Visitors

Yay, my parents came to visit me! When I told my Spanish friends that my parents were coming for ten days, they were horrified that my parents were coming for such a short time. I guess to a Spaniard, a vacation is a minimum of two weeks. We Americans can't imagine using so much of our precious, rare vacation time at once. Even the retirees can still think this way.

Unfortunately, my father arrived with a cold that knocked him out. He spent more than half of the vacation sleeping. I was sorry for him, but also grateful that we didn't have once-in-a-lifetime plans. It was fine for him to just rest at their nearby Airbnb apartment while my mother and I checked out all the parks that would have bored him.

I am really pleased that I encouraged my parents to come visit so soon after I arrived. Now that they have seen my house and my neighborhood, they feel more connected to me. For me, their visit helped transition Spain from location where I am frequently bewildered and lost to a place where my friends and family visit me at home.

In the Royal Botanical Garden. The flowers are much prettier here in the fall, 

when they don´t have to battle the heat.

 My mother loved chocolate and churros. I will be indulging in this regularly during the winter season.

My father managed to stay awake and upright for a trip to the railway museum. Unfortunately, Madrid specializes in art and history museums, and is quite light on the machinery museums, so we will have to venture further afield for his next visit.