The end of the lines

I just got a story published in the March issue of  In Madrid, the monthly English-language magazine here. My story was a photo essay on what's to be found at the outer ends of Madrid's massive metro system, which, as it turns out, is an odd assortment of things. It was a fun story to do because it felt a bit like teleporting each time I popped up to the surface on the escalator at a new stop. Eleven of the photos were published in the print edition. Here's a random selection, the rest can be found in the Madrid gallery. 

Villaverde Alto at the end of line 3

Piñar de Chamartin at the end of line 1

Puerta del Sur at the end of line 10

Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria is glorious, especially when you've been mired in the rain and snow of winter for a couple of months. Unfortunately, the air was filled with dust blown over from Africa, which didn't do great things for the clarity of the pictures or the quality of the light. I'm still working on the edits in Photoshop, trying to burn in some shadows so there is less of a haze. I hope you enjoy what I've put up in the gallery for now!

Two surfers headed out at dusk

Gorgeous mountains (through the haze), and a traffic jam on the way to see a rare waterfall. 

And a children's costume competition for Carnaval--more of these on the way!

A bakery in need of saving

There's not much to see at Valdecarros, the last stop at the south end of Line 1. There are a few scattered, treeless parks and some buildings in the works. It isn't a place many people have a reason to go to, but there is a little bakery there that is worth a try if you have the time. (It has brownies!)

It also snowed in Madrid.

The little bear of Madrid is cold and so am I.

"Sol" is the Spanish word for sun. Don't lie to me, metro sign.

It snowed in Kansas.

Daytrippin', part I: Toledo

On one of Renfe's magnificent high-speed trains, the trip from Madrid to Toledo takes only 30 minutes and a return ticket costs about 15 euros. There is a train every hour from the Atoche Renfe station (reachable by the metro stop of the same name on line 1). If you buy a return ticket (ida y vuelta), you can leave the return time open and set it at the Toledo station when you're ready to go.

For my visit, the weather was chilly and rainy, but a trip is a trip. To me, the best things about Toledo are: marzipan, architectural detail and craftsmen. If you're after souvenirs, look no further. Overall, the restaurants seemed even more expensive than the ones in Madrid, but there are some with reasonably priced raciones that are easy to split among a crowd.

The upshot of the rain was that when it finally stopped, the sky was a brilliant blue and cast a beautiful mix of shadows on the buildings.

This statue of a woman praying is near the Toledo Cathedral. I'm trying to find information on who she is and who sculpted her, but as of yet various internet searches haven't yielded much.

"No cows!"

More pictures of Toledo coming soon to the Madrid gallery...

The Metropolis Building (Edificio Metropolis) on Gran Via

It draws my eye every time I walk past it.

 

Both the Metropolis Building and Gran Via are worth making the effort to see both by day and by night.