| Subject: viva espana |
Author:
bob
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Date Posted: 18:54:38 05/22/05 Sun
In reply to:
Lorraine
's message, "Contract for Wrightwood" on 10:20:44 05/22/05 Sun
Lorraine, i know your sponsor have planned a tour of Madrid for you and your group - we really miss this extravagant city which is just 4 hours by train from where we have lived for 3.5 years at Base Naval de Rota (Region of Cadiz), a huge naval base facility used by American and Spanish fleets and NATO member countries. It also houses the US Air Force 725th Air Mobility Command for the super transport C-5's and C-130's, Hercules, etc...and Harriers, helicopters for the Spanish Armada, the Navy's P3 Orion, used for intel gathering and recon and much more...it's probably the most important US base in the European theater.
If you're feeling alone in Madrid just think that there are tens of thousands of Filipinos working all over Madrid and the whole of the Iberian peninsula. American military presence is also widespread, the US Army has a facility in Madrid and there is also the Moron US Air Force Base maintenance facility near the City of Sevilla, aside from Rota.
If it's not possible to visit the grounds of the Royal Palace and gardens due to security restrictions now imposed after the train station bombing more than a year ago, you can still get the best kodak view of the palace by going to the bridge called Puente de Segovia. The main street 'Gran Via' is comparable to the wide streets of Frankfurt, Germany, 4 lanes on each side of the road...from here one can get a City tour bus that stops to all the main attractions - you have to see the Prado Museum which exhibits the works of the best of Spanish artists, although it's smaller as compared to the Louvre museum in Paris.
I dont think you need to see the American weekend paradise park called Warner Brothers, the rides and other attractions are like the Disney or 6 Flags, that's about 30-45 minutes train ride from the Madrid Atocha station (yes, the train station that was bombed by islamic terrorist from nearby Morocco more than a year ago). It's summertime in Spain and you'll find out that Madrid is not the destination of tourists and even city folks would move to the island paradise of Ibiza or Palma de Mallorca and other beaches on the coast of Cadiz. If we have visited Madrid quite often it's because of the short distance from our place...1992(?) summer olympic host Barcelona is on the other side and near the French border. We've visited Barcelona twice, once by train (12 hours) and by plane, a little over one hour flight from Jerez City (20 minutes drive from the base. Barcelona is like being in San Francisco because of the landscape. Catalan is the official language here and not Castillan - it's like a combination of french and castillan in a funny yet awesome accent...
Enjoy your stay in Madrid, it's one of a kind. Im sure your tour guide would ask you in that thick Castillan tongue: 'Senora Lorraine, lo esta pasando muy bien? and you better answer, Si senora, lo estoy pasando muy bien, muchas gracias (yes ma'm, im having a good time, thank you.)... it's one of the things we've learned during our cultural orientation week at the base.
We will surely miss the Evangelistas at the summer camp.
Until then, take care and God bless you on your trip.
bob
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