Thanks, I did!
Madrid is a pretty awesome city and I picked a pretty awesome time to be there -- I just wish I could have stayed through Sunday.
I was impressed at how BIG it seems. I know it's not as big as Paris or London or New York in terms of area or population, but it has a very imposing feeling. The buildings are very grand -- one can't help but remember that this used to be the capital city of half the world.
I was staying near the Gran Via, which reminded me a bit of Broadway. At times it seemed so much like New York City, except with a
slightly higher percentage of Spanish speakers and prettier (and more seriously pre-war) big buildings, that I forgot where I was. I'm a native New Yorker, so this is a great compliment -- but still, when one travels, one wants to see something different. But then I walked two blocks in another direction and I was clearly in a another world -- narrow winding streets, charming little squares, cobblestones.
It was hard to keep up with my systems the four days I was there -- except for urban ranger, which I practiced double or triple time at least. Though the Spanish do tend to stick with meals, "no seconds" is tough with those many courses of tapas. The Spanish version of no-s may need some mods for localization. I figured that since I was only there for four days and don't get to travel internationally more than once every few years, I might as well take some S-days and enjoy to the hilt.
Glass ceiling was also tough. We were served wine at lunch as well as dinner. One American colleague, who was not much of a drinker, found herself, after many refusals, confronted with a complementary after dinner aperitif which she didn't have the heart to let go to waste.
Another striking thing about Spanish cuisine is how different it is from all the "mediterranean diet" stuff we hear about it the states. More than one of my American colleagues asked, (with only slight exaggeration) "have you had a vegetable since you've been here?" The four basic food groups seemed to be (utterly delicious) ham, vino, cerveza, and cigarettes. I'm not complaining -- I just found the juxtaposition between our idealized conception of the mediterranean diet back home and the reality here amusing. There was also a lot of very fresh and tastefully presented fruit. Oh, and a lot of shellfish, which I love also.
And the history... to eat tapas and drink cerveza in the square where the inquisition used to burn heretics. Can't get that back home.
They have a fantastic metro system -- the best I've ever seen anywhere. It's very recent, and my understanding is that this is what they blew their bubble money on -- not a bad choice. They made every decision right. It's cheap, it's clean, it's frequent, it's well labeled. You can see how many minutes till the next train comes (I never had to wait more than four minutes). It's ubiquitous and actually goes places you want to go in a reasonably direct manner (if only we had that in Boston). The pricing is easy to understand and you aren't trapped like a rat underground if you misplace your ticket like you are in Paris and London (except going to the airport), and you can see how much you have left on your ticket each time you swipe (why can't Boston and New York do this???). Finally, the cars were aesthetically pleasing -- better than much of what I saw at the Reina Sofia.
As a happily married man, I cannot comment on the renowned beauty of Spanish women, but my single male colleagues insist that it was much in evidence. I think I may be permitted to observe, at least, that they have very nice shoes.
Gracias por su hospitalidad, y felicitaciones por ganar la copa del mundo, mis amigos españoles.
(and sorry if I butchered that -- blame google translate!)
Reinhard