The biggest surprise of the morning was the blue sky out the window, especially after yesterday’s gale. I’d booked a driver for the trip to the airport and had asked him yesterday if 2-1/2 hours was enough time to make it on time. The drive into town on our first day wasn’t a good indicator because we got stuck in Sunday afternoon tourist traffic. The apartment rental guy suggested two hours from the apartment. Three days of staring out the window at our traffic-choked old town street made me a bit nervous, so I booked us for 10 and figured since we had to check out on time, we might as well sit at the airport.

The driver arrived on time and of course, there wasn’t a lot of traffic. It looked like it was going to be a nice day, but the driver said “Don’t be so sure” as we drove in and out of cloudy areas. The trip to the airport took 20 minutes but we crammed a lot of great conversation into that short time. Portuguese wines, the Mediterranean Diet, and the cost of quality Olive Oil – one more great driver experience. He dropped us off, we checked in quickly, made it through Fast Track security, and settled in for a couple of cups of coffee and people-watching. The Porto airport is excellent, once again making the point that the US is woefully behind on modern public infrastructure. It being Good Friday, it was mobbed but aside from the “Sanitarios” everything adjusted easily to the load. Before we’d left we watched a segment on BBC News about the passenger traffic crunch in anticipation of Easter break, and we got to see it in person. However, the plane boarded and we left on time despite the increased traffic.

The flight was less than an hour and went by quickly. As we approached the weather got ugly – Porto had followed us across Iberia. It was raining as we taxied to the terminal. Barajas was also mobbed so we quickly made our way outside to the taxi stand, which was nothing like I’d ever seen. The line was probably 200 feet long, but it was moving and it didn’t take all that long to get a ride due to the seemingly endless supply of cabs.

I tried a little bit of Spanish conversation on the ride into Madrid but this rider wasn’t interested. We’ve been here so many times, that the landmarks are familiar and there is something special and comfortable about arriving in a place you know. As we came into town, the weather improved and the sun made an appearance. It was however far colder – 47° – than anything we’d had in the last 10 days. The apartment agent met us, explained the nuances of the place (nice,) and went on her way after bringing us another batch of towels. We unpacked, took a look out the window, and went off hunting and gathering. In other words – El Corte Inglés.

There is perhaps only one grocery store in the world better than the Puerto del Sol Corte Inglés and that’s La Grande Épicerie in Paris. You enter the regular grocery through an incredible gourmet section that features all kinds of ready-made dinners, a deli, a wine cellar, and a fancy patisserie. We tried to ignore that and went about our regular shopping. On the way out we thought it might be a good idea to treat ourselves to a take-out dinner after all the restaurant nights of the last two weeks. Given that the store is so close to our apartment, we went home unpacked the groceries, turned around, and went right back. Cod, chicken, and ham croquettes along with grilled tomatoes for two – 8€. Single-serves of chocolate and lemon cheesecake – 9€. Two bottles of Portuguese wine – 34€. 51€ for an amazing meal. 20€ less than a typical dinner out in Porto. With plenty of wine for the week.

So now, well-sustained, we’re watching a Super Yacht show on Spanish cable, and waiting for the Viernes Santo processions to wind by. By pure dumb luck, I booked an apartment on the route of two Semana Santa processions that will come by in the next hour or so, right under our balcony.

All in all, a very good day.