N: The train to Madrid was later in the morning than the one the day before, a more leisurely four hour trip and first class, a fun extravagance on a high speed train. We napped, watched more parched land and olive trees and were wined and dined by the staff on the train. A mountain in the shape of a reclining George Washington went by. It was good to have a semi-lay day after our full day in Granada.

So, we got into Madrid about two in the afternoon. The taxi driver grumbled in Spanish about the short taxi ride to Puerta del Sol, the Times Square of Madrid and where the Hotel Europa, our next accommodation, was located.

What struck us about Madrid in addition to its big city character but still with lots of little medieval neighborhoods, is that it is clean, clean, clean. It is perhaps the cleanest city we’ve ever visited. One gets the feeling that elves come out every night and scrub everything down. Barcelona, in contrast, always seemed a little dusty, like an old chandelier.

We spent the afternoon doing the Rick Steves’ walking tour around Puerta Del Sol and stopping in a favorite sweet shop. We also visited a cathedral across from the palace, just finished in 1996. Then the standard late afternoon nap.

At 9 PM we met with Ibrahim, the good friend of Salin, one of our Turkish relatives. Ibrahim is a professor of communications at a Madrid university. He, unfortunately, had another dinner arrangement, but he escorted us to the only flamenco bar for locals in Madrid. Even at 10 PM the small place was empty and we were ushered to a front row table. At 12:30 AM the place was packed and the first set of flamenco began with a female dancer and a male guitarist from CÛrdoba, and a male singer from Seville. We were struck by the skill and intensity of the dancer and the virtuosity of the guitarist. We managed to stay for the second set, during which the three performers were joined by a couple from the audience, also skilled in flamenco. It was quite exciting. We were the only non-locals and twice the age of everyone else, but it mattered not. We rolled back to the hotel at about 2:30 AM.

B: If I ever dreamed of staying in a hotel on Times Square on New Year's Eve, I wouldn't have to do it because we did it in Spain. Our hotel was on Puerta Del Sol, the Times Square of Madrid. The plaza is for pedestrians only. It is filled with people at all hours of the night and day. There were street performers, many people on lines to buy lottery tickets, and groups singing "Cielito Lindo" with its refrain, "Ay ay ay ay, canta, no llores." I heard this many times while Nick was taking his afternoon siesta. Our balcony opened onto the plaza, and I told Nick I would try the room for one night, but if I couldn't sleep because of the noise, we'd have to change to an inside room. As it happened, the crowd thinned out by bedtime (never before midnight), so we never had to change rooms.

I didn't think it would matter if we didn't get to see flamenco, but I am very glad we did. It is a very high energy dance with rapid twists and turns. The female dancer's performance was the epitome of sex standing up. The male dancer seemed to be about to devour her. I can't adequately describe how exciting it was.

We were advised not to try to take the metro (subway) back to our hotel at 2:30 a.m. Fortunately, we found a cab a few steps from the restaurant.