Serendipity

I have been traveling just over two months now. In the interest of full disclosure I have to say I sometimes get fatigued by the adventure. I fully realize this is the opportunity of a lifetime. There are moments like when I was sitting at a cafe on the beach in Barcelona a couple days ago, watching jets practice for an air show, drinking a strawberry mojito that I couldn't believe my path had taken me here. And then there are moments when I am tired, mentally washed out from navigating and I want to hop a plane back to the States. Every single time I get in that mode something happens serendipitously to remind me how much fun this actually is.

I am currently staying in Madrid with a friend I met while volunteering in Iceland at the beginning of my journey. She was cool enough to offer me a place in her flat during my time in Madrid. Guiomar and her brother have given me tips on places I should see and entertained my attempts at Espanol.

Yesterday I decided to take a day trip to El Escorial to see the little town and visit the Monastery that is quite famous. I made the train trip out only to find the Monastery was closed on Mondays- like most museums in Spain. It was a breezy, cool day and I was feeling dejected about not having done my homework while I wandered around the quaint little town at the base of the mountains. Looking for a spot for lunch I saw a little gourmet shop with a chalkboard out front and a meat counter inside. It looked gourmet, everything was in Spanish and I hesitated to enter. Overcoming my trepidation I entered and ordered a bocadillo de jamon serrano con queso when it was my turn. There was an amazing tiny selection of Spanish food in jars and cases. One guy worked the counter slicing ham and filling orders. He sliced the baguette lengthwise for my sandwich and asked me something in Spanish about being a student. When I told him I didn't speak Spanish he asked me in English where I was from. Turns out the little store was family run for four generations and he was from the little town. We had a great visit and my spirits were immediately lifted- the fantastic sandwich was a bonus. Serendipity.

Today I stayed around Madrid and visited the Prado Museum. This place is amazing, huge and full of delicious art. It's also four stories and a labyrinth of fine paintings. Following the Prado I ventured into the Botanical Gardens for a long stroll. For the second time in as many days I was feeling pretty tired and thinking about that plane ticket back to familiarity. I decided it was time for a treat to bolster my mood. A friend of my cousin's from Spain had recommended a restaurant that is locally owned and has really great food. I went to search it out only to find it opened for dinner at Spanish time (i.e. late). I decided to go have a glass of wine and come back. But while I was walking away I saw a woman looking at the menu for the place and something made me hold back for a minute. I waited to see what she did and when she spoke to her friend in English I mentioned to her that the place was highly recommended by someone in the know and maybe they should come back when it opened. Again, we started talking and decided to all go together to the Boqueria for wine and tapas to wait out dinner time. The girls (in their early 60's) were a hoot. One was a high school Spanish teacher and one a former catering company owner, both from Lacrosse Wisconsin. We had a great time chatting and joking. Karen and Lil brightened my spirits and reminded me, again, that sharing serendipitous moments with interesting people are what my adventure is all about. Salud!