October 31, 2022. At Madrid, Spain.

Dear Christine. I decided to plow a lot of ground today, but leave the furrows shallow. Therefore, there will be a lot of pictures but not a lot of content. Even though I used the metro and also an aerial tram, I still covered 10 miles on foot today. So, here we go!

My first stop was at Plaza Espana where there is a monument to Miguel de Cervantes and his 1605 creations, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.

After walking through a pleasant park I entered a charming neighborhood and a beautiful fountain outside of a convent.

Next was a visit to another park where the 2nd Century BC Egyptian temple to Amon, known as the Temple of Debod has been rebuilt.

This temple was gifted by Egypt to Spain in recognition of Spain’s assistance in rescuing archaeological treasures from the rising waters of the Nile resulting from the 1960 Aswan High Dam project. Unfortunately, the temple is closed on Mondays, but I did obtain an interior image from the Internet.

The park provided an overlook from where I could see the Royal Palace and Cathedral in the distance.

I continued my wanderings through Madrid’s Parque del Oeste until I reached the Teleferico de Madrid. This is a remarkable aerial gondola from the 1960’s links the park to Casa de Campo, crossing river, highway, valley and city, an 11 minute journey of over a mile and a half.

From Casa de Campo i could see a huge amusement park that appeared to be almost a mile farther off. In spite of the distance, I could still hear the screams of those aboard the rides.

I returned by gondola to Parque del Oeste and then walked down a hill to Roseleda del Parque.

This is an incredible rose garden built in 1915. It features over 4000 different varieties of roses. In spite of this being nearly November it was still flush with color and blooms.

The individual rose varieties are identified by name and date of origin. I came upon roses dated to the Middle Ages, Roman antiquity, and one attributed to pre-Roman Phoenicia.

More walking took me to the Royal Palace and the Cathedral de la Almudena.

You and I visited the interior of each of these in 2018. I was tempted to go into the palace but the line for admission extended nearly a city block. There were better things to do.

Next on my list was a visit to the huge Parque de el Retiro. It immediately reminded me of New York’s Central Park.

I sat and enjoyed tapas and a beer while sheltering from the rain under a table umbrella.

The rain was never heavy and certainly didn’t discourage pedestrians or street performers.

I visited the temporary art exposition at Palacio de Valazquez located within the park,

and the Palacio de Cristal, also located within the park. It was closed as work was underway preparing an exhibition.

At this point I return to my room for a brief rest and then set off to find dinner.

This was a very satisfying day. I look forward to my day trip to Toledo tomorrow.

By the way, welcome to Paris! I’m anxious to hear about it. Love, Peter

October 29-30, 2022. At Madrid, Spain.

Dear Christine. You already know how badly this leg of my trip started. I’m still kicking myself at my lapse of attention that resulted in my exit from the train 55 miles before my destination. Thank goodness for the kind lady in the ticket office who (at no additional cost) issued me a new ticket to complete the trip to Madrid. I am equally grateful that I was able to share the extra two hours in the station with Richard from the UK. My age, a retired physician, recently undergone heart surgery, and walking his fourth Camino. A very interesting man.

When I arrived at my hostel in Madrid I thought that my luck has gone from bad to worse. The street was narrow, dark, and “earthy“.

The hostel was located on the second floor of what appeared to be an ancient tenement. The hallways inside were narrow and dimly lit. There was no public space to allow for socialization. My room had more in common with a hermits cell than a hotel room. I knew I only had myself to blame. I had selected the hostel based on price and location. It advertised that the room included a bath, which was literally true. However, the “bath“ was a tiny shower and a tinier sink. The toilet was down the hall in a minuscule closet.

No wonder the management required full payment at booking with no refunds.

Here are pictures of my room from two angles, there aren’t any more angles in it.

It didn’t take long for me to look on the bright side: The room is clean, serviced daily, the bed is comfortable, the location can’t be beat, (one block to the subway, four blocks to the Plaza Mayor, and it is in the heart of the old city) and it is a bargain at €90 a day, compared with most accommodations in the vicinity that are three to four times that.

I pursued suggestions I had received for things to see and do in and around Madrid. Last night I visited the Plaza Mayor and enjoyed my first real vegetable salad in way too long. My stomach is still thanking me. Also, NO CHURCHES!

After dinner I purchased a two day “hop on hop off“ bus ticket. As an “old person“ it only cost me €14. I took the tour this morning, but not until after I had visited the nearby Sunday flea market.

It was huge, occupying main avenues and side streets for blocks in every direction. It was extraordinary! Of course it was a flea market… one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

I asked myself, how could there possibly be enough people in this city to make such a huge flea market commercially viable? The answer is, it’s a huge population. What’s more, I think every soul living in the city was out on the streets today.

The bus tour provided an excellent overview of sites that I hope to visit. It’s a beautiful city with lots of character.

I visited an amazing botanical garden. Admission was free.

I also visited the Plaza and Palace de Cibeles, where I was able to view the city from the top of the palace’s 8 story tower.

On the plaza there is a memorial flame in honor of those citizens who have died in the pandemic.

I finished my evening with a return to the Plaza Mayor where I again took in a light dinner and a cold beer while I enjoyed anonymously watching the flow of humanity.

Tomorrow I’m going to take in more of the city. I have purchased a round trip train ticket for a visit to Toledo on Tuesday.

Tell Wendy “Hi” and give her a hug from me… give yourself two. It sounds like you both had an awesome time in Nice. Safe travels tomorrow to Paris.

Love, Me.

PS. I am stunned by the number of people who have reached out to me publicly and privately in response to my open letter to you about “The Decision”. I feel affirmed in both my choice to undergo the procedure and to be public about it.

October 27, 2022. At Burgos, Spain.

Dear Christine. Do you remember years ago in Florence Italy learning of a psychological condition occurring in individuals overwhelmed by the art and antiquity they have been exposed to? It is called Stendhal’s syndrome, or more commonly “Florence syndrome”.

I think that I am on the verge of becoming a victim, but in my case it’s from the overwhelming saturation of religious objects and art. Perhaps in my case it should be called St. Stendhal’s syndrome, aka, “Burgos syndrome”.

The cathedral at Leon was impressive. However, it is a distant second to the size, scope, and content of the Burgos cathedral.

Moreover, Burgos is absolutely choked with ancient churches. Throw a stone and you are virtually assured of hitting one.

Today, I visited the Monasterio de las Huelgas, a Cistercian convent that has been in operation since the 12th century. There are still at least 30 nuns in residence along with their assistants. It contains a royal pantheon that extends through three large chambers and houses the earthly remains of 33 kings, queens, princes, and princesses.

Until the Council of Trent (1545-1563) the Abbess heard confessions, granted absolution, and may have performed other sacraments.

Unfortunately, photographs were not allowed and access was only given as a member of a Spanish language only tour. You’ll have to take my word for it that the art and religious objects, many dating to the 12th century and earlier, are spectacular and in a state of remarkable preservation. I was allowed to take a picture of the outside and one in the cloister.

Many of the rooms featured massive boards of oak flooring polished to a mirror gloss. The flooring alone was worth the visit and dates to the 1500s. The surface was irregular given the hundreds of years of foot traffic. We walked those floors.

Next I visited the church of Saint Nicholas, patron of Burgos. Again, an incredible collection of sacred artifacts.

Then there was yet another… this time the church and museum of St. Esteban.

As you can see, I am limiting the number of pictures. There are just too many.

Finally, I spent hours within the cathedral, spread between a morning and a separate afternoon visit. Here are just a few notable pictures. A person could spend days wandering from chapel to chapel and museum chamber to museum chamber.

If you want to do a deep dive and refresh your recollection, here is a link to my reflections and photographs from our visit in 2013: https://mediationkc.com/2021/08/25/part-23-burgos-and-our-difficult-conversation/

The cathedral provided an excellent app by which one can view many of the features of the cathedral and listen to an English narrative;

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/visit-burgos-cathedral/id1519659103

I walked over 20,000 steps today, and I was not even “on the Camino“.

Burgos has wonderful pedestrian avenues,

… sculptures that make one laugh,

… hundreds of bars, cafés, and restaurants.

I had a morcilla bocadillo (blood sausage sandwich) at lunch, and tapas for dinner. I’m beginning to feel a desperate need for vegetables!

I’m still chewing on how best to respond to your question. It deserves an honest and well thought out answer. I did get replies today from both messages that I sent the other day.

Sleep well. I’m excited to give you a call tomorrow and know that we are seeing the sun from roughly the same angle.

Love, Me.