On Day 3 in Madrid, I went for a walk while it was raining. About 5 people approached me offering to sell me an umbrella. Little did they know that native Oregonians don't melt in the rain and mayhap even enjoy a good soaking...a twisted effect of living in 9 months solid of rain I'm sure. You begin to delude yourself that's the way it's supposed to be... I wonder what they would have tried to sell me if it was sunny? A parasol maybe?
And on Day 4 I found out what they sell on sunny days...I headed to down to the weekly Sunday street fair and discovered them selling everything. Old, rather Chucky-esque dolls, antiques, pure junk, undergarments, scarves, kitchenware, clothing, gorgeous flowers, jewelry, books, VHS tapes, a mecca of anything and everything lining a few city blocks, closing down roads for the entire area. A man played water glasses to the tune of Harry Potter, a women played an I-have-no-idea-what wooden cart like a music box, only bigger, and the pick pockets had a field day with unwary tourists.
I hit a few Italian design stores while wandering (think Ross prices only more fashionable) commanded by Asian women. And I discovered a sad fact. I could not purchase a shirt. Everyone in Madrid (and I'm not kidding, there is no obesity, no one over maybe a size 8) is ridiculously skinny, to the point that they can ALL pull off skinny jeans and look good. I consider skinny jeans the enemy of women everywhere, but I now concede. I was wrong. They are friendly to the women of Madrid.
And the shopping FAIL... Everyone in the stores was a foot shorter and almost a hundred pounds lighter than me...the M/L tank tops, well they might have covered both of my girls and bared my belly, but it's highly doubtful. So I'm still stuck with only 3 shirts and I desperately need at least one more. The whole wearing a wet shirt because it hasn't dried from it's previous washing thing is starting to get annoying...
But today...I stepped off in San Sebastian and there were large people, lots of them! This is exciting, because I *may* be able to get clothes that fit tomorrow!
Everything has gone so smoothly up until now that I've been waiting for the sword of Damocles to fall with a vengeance. It didn't fall today, but it certainly shook a little. Madrid has been such a cinch for everything. Having never ridden a Subway, I easily got from the airport to the stop by my hostel. Finding the hostel took a little more misdirection- I asked three people for help and finally stumbled on it- but it wasn't difficult with the exception of being exhausted from over 20 hours of travel and then not being allowed to check in for about 6 hours.
This morning I left plenty of time for screwing up the subway system, but arrived 1 hour and 15 minutes before departure time because I got it exactly right. I caught my bus, which by the way is more comfortable, better accessorized and roomier than an airplane, and headed for San Sebastian. When I arrived in San Sebastian I took the 28 bus as directed... and stood for an hour with heavy bags waiting for the last stop as per the website directions. And at the last stop before continuing back the way we came I got off...in the middle of nowhere. I'm trying not to panic and have an all out tantrum with lots of bawling and carrying on, which is what I really wanted to do, when I see a drugged up guy headed my way (they're almost all drugged up here...lots of smoking mystery substances). He asks me something, and by the way I have no idea if it was Spanish, because Spanish is a second language here! I respond with my trusty "No comprende." and he wanders off.
Luckily it was only 5 minutes (nicely stated on the sign to stave off complete panic) until another 28 comes along. I had time to peruse the sign and see that the last stop on the opposite side of the route was the correct one....whoops. So I've figured out to get off at Boulevard, but there is no way to identify the stop.
I paid another fee and rode for another hour to the opposite end of town, almost missing the stop. Again. I got lucky from there though. Hopped off, an information booth was right there, they spoke ENGLISH!!!, gave me a map and directions to the hostel, everyone at the hostel was awesome and nice, and 2 guys from Australia walked me over to the other location where I'm not staying. And I have internet that works. Does it get any better?
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