Two free tours

Free Walking Tour

I had booked a free walking tour departing from Plaza Mayor at 1000.  Kim took an instant dislike to the guide based on his body language when interacting with the guide’s colleagues.  He kept suggesting that we switch to another walking tour.

Ignoring him, we continued with our booked tour and the guide turned out to be knowledgeable and entertaining.  People who are highly extroverted and gregarious may sometimes give an impression that they’re full of themselves but I certainly didn’t get this impression.

• We didn’t see much that was new but it was mainly the insight that added meaning for us:
• The buildings around Plaza Mayor was designed during the Hapsburg era based on northern European designs.  The roofs are made of heavy slate that absorb heat and continue to radiate heat through the night.  And the roofs are pitched to allow snow to slide off!  Snow in Madrid?
• The original Moorish city walls were made of flint which meant that they would light up when enemies shot arrows of fire into them.
• Many of Madrid’s historical buildings, eg. old town hall, cathedral, Plaza Mayor, took a long time to built and complete.  Like hundreds of years.  It’s the whold Spanish “manana” thing.
• The Flamenco originated as a Muslim Gypsy lament (as they were the most downtrodden people) and later on the guitar and dancing was added.
• The Spanish Inquisition began with the expulsion of Jews, then Muslims then the persecution of Christians who weren’t practicing their religion “properly”.  The Spanish Inquisition wasn’t  the only Inquisition and the Portuguese one killed 8x more people.  It appears that Spain was the Catholic powerhouse and Protestant propaganda led to the Spanish one being the most famous.
• Some Jews and Muslims ate pork and ham to hide their true identity.  This also led to the practice of hanging lots of ham out.
• When Muslims were expelled, it contributed to a famine.  They were the working class peasants and farmers.  The remaining population didn’t have sufficient farming capability.
• Spain under the Hapsburg was in a state of decay.  The riches of the Spanish glory days (with their colonies in the Americas) were being eroded and siphoned back home.  The citizens had no pride in being Spanish or their culture.
• The Hapsburg empire came to an end when inbreeding left them without an heir.  The Bourbon (French) dynasty saw a renewed pride in being Spanish.
• The Spanish national anthem is one of few in the world without lyrics.
• Spain under dictator Franco’s rule was oppressive and women were treated as second class citizens with limited education and opportunities.  This era is still in the minds of the older generation and people of my age.

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We ate lunch at Cafe Iris, a place we had spotted yesterday.  They did a Menu del Dia for EUR10.99 for appetiser, main, dessert, wine/beer/drink and bread.  It was a very satisfying meal which would take us till our outing that evening.

Free Tapas Tour

I had booked a free tapas tour starting at 1900.  The guide Jaime took us out to four different places where we sampled various snacks and beverages:

• Tapa of bacalhau with beer.
• Iberian Ham with Tinto de Verano (literally Summer Wine which is red wine mixed with sparkling water or clear/cloudy fizzy lemon soft-drink.
• Cheese (blend of cow, sheep and goat’s milk) on bread with Tinto de Verano.
• Chorizo (sausage with blood but not Morcilla) fried in Cider.  Croquetas (croquettes of potato with béchamel sauce).  Spanish cider, which is more sour than English cider.

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Each of the tapas or drinks averaged around EUR2-3 and it wasn’t and expensive evening.  In some parts  of Spain, especially in the south, the tapas are always free with drinks but this is not a nationwide practice.

It turned out to be a great evening of food, drink and conversation with other people.  I would have happily joined another tapas tour and paid the tip for the guide.

We returned to the room around 2300.  We were very happy with our day.  The weather had been perfect; hot in the sun and cool in the shade … a little too cool at times if a breeze was blowing when we were in the shade.  I had expected the end of June and early July to be hotter.

Volcano Eruption in Galapagos

I sat in bed till after midnight trying to address an issue in Galapagos.  On the island of Isabela, a volcano has erupted.  At this stage, travel to Isabela (or wider Galapagos) is unaffected but I was wondering if the main sights had been made less attractive or worthwhile.  As a precaution, I cancelled our hotel at Isabela as the “free cancellation” deadline was a day away.  I can always rebook.