Madrid in all its glory

Laundry started, we headed for Reina Sofia this morning, eager to see everything.  There was only one snag, the museum is closed on Tuesdays.  It seems that you can do lots of research and miss some rather crucial bits.  We were SO disappointed, but this last museum on our Paseo de la Arte pass can wait.  Our pass is good for an entire year and we may pass this way again.

If one door closes..., as they say.  We realised that, if we don't spend the whole day at the Reina Sofia Museum, we have all of Madrid at our disposal.  So, after drying the laundry at the local launderette, we bought tickets for the Madrid City Tour (Hop On Hop Off).  It was fantastic!  And, I took lots of photographs.

With a tip off from our daughter, we were able to do a treasure hunt all across the city for the displays set up to advertise the upcoming Harry Potter Exhibition, coming to Madrid on November 18, 2017.  I'm proud to announce that we found every single one of them: 3 were accessible from our tour bus and one we had to find by navigating with the public buses.  Steve is an excellent navigator and has saved our bacon more times than I care to think of on this trip.

Sorting Hat at Plaza de Colon, Madrid

Dobby at Glorieta de Balboa, Madrid

Coche de Weasleys at Retiro Park, Madrid

Harry Potter's broom at Plaza de Callao, Madrid

We are indeed heading into Catalonia.  Yes, we know that the region is unsettled right now. We do not plan to go into Barcelona, though we are both very eager to see it.  But, the deadline given to Catalonia to hand over the reins of government to Spain is Thursday.  If the leaders do not do so and if Catalonia declares independence and resists, it is possible there will be violence, or huge demonstrations and disruption of transportation at the very least in Barcelona. Figueres is our consolation prize for skipping Barcelona now.

We leave on the 11:30 am train from Madrid to Figueres tomorrow.  We have an AirBnb room reserved across from the Dali Museum, the place which used to be Salvador Dali's home.  The room is also fairly near the railroad station, too.  We are staying two nights and will be headed to Perpignan, France on Friday, October 27, 2017.  Yes, we are making a run for the border and I never in my life expected to even semi-seriously say those words.

I have been told more than once that the Catalan people are peaceful and that they fully intend to keep this dispute with the Spanish national government non-violent.  I hope that is the case.  This is an incredibly diverse and beautiful country.  The Spanish people that we have met and dealt with have been exceptionally kind and considerate.  Most do not seem to be concerned about this dispute with Catalonia.  The U.S. State Department has also not issued any travel warnings about Catalonia or Barcelona in particular.  We are just being cautious.

I will post frequently to let our loved ones know we are okay.