00h30, No man's land café - I don't know if the management has changed but the deco did. The 2 ugly paintings on the wall are gone, replaced by 2 twin paintings of a teapot. The bottle shelves aren't new but, at least, they look cleaner.
Perhaps they just did some Spring cleaning.
Ah! The two unfriendly waitresses were replaced by two faster, friendly & chubby waiters on their 50s.
The tortilla pincho wasn't great, so I guess the cook didn't change.
05h45 am (Spanish time), Mendez Alvaro station - I ask my 'traditional' breakfast: a toast and a thick, rich chocolate, that I delightfully eat with a teaspoon. :) I need to be prepared for the 'battles' at the employment centre and the Tax Dept. And I won't be having lunch before 2pm.
1pm - I'm astonished at how quickly I've managed to do everything!... Bank and stop at ACH included. Nice... :)
2pm - Lunch with Esme and Carole. At Tanin, super-fast as usual.
3pm - With all the due respect, I felt like St. Peter, sort of... 3 times asked if I wanted to go 1,5 months to Jerusalem, 3 times I said no. Not that I don't want to go, but I can't go... I hope to start with my flat's rehab works this week and haven't got anybody to replace me at the Yoga classes. Plus Siri Prakash is coming and I can't just leave her stranded...
Anyway, there will be other missions. And I will go to Jerusalem on holidays, at some point, some time, some day.
Afternoon - A beer at Comercial, tea and chocolate cake at Teteria de la Abuela, pizza at Plaza 2 de Mayo with the usual suspects (Esme, Paula & Teresa). Guys, next time, I'll write a week before I arrive letting you know I'll be in Madrid. Sorry...
11pm - Back on the bus for another 8 hours of travelling. Don't ask me why, I just wanted to be back to Portugal quickly and get on with things over here.
Still and even though I only stayed one day this time, the shock is huge... I didn't realize but I missed Madrid a lot, the streets, the movement, a different lifestyle. Can't quite compare Setúbal with Madrid, it isn't 'comparable'.
Since Wednesday, I've spend most of my spare mental time on sort of a digestive process, weighing the consequences of my professional/living choices. I definitely must go out more often.
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