Tuesday 20 December 2016

A Postcard A Day - T for Tuesday - T for Madrid (photo heavy)

Hi T-gang! How are you all? 

We have just come back from a week in Madrid, the capital city of Spain. Neither of us had ever visited the capital, but I had to go to the embassy to renew my passport, so  we thought we would book a hotel and stay a bit longer to see the sights.
I'm happy to share photos with you so this is going to be photo heavy...

The thing that struck me was the lack of Christmas decorations or festive lighting. Not a Christmas tree in sight. 
But there was a Christmas market in the Plaza Mayor (the main square):
OK, so I was underwhelmed... The stalls of the market were cute:
 There were about a hundred of these booths and most of them sold the same thing:
Figurines to make nativity scenes. In Spain these are called 'belén', which means Bethlehem. They make whole villages rather than a crib in a stable etc.

The thing I love about Spain is the café culture. Even in December (it's cold in Madrid) people sit outside:
And here is one of those little bars:
One day we had lunch on one of the outside terraces. They had windscreens and patio heaters to keep us warm and the food was very good. We noticed that the little sparrows had a good thing going as they would appear on the table when the customer had got up to go but before the waiter wipped away the dirty dishes. Clever!
The embassy was on the 36th floor of the right-hand tall building in the business part of Madrid.
I was looking forward to seeing the view from there. But on the day of our appointment, this is what it looked like:
The 36th floor was completely in the mist! Tight security meant our elevator pass only took us to the floor we were meant to be on. Oh well...

Our hotel was lovely. It was literally built on top of the train station. In fact we couldn't find it when we arrived. (We should have looked UP! lol!) In many countries in Europe there is a kettle in the hotel room so that you can make yourself a hot drink. Not so in Spain. We knew that and brought our little caravan kettle. So here is a scene from our room:
This photo will qualify me for T for Tuesday, organized by Elizabeth and Bleubeard at Altered Booklover, where we share anything interesting as long as it has a drink in it. The tea on the right is called Winter Spice, and the box on the left contains sachets of cup-a-soups. The box in the back ground is brown sugar, which hubby likes in his coffee and the orange tube contains effervescent vitamine C tablets, which make a refreshing drink. (And before you ask... the fluffy things in the top right corner are the pompoms of my woolly hat that was lying on the shelf!)

Now for my postcards. Needless to say, there were many postcards waiting for me in the mailbox when I got home. 
The one I want to share with you is this one from Canada:

It's a vintage looking card, and it has glitter on it which doesn't come across on the scan.

So be it 'merry' or be it 'blessed', I wish you all a wonderful Christmas!

Happy T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca

17 comments:

  1. Love seeing your Madrid photos. I find it interesting how it was NOT decorated for the holidays. I guess it isn't such a big holiday there? Have a wonderful holiday, and happy T day. Hugs-Erika

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for sharing the photos of Madrid, glad you had a nice week there. The embassy is a long way up, not good for people who don't like lifts! The vintage looking postcard with the owl is lovely. Strange that they don't have kettles in the hotel rooms, but good that you took your own. Happy T Day, and happy Christmas, hugs, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Actually, Lisca, the picture of the table with the sparrows has cups and glasses on it, so it qualifies, too. I love it when I see outside-the-box photos like that.

    We don't have Christmas markets here. I noticed many T Tuesday participants (Valerie, Johanna, Yvonne) and several other European friends like Jo (of Jozart) have shown Christmas markets. They remind me of craft fairs, but are so much different from what we have usually in summer and autumn. Forgive me if I left anyone else out.

    I really enjoyed seeing photos of Madrid. I couldn't believe the security. We have security gates you walk through in most of our federal and local government offices, but they don't restrict the elevators. One day (and I'm very claustrophobic) I had to go to the 15th floor of our local government building. A small child got on at the same time I did, and pressed EVERY button on the elevator. After a few floors, I got off and got on a different one. I don't like to be on any that have more than 2 people, no matter how large they are. I simply can't breathe if there are too many people on the elevator. And being so short, I'm usually pushed to the back, which causes panic attacks.

    Thanks for sharing your lovely postcard, your trip to Madrid, your hotel room "tea bar," and your photos of the Christmas market with us for T this Tuesday.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Loved perusing Madrid with you Lisca! The markets are always fun to go thru-even if the stalls are sometimes repetitive. And I love the outdoor café atmosphere! Cute nook for your drinking needs. We always take a one cup maker if there isn't one available when we travel. Beautiful vintage postcard! Happy T day and a Merry Christmas too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Madrid looks like a lovely place, thanks for sharing your wonderful photos as I've never visited there before :-). The little bar you found is so very pretty with all the tile and wrought iron work :-). Love your vintage postcard, I bet the glitter sparkles beautifully :-). I wish you and your hubby a wonderful Christmas dear Lisca! I hope it is both merry and blessed :-). Happy T Day! J :-) x
    p.s. Thanks for your kind comments on my blog. I was enthralled reading that your husband worked at Cadburys. I did use a thermometer, I improvised somewhat and used the one my hubby uses for his brewing :-). x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful photos of Madrid. The austere look surprised me because I think of the Spanish as exuberant creative people. And the security - oh my - what a sad way to live. You're very clever to know how to travel and what to bring with, Lisca.

    The postcard is lovely! Happy T Day and Merry Christmas from Mexico to Spain ;-) Eileen

    ReplyDelete
  7. We need to import some of that cafe culture here! Thx so much for posting photos of your time in Madrid :) Happy T Tuesday

    ReplyDelete
  8. It was good to see your photos of your trip to Madrid, not somewhere I have been which made all the more interesting and how folk still sit outside cafe's in winter. We would freeze up here in the UK.
    I liked your portable hot drink counter, I'm sure it was used quite often.
    Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas.
    happy T day
    Yvonne xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. it was nice to follow you on your trip to Madrid.
    lisca, have a peaceful time with your loved ones. and happy t-day!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I loved seeing Madrid although like you I would have ben disappointed in the Christmas decorations! Well done for taking your own kettle! Wishing you a Merry Christmas! Chrisx

    ReplyDelete
  11. So much fun to see the places you visit! wonder why the lack of Christmas decorations? maybe just budget cuts? very curious...enjoyed your photos and especially the Christmas postcard! happy T day and Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I also wonder why there is such a minimum of Christmas decoration there? Wonderful photos of Madrid! Thank you for sharing!
    Wishing you
    Happy Holidays Lisca!

    oxo Susi

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a lovely break....strange that it wasn't as Christmas-y as most places are at this time of year! Shame about the fog on your passport picking up day, too.....great that you thought to take your own kettle. Over here in Australia, we always have free tea, coffee, milk, sugar, a kettle & usually a small fridge.... I would find it strange if they didn't provide all that. Often there are some small packets of biscuits too!! Have a wonderful Christmas Lisca:):) Blessings of the Season to you and yours:)

    ReplyDelete
  14. DIdn't realize that they don't decorate in Madrid... wonder what the story is behind that. Thanks for including us in your adventures. Love seeing the birds stealing the left overs ♥ Happy belated T day and Merry Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love your photos of Madrid.... I loved the little outdoor cafes when we visited Germany... sitting at a cafe with the church bells ringing in the distance is a memory i will not soon forget... I would be a little underwhelmed myself at the lack of decorations and the fact that nearly every booth was the same... ah well... Lovely to see you Lisca even if i'am a little belated this week for tea... Happy T day and Merry Christmas!! Hugs! deb

    ReplyDelete
  16. thank you for sharing your travels. Interesting to learn holiday customs from other places. Wonderful postcard. That owl is such a handsome fellow. Happy T Day and a Merry Christmas

    ReplyDelete
  17. Merry Christmas my friend!Thanks for being part of my life this year.
    _________________°Paz°
    ________________°União°
    _______________°Alegrias°
    ______________°Esperanças°
    _____________°Amor°Sucesso°
    ____________°Realizações°Luz°
    ___________°Respeito°harmonia°
    __________°Saúde°solidariedade°
    _________°Felicidade°-°Humildade°
    ________°Confraternização-°Pureza°
    _______°Amizade° Sabedoria ° Perdão°
    ______°Igualdade° Liberdade° Boasorte°
    _____°Sinceridade-°Estima-°Fraternidade°
    ____°Equilíbrio- °Dignidade-Benevolência°
    ___°Fé°Bondade°Paciência°Brandura°Força°
    __°Tenacidade°Prosperidade°Reconhecimento°
    °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
    ________________♥JESUS♥_________________

    ReplyDelete