Madrid and Princeton, Monday, March 24, 2025
For the second time in a row, a United flight departed on time. And, I have to say, the service on board has definitely improved in the last few years, with fewer nasty flight attendants and steerage seats that aren’t lethal.
We had wanted to try the Madrid Metro, and it proved to be very efficient. Even the first, rush hour train from Alfonso Martinez to Nuevos Ministerios was crowded but not impossible; the train from there to the airport is purpose built, with huge carriages and lots of space. It took us less than forty minutes and cost 5.5 Euros apiece.
Unlike our arrival, everything ran smoothly and quickly for our departure, and, after a bite of breakfast, we were soon lining up for the flight.
I finished the really outstanding movie “The Outrun”, which I had started on the way over. Brilliant acting from Saoirse Ronan, gripping directing by the German Nora Fingscheidt, and a terrific script by Fingscheidt and Amy Liptrot, on whose memoir the film is based. Amazing that a quality piece of work like this goes unnoticed while a piece of sensationalistic trash like Anora wins awards. Welcome to our world.
New Jersey Transit and Uber had us home by five and found the hound in good spirits, if as slow as ever.
It had been a very good trip with things we will never forget: the Mezquita in Cordoba, the Alcazar Real in Sevilla, and of course the Alhambra in Granada. We had hoped for some sun and relaxation, but the weather didn’t deliver that. Thinking back, we’ve actually had marvelous luck with the weather during our travels; this trip compares only to our stormy, wet walk through the Cotswolds in 2015.