Un Mes en Madrid

June 26

Yeah, that didn’t work.  It’s 4am and we have all been up for an hour at least.  Since I did not sleep on the plane I could have easily slept in this morning until daylight.  The girls, stretched across our laps on the plane ride, slept like babies.  If only I could sleep as easily as a child.

By 9am the little one got cranky.  It was easy to get her to nap.  The other, as she does often, wanted to stay up and play with her dolls.  Niki and I laid down as well, and it never fails that Sofiah climbs in bed and wakes us up as soon as we nod off. 

A couple of hours later we opened the blinds and made a bit of noise to wake the girls.  They didn’t budge.  Their bodies are trying to tell us they need the sleep so we let them although Niki and I are ready to go exploring.

The fridge is empty.  After a trip to the grocery yesterday we bought all we could carry and though it is only a few blocks away it’s heavy.  And so we stop for lunch again at one of the many restaurants with tables along the sidewalk with free tapas, potatoes with a cheese sauce this time, delicious.  We make up a good story or call the new food something we call it at home to get the girls to try it.  So far they love Fanta and the powdered chocolate.  I hope they expand their horizons a bit, either that or go hungry.

A park, Canal de Isabel, was within walking distance.  Two playgrounds with plenty of other kids, perfect for the girls.  We spent at least a couple of hours there.  Niki and I sat in the shade mostly while the girls played in the heat, but a dry heat, much more tolerable than the heavy, humid heat of Mississippi. The best part was watching the kids interact.  At this age, language is a small barrier.  They played with the other kids and seemed to listen to them intently.  Sofiah even used her small vocabulary when she yelled, “Para! to get the little boys to stop the tilt-a-whirl (whatever you call that thing that is similar to the Tea Cups at Disneyland).

The walk home isn’t so much fun.  The girls are tired, hungry, and not used to walking so far.  We cook spaghetti at the apartment and eat around the dinner table to add a sense of normalcy for the first time since we left.  They eat the best they have so far and by dark (11pm) they are pooped and fall fast asleep.