Travel

In Madrid it’s almost as if smoking is mandatory. Everywhere you go, you see people smoking. With most restaurants offering sidewalk dining there’s no problem sitting down for a meal and lighting up. At one point Cynthia asked the waitress if smoking was allowed (she was concerned I was breaking the rules) and the she looked surprised. She said (in Spanish) that we’re outside, why would you NOT be able to smoke? She seemed dumbfounded.

If it weren’t for the army of sanitation workers patrolling the streets with there brooms, dust-bins and walk-behind mechanical street-sweepers this place might resemble one huge ashtray.

There’s even the local joke that the reason the Spanish Guardia Civil tricornio hat is flat in the back is so it will be easier for them to lean against a wall and smoke without damaging the hat.

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Oddly enough, you can’t buy cigarettes in the local stores. You have to go to specialized tobacco shops to get them or purchase them from a vending machine in a bar. And all tobacco products are labeled with a huge sticker warning you of the hazards of smoking.

Since I am travelling abroad I am taking the opportunity to show my opposition to a certain US foreign policy

Mmmmm….cuban cigars! Viva La Resistencia!

The Rick Steves guide book indicated that the Egyptian Temple of Debod was a good vantage point to catch the sunset in Madrid. Since it is a relatively short walk from the hotel we decided to head out after our siesta and catch it.

When we were there earilier in the day I surmised that as the sun went down the palace and the cathedral would be well lit for a photograph and I was right…

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A small crowd gathered as the sun slowly descended toward the western horizon. It was absolutely beautiful and quite romantic…

Spain is so lovely at night. This is the cathedral that you see in the center of the first picture and is right next to the royal palace

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We grabbed dinner at one of the local restaurants and drank some sangria while chatting with some fellow travellers who were from Toronto, Canada. Oddly enough, all the English speaking tourists we have interacted with have been from Canada.

I’ve visited some of the greatest cathedrals in Europe and they all have their fair share of votive candles. I even lit a candle for my mother while in Notre Dame during our visit to Paris a few years back.

While visiting the cathedral in Toledo I was struck by a significant difference between their votive candles and all the ones I’ve seen previously in my life…

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They’re electric lights. You put your offering in the slot, say a prayer, push a button and a light comes on….

What’s the world coming to?