I didn't do a lot today but instead visited a few places I had passed earlier in the week and enjoyed one more dinner of tapas near the Puerta del Sol. My plan is to travel to Salamanca tomorrow, so I decided to go to the bus station late this morning to get my ticket. Since this is my first time traveling in Spain, I wasn't sure just how difficult it would be to get a ticket the day you wanted to leave. In Latin America, buying a bus ticket within an hour of your departure is pretty routine but I didn't know if the same would be true in Spain. I took the metro to Madrid's Mendez Alvaro bus station. The metro and bus station are connected, so I was at the bus station as soon as I made a few turns after exiting the metro. One of the aspects of big city travel that I most enjoy is the abundance of public transportation that exists.
The bus station was much bigger than I imagined. It looked more like an airport and was home to a myriad of different bus companies. I asked for help and was quickly pointed in the right direction to buy tickets for Salamanca. The line was long but moved relatively quickly. There was a little drama in the line as I waited, as an elderly woman decided to cut in front of the people in front of me. They both exchanged words but the woman didn't budge and the man in front of me shook his head back and forth each time his eyes met hers. She just turned her head the other way and acted as if she didn't see him. It made the long line not seem so long as I waited. Turns out I probably could have waited until tomorrow to buy the ticket but at least I am set to go on Friday and I know how long it takes to get to the bus station and where to go. My bus leaves at 10 a.m. for Salamanca, so I'll probably leave the hostal around 9 a.m. to make my way there.
I had a quick lunch after buying my bus ticket and headed back to the Gran Via area to do a little shopping and walking. I went back to the big city hall building that used to be a post office because it is open to the public to tour this month. There is also a lookout tour at the top of the tall edifice that I wanted to see. Unfortunately, it was closed when I arrived, so I'll just have to imagine the view from the top. From there, I returned to Retiro Park to walk around one more time. This is the park I visited on the first day I arrived. This park is enormous and was even busy on a Thursday afternoon, although not as full as Sunday.
From there, it was back to Gran Via, where I spotted a movie theater. I decided to catch a 4:30 p.m. movie in Spanish and enjoy the air conditioning for a couple of hours. Afterward, I found a new place for tapas before heading back to the hostal to update my blog and pack for tomorrow.
The last five days have really helped to refresh my Spanish skills. I feel that my listening skills are back to where they were the last time I spent an extended period of time in Latin America. Even though I teach Spanish and use it every day, it's not the same as being around it all the time. Everything I have seen, heard and said the past five days has been in Spanish, and that constant exposure is invaluable. I'm also beginning to use new words that the people here use. For example, "vale" is like saying OK ... an expression used here but not in Latin America. Or, juice is "zumo" not "jugo" like they say in Latin America. Tickets are "billetes" instead of "boletos" and bathrooms are "aseos" instead of "banos" or "servicios". These little nuisances of language always fascinate me. I'm also enjoying just talking with people in the hostal, in restaurants and when I get lost and need directions. It's been great practice so far and I know it will keep getting better as I move on.
I will miss Madrid but am looking forward to spending time in some smaller cities up north before I make my way south. I'll have about one full day in Salmanca before heading to Leon Saturday afternoon. I'm planning to stay in Leon Saturday night and Sunday night before heading even more north to Oviedo, where I'll get to visit one of my students who has been there since June participating in the IU Honors Program for Foreign Language. I am really looking forward to meeting her host family and going to classes with her.
I hope to keep updating my blog daily but am not sure if I'll continue to have daily access to WiFi once I leave this hostal. If not, I'll update again as soon as I can. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures today from Retiro Park.
Que les vaya bien!
--Justin
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