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Thread: Where's (the) Wally part 2 (or a tale of the Curates Egg)

  1. #1

    Default Where's (the) Wally part 2 (or a tale of the Curates Egg)

    So, I've just come back to Blighty from 4 days in Madrid, much surprised that we still have the same Prime Minister as we had when we left. It was a game of 2 halves, some good and some not quite going as advertised. Me and my mucker originally booked the trip because we had finally got permission to visit the Armour Museum on the El Goloso Army base outside Madrid. Naturally, days after booking flights and hotel, the buggers switched the date of the visit so we couldn't get to see it

    The trip kicked off well with a two hour delay at Gatwick as something important had fallen off our plane so they had to find a replacement.

    Anyhow, day 1 saw us at the Museo del Aire, which I would recommend to anyone who finds themselves in Madrid. The main hangar has had a major revamp in so much as, where before a lot of planes were crowded into the hangar, some have been moved to other hangars and the rest are posed in individual scenes, the path through them showing a better history of the Spanish Air Force. Unfortunately, they have gone for very low lighting, so photography was a challenge (going to have to attack my pics with Photoshop before posting); I saw one guy using flash and getting jumped on by the museum inquisitors (sorry, attendants). Sadly, the one plane I wanted to get another look at - the Heinkel IIIE-1 (the only surviving one) - wasn't there any more. I surmise its removal was because it was a Condor Legion aircraft and not really Spanish so didn't quite fit into the thematic process. It had been removed to the restoration hangar together with their CASA 2-111, which was closed to the public.

    Day 2 was taken up with the Museo Naval, another excellent museum. They had a temporary exhibition of the Spanish in the American War of Independance which was illuminating, but strangely not a lot about Trafalgar for some reason.

    Day 3 was a major dog's breakfast. The Army Museum in the Alcazar in Toledo is one of the best museums I've seen, rebuilt as it is on the archaeological remains of previous Fortresses going back for centuries, all of which are visible before entering the main army museum - which was closed! Apparently they had had a minor fire a couple of months previously which fortunately didn't do any lasting damage to exhibits, but they were still clearing up smoke damage to the building. Now, any sensible museum in this situation might have stuck a big notice on their website to the effect that the museum was closed, but not the jolly old Spaniards.

    The problem with this is that the Madrid-Toledo rail line is busy so you have to book seats in advance, so we had 3 and a half hours to kill before our train back to Madrid. Fortunately the fire didn't affect the museum bar. An hour and a bit in there and we toddled back to the station via another bar, so by the time our train arrived we were feeling no pain.

    The last day was given over to retail therapy - going round the games shops and buying stuff to earn Good Boy vouchers from the wife. Madrid has a couple of large bookshops with very good military sections, so I was able to feed my Spanish Civil War fetish quite well. So, all in all, a reasonable trip even if we didn't get to see all that we wanted.

    EDIT: and to round things off, I just tested positive for Covid
    Last edited by Guntruck; 11-01-2022 at 02:04.
    Run for your life - there are stupid people everywhere!

  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by Guntruck View Post
    ..So, all in all, a reasonable trip even if we didn't get to see all that we wanted.
    EDIT: and to round things off, I just tested positive for Covid
    Just means you'll have to go back again sometime, Steve, at least you got something positive from the trip..

    "He is wise who watches"

  3. #3

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    Feel better soon Steve. As the spanish say "All will be good 'Manjana'" and the museum will open be 'manjana'

    It's a cultural thing. Now noff to bed with a large 'hot toddy'

  4. #4

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    A bit of a mixed bag then Steve, but a salutary lesson for any more of us contemplating a trip to Madrid and Toledo. I hope that your positive does not turn into anything more interesting.

    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  5. #5

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    Now, there's an accomplishment!

  6. #6

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    Thanks for the AAR Steve. Some nice snippets in there Sorry to here about the Covid test and hope there are no long term effects.
    Chau for now,
    Mike

  7. #7

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    Thanks chaps. Ironically, I had my 4th Covid jab a week before going. So far, only a bit of a sore throat and a sniffle thankfully. And yes, probably back there next year, 'cos Madrid is brilliant and the beer's cheap (only one Euro a tin at the Air Force Museum).
    Run for your life - there are stupid people everywhere!

  8. #8

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    Great trip report, Steve! Sorry to hear your covid woes -- I'm just getting over it also (despite vax + 4 boosters) after a family member brought it to the house at mom's funeral. Here's hoping your recovery is speedy.

    Argh, I felt your pain at not seeing that Heinkel! Great audible to the bars though.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by malachi View Post
    Argh, I felt your pain at not seeing that Heinkel!
    I have actually seen it before, but this time I wanted to take closer notice of the camouflage pattern.


    Run for your life - there are stupid people everywhere!

  10. #10

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    Glad you had a half good/half bad trip. Better than all bad, eh?
    I wasn't aware there was still an He-111E sitting around. I have pictures of the last flying CASA 2.111 before it crashed in 2003 somewhere in my house.

    Quote Originally Posted by Guntruck View Post
    The last day was given over to retail therapy - going round the games shops and buying stuff to earn Good Boy vouchers from the wife. Madrid has a couple of large bookshops with very good military sections, so I was able to feed my Spanish Civil War fetish quite well.
    If I have time before going to Fall In, I will be able to feed you something more
    Karl
    It is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows. -- Epictetus

  11. #11

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    Thanks for the report, Steve.

    Sounds like I should add Madrid to my list of never-to-be-successfully-visited museum trips....

    Hope you ride out the Covid with no ill effects.
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

  12. #12

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    Thanks Tim. Deffo worth going to the Air Force Museum if you are around that way.
    Run for your life - there are stupid people everywhere!

  13. #13

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    EDIT: and to round things off, I just tested positive for Covid
    Good job its not the Spanish flu then .
    Madrid is not to hard to get to from me via the TGV so it might be worth a jolly next year.


    I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
    Coming down is the hardest thing

  14. #14

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    Holidays and Covid, what a combination. I have been house and dog sitting whilst my wife and two daughters have spent two weeks hitting all the theme parks in Florida. They came back with the girly experience of a lifetime, a bottle of 100% proof Jack Daniels for yours truly... oh and Covid (which mixes well with jet lag ... NOT).

    Thankfully they are all fine now and I hope you are better soon Steve.

    Never Knowingly Undergunned !!

  15. #15

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    Hope that the ladies are not stricken too badly with the dreaded lurgy Chris.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hedeby View Post
    Holidays and Covid, what a combination. I have been house and dog sitting whilst my wife and two daughters have spent two weeks hitting all the theme parks in Florida. They came back with the girly experience of a lifetime, a bottle of 100% proof Jack Daniels for yours truly... oh and Covid (which mixes well with jet lag ... NOT).

    Thankfully they are all fine now and I hope you are better soon Steve.
    Well over it now, thanks Chris. I hope your crew are not too bad with it. Presumably the J.D. is purely for medicinal purposes.
    Run for your life - there are stupid people everywhere!

  17. #17

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    It’s an excellent prescription

    Never Knowingly Undergunned !!



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