Blake and Deborah in Europe: Madrid (Again) and Home

We've actually been home a few days now – since Monday in fact. Jet lag is no longer a credible excuse so it's about time I got around to covering the last days of our trip and closing out this blog. The day after our Gibraltar excursion we headed back to Madrid, which is where this journey started back in December. It was decidedly warmer this time around and the Christmas decorations were long gone.

We revisited some of the same sights – the Royal Palace, the Prado Museum, the Rastro flea market, a day trip to Toledo – for Myra's benefit, since she wasn't with us the first time around (although one could easily argue that the return to the Prado was mostly for my benefit). We even went to another flamenco performance at the same venue as before, although it was a different show this time, and just as good. We did see some new parts of Madrid as well such as the peaceful Royal Botanical Gardens, where the first blooms of spring were just materializing; the Thyssen Bornemisza Art Museum, which features the collection of a wealthy baron; and the huge Buen Retiro Park, 1.4 km² (350 acres) of green space and gardens on the edge of the city center with lakes, fountains, palaces and thousands of Madrileños enjoying a sunny afternoon. We still very much like Madrid.

Indeed, we very much like Spain. Deborah was surprised to find she likes it even better than Italy, which is saying something. And the people aren't as loud. Italians always sound like they're arguing, even when they're talking about the weather, gesticulating wildly as they shout into their cell phones. I like the more reserved French alright but Deborah finds them too snooty. The Portuguese are probably the most friendly of the bunch, and speak the best English. Weather-wise we were surprised to find how incredibly cold Italy could be. Southern Italy would be a bit warmer of course, but also more backward. Southern Spain and Portugal had the most agreeable weather and would probably be our choice for a new home if we ended up in Europe. But Europe is expensive. We can get so much more for our money in less developed countries, assuming we're okay with trading cathedrals, castles, and top notch infrastructure for a lower cost of living, warmer weather, and potentially friendlier people.

So for next winter we have our eyes on South America, especially Ecuador, Chile and Uruguay. If we can squeeze in bits of Panama and Mexico then we might try to do that as well. Stay tuned...