Castiglione del Lago, Umbria, Italy
April 6, 1997

"I'll be in Madrid all the time except for March 22 -26, when I have to attend a workshop in Germany..." read a fax from Hannes that I received in the middle of our stay in Salamanca. By then, we had decided to extend our visit by a third week and to go to Madrid for exactly those days. Hannes is an old friend of mine for we used to play soccer in a team first time as long as 18 years ago; so actually before the girls were born! We have become ever closer friends during my years of travelling extensively and later on studying.

He came to visit me in Salamanca over the weekend and he and the dudettes had a very good understanding right away. Besides chatting with them and others in the tiny living room, Hannes and I explored the city during the day and hit the bars in the night. The girls had had a strong experience at "El Litros", a pub where drinks are served in plastic cups holding a quart. One night Keni and Misha had found out that a lot of liquor is put into the drinks, even if one cannot taste it.

Having heard so much about the place I had to show it to Hannes. We shared a couple drinks throughout the night and Hannes was so kind to have far more than half. We saw especially plenty young Americans at "El Litros". Going to different pubs we had the common experience of crowded houses. This night being the only one out late for me, I was happy to return quite sober at 5 am.

The next day, all too soon and after exploring the flea market and "tapas" - typical snacks in bars, Hannes had to return to Madrid. He's got a M.S. in business and is doing a two year traineeship for a huge German company. After having spent several months in Hamburg and Hannover, Germany, he is now enjoying 5 months in Madrid where he has to install new software. Knowing some Spanish before, Madrid is a fortunate pick, since Elena and Anna, friends from a semester studied in Nottingham, England, are "Madrillenas".

The next Saturday, March 22, we cleaned our rooms, the kitchen and one of the two bathrooms to make sure we do our share and a bit more. Everybody else had left for a weekend in Madrid already, so Misha wrote a nice good-bye note. The dudettes decided to stay in a little pension again, because the hostels in Madrid were far from the center and had curfews. Keni called ahead for booking, but she couldn't get her wishes across to the impatient person on the other end of the line. So I tried my luck and was glad to be successful; Misha's time will come in Germany when booking by phone and plenty other things will be part of her German classes.

Arriving in Madrid, I dropped the girls at a subway station after giving them an introduction of how to use it. Equipped with a city map and able to ask for the way, they were off on their own for 5 days. I myself was equipped with keys to Hannes' apartment and found it to be a nice, small place not far from the enormous center. Elena and Anna offered me the opportunity to use my e-mail and moreover spent an enjoyable first night in Madrid with me. Fortunately, they speak English very well, for my Spanish isn't good enough for communicating with fast talking natives.

The next day found me at Bernabeu Stadium, Real Madrid's famous arena that holds space for 120,000 people. The game wasn't sold out, but a crowd of some 70,000 created a special atmosphere. Real, leading in Spain's soccer league, scored a 2 : 0 win with the help of their fabulous German keeper.

An even greater cultural event was the visit of the Prado with Keni a couple days later. We spent a communicative and strenuous hour and a half looking at paintings of Goya. Two lectures on him at the Academia Mester opened a lot of pictures for me, though I had gotten only pieces about his biography and Spanish history. Keni was a great companion to be around and we exchanged our observations frequently.

She also told me that they had had no problems using the subway and finding their surprisingly nice pension next to the Plaza Mayor. Misha and her had spent a day at the river and walked around town, with Misha also working on her English requirements.

Madrid turned out to be a good place to see original movies with Spanish subtitles. This way I watch "The English Patient", having to stand in line 40 minutes before entrance time! Apart from that I also explored by walking a lot through ever different streets. And Elena was so nice to go out with me again. Being my age and single as well, we had a great time exchanging ideas and thoughts. Moreover, it makes all the difference to meet with natives and even locals to ask questions about unfamiliar costumes and the living situation in general. Also, next time I come to Madrid I have a place to stay though Hannes won't be there anymore.

When Hannes finally returned, I picked him up from the airport and chauffeured him home, where he unpacked and packed to go right away on ski vacation with Elena and Anna over the long Easter weekend. So I received his hospitality, but didn't spend much time with him. The last thing I could say is that he is worth at least 2,000 digits in my next newsletter, though I think I actually failed on that now.

Misha and Keni came by subway and foot to "my" apartment the next morning where we planned our way to Italy. Neither one of them likes long car rides, so we agreed on no more than six hours per day and taking a week overall. They are constantly improving their navigating skills and it's no problem to outline a trip right before we take off.

Madrid had turned out to be better than expected. It's beauty cannot compare to Salamanca though and it's vastness makes it difficult to feel at home within a few days. Although having had a good time, the dudettes don't consider it as a city to return to.

We were somewhat ill prepared for the following Easter days, since we didn't book ahead. Arriving in Lleida, Catalunia, the first night, we found the hostel closed and others booked out. So we were lucky to find an inexpensive and very nice little hotel. That night, one of us got sad news from home and we shared an intimate hour talking.

Some of you might not have heard about the next country we came through: Andorra. It is situated in a valley up in the Pyrennes - mountains which separate Spain and France. Until 1993, when Andorra gained it's independence, it was ruled simultaneously by the French kings (or presidents lately) and the Catholic bishops of the Spanish town of La Seu d'Urgell for seven centuries. It is not a member of the European Union yet and many people consider it as a huge shopping center, since prices are extremely low to get money into the country that has "only" beautiful nature as an alternative offer. The speed limit of 90 km is difficult to reach on it's winding roads.

We had great difficulties to accommodate ourselves. There are no hostels and we were lucky to get a cheap room in a private home for the girls and a single room in an inexpensive hotel for me. The hotel, high up at the end of a narrow valley, was actually in Spain, though the only - dead end - road came off the main Andorran valley; borders are weird things at times. But I was happy to be up there and treated myself with the hotel's dinner. It consisted of plenty of heavy and tasty food and I was only able to eat half of it - for $ 7 - by spreading the four dish menu over two hours.

Having different interests, I dropped the girls the next morning in Andorra la Vella, the capital, while I drove up another side valley and hiked up far above the trees until the snow stopped me. It was kinda chilly and windy up there, but I built up some sweat by hiking and rock-climbing steep areas and sat down, protected from the wind by boulders, to gaze over the impressive scenery. The mountains reach up to 9,000 ft. and hardly anybody was in sight at all, while traffic and people jammed just a few miles away.

But Keni and Misha had a great time shopping. Spending half a day, they still had missed many stores and were not exhausted. They got some great deals on quality products and beamed when we met again. So while we drove on they displayed all the stuff they bought. And Misha was very good in removing labels in case of border controls, for she's got some experience at the American Canadian border.

Leaving Andorra, and also the next day, driving through the part of the French Pyrennes that is called "Pays du Catharse" I rejoiced in the astounding beauty of the mountains; and I made a mental note to return by bicycle. This part of France has good, often small roads and the infrastructure is good enough for a stay while it's not a major vacation spot. Our hostel, that we booked in advance, was our first cozy one with a family atmosphere and a group of Catalans besides families from Ireland, Italy and Spain.

The natural beauty was matched with the man made one of the historic center of Montpellier, where we spent the following night. I couldn't believe to see all these narrow and ever changing alleys. Wanting to eat out - good and cheap, so Italian, as we grow accustomed - I walked around giving myself the task of finding five places first. And it was still difficult entering one than, with my stomach asking for food badly, for I always found another alley that drew me to explore it.

Can you imagine a hostel that is a 30 minute fast walk away from the city center with a receptionist needing 20 minutes to check in three people, who forces everyone to rent sheets for an extra two buck and doesn't answer the question why you cannot have the offered dinner, a hostel with windows not to be opened, a bar without music, a strict curfew at 11 PM with doors that cannot be opened in case of emergency, orange juice for breakfast that nobody drinks and the explanation that everything is due to the fact that hostels are run by the syndicate / communists? - Well, if you can't, go and check out the hostel in Aix en Provence!

The famous center of the "city of Cezanne" was quite nice, but a bit disappointing after Montpellier and the best part of our stay were the people we met. We had dinner - good and cheap, which also means pizza with tomato sauce and cheese only - with a Swiss-German and a Canadian, and moreover we met teachers of a group of 60 students from a private school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They had their own bus and toured France for a couple weeks. Although the students were of the same age as the dudettes, it was apparent that there were differences. Being two months into our trip, Keni and Misha seemed older, more mature and far more willing and able to meet others. The thing they had in common is that they are not fond of walking.

Our last stretch in France for the second encounter - Paris will be the third and final at the end of May - led to the "Cote d'Azur" or "French Riviera". Cities like Cannes or Nice are known for their beauty and as a playground for the international jetset. The mountainous coast is definitely worth seeing and sunshine, blue sky and palms brought up memories of California, but the pebbled beaches were small. So I am glad that I've seen it once, but there is no need to return. I am rather longing to return to the "Pays du Catharse", the "Massif Central" - inland mountains I hitched and hiked through a couple of summers ago - or Brittany, the almost mystic peninsula of northwestern France.

As far as communication goes, we had an interesting week. Keni and Misha got into a couple fights with one another; their fights can be really rough at times, but never last long. Misha, on the other hand, opened towards me - Keni did already long before, so I had the best week with them so far.

P. S. Correction: Misha didn't have a strapped throat - or however it is spelled, but tonsillitis.