All Night Long

Despite managing to stay awake until 8:30 pm, I wasn't able to ward off the jet lag. At 11:30 I was wide awake and finally got up around 1 am. It was a warm evening and we had the door open to our tiny balcony. I squeezed a chair in besides the ac unit and enjoy the view of the lively square below. I had heard that people in Spain keep very late hours and now I can verify that is true.

It was a very entertaining all night vigil. Mothers with toddlers in strollers were still out socializing at 1:30 am. I watched one dynamic unfold in a little park section right below my window. I thought a couple was breaking up but it turns out that she was just really drunk while 3 guy friends tried to comfort and console her. The drama lasted for about 2 hours. Groups of young people crisscrosssed the square as they left one bar or restaurant for the next. Rollerbladers, mopeds, delivery trucks, police, and lots of young folks enjoyed a typical Tuesday night in Madrid. As luck would have it, everything was finally shut by the time we ventured out to find coffee at 6 am. We have now found coffee and are catching up on our journals and blogs before we take the tain to Pamplona. We will finally be on the Camino tonight in Roncesvalles!