Temple of Debod

Bicycling in Madrid is quite difficult.  My Spanish teacher told me not to, but I supposed that she only said it because her idea of physical activity is a standing appointment with the chiropractor.

Most of the trip was in the cycling park, following the cable car.  But then we hit the narrow streets and road blocks: first the river (Madrid has a river?) then the highway, then the train tracks.  Down a backstreet and over a neglected, grafitti-ed overpass was a nice surprise: the Goya monument.

Goya's most famous painting is this wartime execution of Spaniards by French soldiers.  The martyrs are buried right behind the monument.

The goal of our excursion was the Temple of Debod, which was excavated when the Aswan Dam was built in Egypt. It is the real thing, given as a gift and reconstructed brick by brick. My Spanish teacher said it was her favorite park in Madrid.  It really is simple and serene.

Nelson was quite jet-lagged but he came along with me like a trooper.  It seemed like a good idea at the time: stay awake, get some exercise and sunshine to help you acclimate...  maybe not such a good idea since the route was difficult and I had never actually done it.

As you can imagine the boys are beside themselves to have their uncle here.  They kept sneaking up to see if he was awake from his siesta.