Rome Trip - July 15: Algeciras to Madrid

We woke up around 8:15. There was a note in our room inviting us to breakfast ~8:30. I went downstairs to find not a soul stirring and had my fiber & soy breakfast at 8:45.

To breakfast: In a surprisingly quick period of time, folks were all ready. We all left a little after 9 to go to a café at the beach. I had coffee, everyone else had coffee and breads with a pureed tomato & spice spread. We could see Gibraltar, but only through haze and fog. It was very relaxed.


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To church: Back to the house. Our hosts got ready and left ~10:40 AM for 11:00 church. We left the house at a quarter to noon for Mass, arrived after less than five minutes of walking, and were among the first there. Spanish Mass in a Moorish design post-V2 church. The Stations consisted of crosses on the wall with Roman numerals and no figures at all. There were oscillating fans mounted on the walls all around the room, but only two were turned on. All the (we!) women used hand fans. One woman’s fan and beaded bracelet provided plenty of percussion.

We were unable to follow the lector (who had volunteered for the job when the priest asked when the readngs were due to start) or the 1st two readings and the Psalm, but figured out the Gospel: the Rich Young Ruler and the Good Samaritan. The homily seemed to focus on who one’s neighbor is and on social justice issues.

After Mass, the Priest disappeared into the sacristy and the congregation dispersed. He did announce that he would be on vacation visitng his family for the next week, so there would be no daily Masses. It was quite different from what we’ve experienced in American Catholic churches and more like the “sacrament dispensaries” people talk / complain about.

Back at the house, we had a very pleasant lunch and a chat about churches, futures, etc. Great visit.

We finished our TSA-worthy packing job, which will make things easier in Madrid tomorrow morning.

To the train: It’s very helpful to have in our hostess such a competent translator there to help us locate our tickets. We were told to keep our cameras out for shots of the cliffs, but the pictures were not what I would have liked since we were often behind vegetation. I’ll bet a double-decker sight-seeing train would be amazing!


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The First Class ride on Renfe (Spanish Rail) was just as nice as it had been on Thursday. Choice of Champagne or OJ first thing, very wide armrests between people,and a one seat--aisle--two seats configuration. Dinner service included tiny little olive oil and vinegar bottles and adorable salt & pepper shakers (same amount of spice as the single-use paper tubes, but much cuter). I kept a set as souvenirs(for the office). There was plenty to eat and drink, all included in the price of the tickets.


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Adorable Condiments

I caught up on my journal entries (through this AM) while half-watching a Spanish-dubbed version of RV. My fatigue level must be pretty high; I actually caught myself laughing quite a few times.

To the hotel: We arrived at Atocha Station in Madrid around 10:30 PM and hiked down the street to our hotel, which we had found by accident on our walk last Thursday. The young man checking us in had spent several formative years in the UK; his English certainly made the check-in process smooth. We had a pre-paid voucher for the room with an e-mail print-out.

We were in room (25 or) 624 (cue Chicago song). The TV welcomed Izzy by name.



His tummy had been upset all day (most likely something he ate in Morocco), so it was good to finally be in one place with a stationary bathroom. (Izzy’s comment:the bidet was even better!)

We watched a bit of CNN International. Half of the news time was given to the Beckhams' moving to America. I’m not sure the Brits understand that this really doesn’t matter to most in the US, but maybe it will keep full employment for British ex-pat paparazzi.

Flickr sets for today:

• Breakfast in Algeciras
• Dinner on the Train
• Hotel Greeting