Mc6 Take Madrid

​July 3

On Friday, July 3rd, we packed up our things and walked the 20 minutes through SDC to the train station. We all panicked a bit upon arrival because of the long security line as we only had 15 minutes to catch our train. One of the perks of train travel is skipping all the security hassle of an airport, but because we were on a long, high-speed train, we had to go through what Alastair called “fake security.” They run your bags through the giant x-ray, but at such a quick clip I am not sure anyone is viewing it. We made our train with a few minutes to spare. We all appreciated the three hours to decompress, rest, and catch up on our own shows, journaling, and reading.

We booked an apartment just outside of Madrid, so we had two more local trains and a quick walk to our place. We dropped our bags, cranked up the AC, washed our hands, and headed right back out for our last day of Mc6 fun. 

First stop, food. We munched on some snacks on the train, but we needed real food, and a few margaritas. When Adelaide lived in Valencia she found TKO tacos. Not fancy, but super delicious. She really is fluent. She orders everything up for all six of us all the time. She is regularly asked how long she has studied Spanish. I think she does very well. It is rare for her to misunderstand, and even then, she knows exactly how to communicate to get the second explanation. Thank you, Adelaide!

We walked around for about an hour and then parked ourselves in the Plaza Mayor for more drinks in the shade and more Rook. This is the card game we play a lot when we travel. Dave and I stayed in this plaza about 5 years ago when we visited so it was fun to come back and reminisce. Good people watching and the center of Madrid. Next stop, churros and chocolate. Spanish churros are slightly different than Mexican churros, but both are delicious.

Our last stop for the night was a tiny blues club underground Alastair found in March when he was in Madrid. The club serves drinks and sunflower seeds. They encourage you to eat before arriving because they don’t serve food. We listened to a local artist for about two hours and had a great time.

The kids all did a significant pack thinning last night. Every traveler who carries their own pack quickly figures out what they no longer need and what was carried along as a luxury item. Dave and I jammed our packs full and brought home one extra pack, so the kids have less to haul going forward. The girls will stay with Alastair until August 1. They plan to travel more Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, and then who knows? They spent many hours on our last afternoon in SDC booking trains and hostels for the next two weeks of travel. They have Eurorail passes and two weeks of plans including the running of the bulls in Pamplona and five days sunning their bums in San Sabastian.

Dave and I said goodbye to the kids this morning to point back toward the airport in Madrid. He and I fly home today and back to our normal work, tennis, and summer activities. 

We left them with big hugs. It feels weird to part. Sure, most of them live far away and take full care of themselves, but this feels bigger than the normal goodbye. Dagny and Magnolia will return to Denver August 1 for school. Four weeks more of travel for them. They will have a blast. Adelaide will return to the States on August 1 for three additional weeks of travel in the USA. We won’t see her until August 24, just before school starts up for her. Alastair has no return plans. After he leaves his sisters on August 1, he will travel with buddies for a while and point east. I heard Balkans, Istanbul, and Asia, but who knows. He has his fishing rod and a lifetime of Eagle Scout skills. He is ready. Praying God’s provision over all of them.

Jll