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ous vehicles drove by that night with their noise amplified by the overpass, I slept soundly
till 7:00. When I awoke, the bike was gone….just kidding. Everything was alright.
Being a Monday morning, the rush hour traffic heading into Madrid was heavy.
With a little water remaining in my bottles, I began to cycle. Luckily, the wind was from
behind and the road was slightly downhill. I didn't stop for a break and made it into Mad-
rid, 84 kilometres later, before 11:00 am. I ate lunch in the commercial centre and called
the Canadian Embassy to tell them that I had arrived in the city. We planned a meeting for
the following day.
After lunch, I spent the next hour looking for a payphone that actually worked!
(mostofthepayphonesinthecitywerevandalized.) Eventually Ifoundoneandcalled the
twin brothers. We planned to meet at their home. I assumed I was to stay with them but
there was no room. I took a shower as their maid prepared lunch.
Leaving my things in their apartment, they took me on a tour of Madrid's famous
sites.Wewenttothepalaceandthentookinapanoramicviewofthepalacegardens.After-
wards, we went for ice cream in a restaurant that was owned by a priest. This priest owned
severalrestaurantsandalltheprofitswenttohelpingchildrenkicktheirdrugaddictionand
put them on the road to rediscovery.
We then went to look for a room for me and found one with no windows on the
fourthfloorofanoldbuilding.IdecidedtostaythenextdayinMadridtovisittheembassy
and run small errands.
The Canadian Embassy in Madrid was less than enthusiastic in welcoming me.
They did however supply me with lapel pins, a contact in Seville, promised to contact
Paris, Ottawa and Morocco, and re-direct any mail. After, I went to the bank to change the
donated money into English currency (I sent it off to STC-UK in Sevilla). The rest of the
day was spent meandering around the streets visiting numerous coffee shops. I had lunch
with the twins and met them again at 10:00 for dinner. My last evening in Madrid ended
with a night tour of the city…wow.
When I reflected on Madrid, it was not the numerous fountains, the museums, the
architecture, or the damaged pay phones that will remind me of my time spent here, it was
the friendship and kindness of Jose, Luis and their parents that came to mind first.
Iwokeupthenextmorninglaterthanusual.Ileftby8:45andfoundtheroadwhich
led me to the NIV E5 highway. The day was mostly uneventful. When it was time to find
a place to sleep, I came to an overpass that looked 'comfortable'. This time my bike was
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