in the centre of town I chose to use the map and walk back to her apartment to save time and my feet, which were by now in need or a rest.

However fate had other plans, as no sooner had I reached her place when she sent me a text saying that she was on a bus and wanted to meet me in the centre as she had planned to apply for her Intermediate English course and wanted me to come as a British observer and to testify to her fluency at a basic level should they require it.

So back I trudged to the centre of town, where we then walked to her enrolment office and then further to her parents where a nice meal was already prepared and awaiting for us all, as was her family that were all eager to help me practice my Spanish.

The entire day I had been practicing my rrr's, my thhh's and my hrr's - hard to put into words I know, so despite my feet on meltdown and of tired brain I did my best to engage them in polite conversation till my knowledge gave way and I ended up just smiling and nodding, hoping that they didn't feel I was being rude or impolite.

I was very pleased when they complimented me on my pronunciation of Spanish, saying that I was very clear and understandable despite having a strictly limited vocabulary, and so now I feel that my biggest feat is trying not to get French, Spanish and Portuguese all mixed up as I am about to visit Brazil and do not speak a word of Portuguese, so I will have to get by in pigeon Spanish and English, hoping for the best.

Funnily enough, back when I was in School my French teacher also said that my pronunciation was very clear and was fairly disappointed when I dropped the subject after just three years instead of the full five.

After a nice meal and conversation we headed back and it was not more than ten steps to her door before the sudden knowledge that I hadn't been taking my anti-Malaria pills struck me, so the second we got in I went right up and took the first dose and instantly regretted it and felt a tiny bit tummy ill.

They taste foul and are meant to be eaten with a meal, not an hour or two after, and even a glass of milk was not enough to rid the last of the taste from my mouth as I fell asleep. However as I am going all over South America it is my pain to have to take them for the next two months or run the risk of not being protected, so personally I will chose to take two tiny foul tasting pills each day, keep handy lots of strong boiled sweets and clean my teeth and tongue after each dose.

Tomorrow my friend and her family wanted me to visit the many beautiful sights of their town in the morning and then in the afternoon we could all go for a nice walk, but I feel that my feet would rise up and attempt to strangle me if I did any more of the "W" word until at least the early afternoon, so rather than suffer a foot mutiny I am going to spend the morning in bed typing emails and confirming with the next few hostels that I am schedule and will be visiting them soon.