Fiona and Kim’s 2015 travel adventure moved to Spain in mid July. Having caught the underground train from the airport, we emerged up into the 40+ ’C heat of central Madrid: intense sun, plazas, people and traffic. The hostel we had booked was located in a depressed area of Noviciado with lots of tagging and tired looking buildings. But we’d been up since 2.30am to catch our flight out of Turkey, so locating a bed was a happy moment despite the surroundings.
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| We found ourselves in a salubrious area of Madrid |
We recently completed a long distance walk in Antalya, Turkey (
see Lycian Way page on this blog), and have plans to undertake the Coast to Coast walk in the UK in late August. Kim’s boots barely survived the Turkish walk and replacing them was a priority while we had access to shops with a range of outdoor gear. So day two in Madrid started with a tour of outdoor shops in the La Latino area. Then, with a pair of new Asolo boots in hand, we started to address the sights of Madrid. Before long it became apparent that (a) there were not many tourists around and (b) the long distance walk in Turkey might merely have been training for being a tourist in Madrid in mid-summer. It was hot and trudging the pavements seemed surprisingly tiring. Then we spotted the neon sign above a bus stop: temperature 42’C. Despite the heat, I dragged Kim to the Royal Palace and the Plaza de Sol before we headed home for siesta.
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| New Zealand brand making it in Madrid |
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| Maybe it's hot... |
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Mm.. the few people who are around are
in the shade or under an umbrella... |
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Street performers in the oven-like environment of Plaza de Sol
-making a living in Spain during a recession is no easy business |
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