Good afternoon all,

 

Today is our last day in Madrid before heading back home tomorrow.  Tom Shymanski advised me  to enjoy myself and forget about having to go home, so I am going to "live in the moment" for the rest of the trip. But first I need to dive into the past and tell you about yesterday.  I have usually been sending these out in the morning, but we had some Internet problems this morning so it actually is going out around 9 p.m. on Friday evening. 

  

You may recall that we decided to catch the AVE (alta velocidad) train from Madrid to Valencia.  We got up early yesterday and hoofed it down to Atocha station, which is the busiest rail station in Spain.  It's about a ten minute walk from our hotel.  We were able to secure two tickets on the 8:40 a.m. train, which put us in Valencia around 10:00 a.m.  The service just began in December 2010.  The train looks sort of like a bottlenose dolphin.  When you are traveling at speeds up to 300 KM per hour, you need to be pretty aerodynamic.  Here's a photo of the train and the seating:

 

 

 

Arriving in Valencia, we hit the tourist office, got a map and some advice on what to see, and set off to explore Valencia.  The first thing you notice is that although it is a major city, its scale is lower and wider than Madrid.  The people seem a bit more relaxed and casual.  There are palm trees everywhere, which you really don't see in Madrid.  The city is very ancient, having  been founded by the Romans in 137 B.C. We didn't see any Roman ruins but you do get the feeling that it is a city with a great deal of history.  We wanted to see the Mercado Central, the main market where Valencians purchase their meat, fish, cheese, and produce.  The Mercado Central is gigantic, packed with vendors selling their wares  and customers anxious for the best quality at the best prices.  In this age of industrialized food it is so enjoyable to watch people buying farm fresh produce, seafood right from the sea, and mountains beef and ham.  Have a look at this lettuce: 

Strangest sight of the day had to be the fresh live eels slithering around on a metal tray, awaiting their purchasers.  We bought some saffron from a spice purveyor and got a recommendation on a restaurant where we could obtain a true Valencian paella.  I forgot to get a shot of the saffron vendor, but here’s one of his neighbor, the paprika vendor.  As you can see, the Spanish use a lot of paprika:

 

 

We saw the sights and walked around town, stopped for the occasional coffee or beer, and generally enjoyed the great ambience of Valencia.  Finally lunch time rolled around and we presented ourselves at the Café Ronda in the Plaza Redonda.  The saffron vendor at the market had told us they make a very good paella, and they use real saffron in their paella, which most restarants do not, because of its great cost.  We ordered the seafood paella (Cath not being partial to rabbit) and waited for the requisite 30 minutes for it to be cooked. By the time it arrived we were plenty hungry!  We didn’t think we would be able to eat it all, and we didn’t, but we did make a pretty good dent in it for two people.  Here’s about where we gave up:

 

 

 

It seems almost impossible for any paella in Valencia to live up to its billing. But this one was very good.  Very flavorful, a fair smattering of seafood, but a bit too salty.  I would not ever say this to our Spanish hosts, but I can tell you:  I really think we make better paella at home with California grown Calrose rice.  Heresy I know, but that’s what I think.  But I’m keeping that opinion among us. I should probably quarantine this post until I clear Spanish customs tomorrow.  

 

After lunch we made a quick visit to the Museum of Ceramics, where they display ancient Spanish and Moorish ceramic pieces.  The Museum is housed in a palace much of which is intact in its original state, so that was worth seeing all by itself.  We also happened upon a decorative food show, which featured lots of cakes and other items.  I thought you sports fans might like to see one of the cakes: 

Then we had to get ourselves back to the station to catch the train back to Madrid.  We had another fast train ride and as usual I fell asleep right away (putting me on a train is like putting a baby in a car seat on top of the clothes dryer).

 

When we got back to Madrid we heard someone behind us calling out “Hey Orange County!”  It turned out to be Terry and Greg, a really nice couple from Philadelphia whom we met on the Ford Focus Global Drive.  They were staying at the Palace too so we shared a cab back to the hotel. By that time we were too lazy to walk for ten minutes.  The cab driver wasn’t too happy about getting a 5 Euro fare after having waited in the taxi line for an hour or more, but those are the breaks; I gave him a nice tip.  We had a farewell aperitif (well, two) with Terry and Greg at the hotel bar.  Greg is a filmmaker and has produced a few award winning short films, which can be seen here: 

We finally got back to our room after midnight, justly tired out after a long day. 

 

We were really glad to have gotten a chance to see Valencia.  It’s a city that most Americans probably haven’t gone too in the past, but with the AVE train, I suspect that more visitors will decide to take a day trip to Valencia.  It’s totally worth doing. 

 

Today (Friday) was spent shopping and walking in the neighborhoods around the El Retiro Park.  Jane had asked us to look for a pair of Spanish boots for her, which turned out to be a very big job. We had specific instructions on color, heel size, adornments, etc.   We actually found a very nice pair (on sale!) that fit the bill, so we went ahead and bought them.  Now we just have to pray they fit. 

 

After all the shoe shopping there wasn’t’ much time to do anything else so we came back to our hotel to drop of our loot and regroup.  When Cath awakes from the regenerating nap she’s currenting having, we will go out for a final dinner, probably in the La Latina neighborhood where we got lost a few nights ago.  This time we’re on our own, but we’ve got some cash!  We think we might stop by the Taberna Bilbao for some more of their great tapas. 

 

Tomorrow will just be packing up and going to the airport, so I think this will be my last post unless something really exciting happens tonight.  It’s always possible that something exciting will happen though: I was listening to Leo Laporte’s webcast this morning and he mentioned that John C. Dvorak, (a tech columnist sand participant on our Ford trip), had lost his wallet and passport to a pickpocket while he was in Madrid.  The same thing happened to my dad when we were here about 12 years ago.  So I will keep the wallet in the front pocket tonight and hope to thwart the pickpockets! 

 

Anyway, it’s been fun sharing our experience with you. I don’t get much of a chance to write for personal enjoyment these days, so this was a fun exercise for me.  And when I start to lose my memory I can always refer to jimslaughter.posterous.com and refresh my recollection.  Thanks for the many nice comments that you have sent.  We’ll see most of you back in our home corral soon enough.  

I hear Cath stirring from her nap so I think it's about time to live in the moment and enjoy a final evening in Spain.  

 

Hasta la vista,

 

Jim S., reporting (one last time) from Madrid

Today we decided to go visit the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.  As I mentioned in my last post, it is directly across the street from our hotel, so arriving there was as easy as walking out the front door and up the street just a bit.  

This museum was founded to house the art collection of Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza, who was one of the wealthiest people in Europe until his death in 2002.  Here is the old boy's portrait, by Lucien Freud, nephew of Sigmund: 

Aesthetically, this is one of the most pleasant museums I have ever been in. The walls are painted a soothing salmon pink color, and the art is very well spaced. 

I never got the feel that we were crowded.  There are some very exceptional paintings, many by artists that I had never heard of before.  One painting that everyone has probably seen seems to stand above the rest: Picasso's Harlequin with a Mirror.  This photo is from the museum's website; they don't allow photography by visitors: 

The collection is not quite as daunting as that at the Prado, and the way it is displayed is also a great bonus.  Here are a couple of other painitings  we especially enjoyed, one by Edward Hopper, the other by Van Gogh: 

Many of you know that I lived in Madrid for a year when I was in college.  The director of our program was from the Asturias region in the north of Spain, and he loved to go to a place called Casa Mingo, which is a very old restaurant (founded in 1888) that serves little else but roast chicken and hard cider, both of which are specialities of Asturias.  We probably went there three or four times when I was here lo those many years ago, and I had been itching to go back, so last night Cath and I caught a cab and headed over to Casa Mingo. We arrived a bit on the early side (there were only two other diners in the whole place when we got there). We ordered up chicken, cider, some green salad, and a tortilla espanola, which is an egg and potato omlette and nothing like the flour and corn tortillas we know and love.  

It was wonderfully nostalgic to be back at this historic restaurant. I snapped  a few photos so you can get the feel for it: 

Time for us to head off to the train station.  Valencia awaits us.  Valencia is known as the region of rice because most Spanish rice is grown there, and it is the birthplace of paella, one of my favorite things to eat.  So with a bit of luck we will get hold of a good, authentic paella tomorrow.  

Hasta la proxima!  

Jim S., reporting from Madrid  

Yesterday we took a very long walk through the neighborhoods adjacent to the  Palace Hotel. We walked by the Spanish Congress and the Supreme Court, so we were probably doing a tour similar to that being done by daughter Jane and her Carden Hall 8th grade classmates in Washington, D.C.  (Jane reports via text message that they caught a glimpse of the Obama children while visiting the White House.) 

We ended up in the Puerta del Sol, which is considered to be the very center of Madrid, and by extension, the center of Spain.  (The "zero kilometer" marker in the center of the plaza marks the center of the center.)  

Near Sol is another landmark, el "Museo del Jamon", or "Museum of Ham".  The Spanish are absolutely nutty about ham,and this place reputedly has the greatest selection of hams anywhere in Spain:  

After our walk we went back to our hotel and had a bit of an afternoon siesta, then headed out for dinner. We had decided to try out a few different places, sort of a "tapas crawl".  The first spot we went to, the "Tres Gatos" was just right. We ordered up a plate of angulas (baby eels) which was very tasty and exotic: 

Next we made our way to a neighboring tapas bar which had a very enticing window full of seafood.  I really have no one but myself to blame for having spent $125 for this (admittedly generous) plate of seafood: 

When we arrived, the impish waiter suggested that he should make us a selection from the seafood display in the window, and I foolishly agreed without inquiring as to the price of such a selection. When he brought us the huge plate pictured above, I should have said "That's too much; take it back!" or something like that. After all, we were supposed to be on a tapas crawl.  But it looked good, and it was good, so we ate and asked questions later.  When the waiter first arrived with the bill it was even higher (more like $150) and I protested, so he gave me a reduction. I'm sure his profit margin was still blessedly high. This is the type of restaurant my father would have described as a "clip joint", and they are a part of traveling, no matter where you go.  Certain of the locals are always on the lookout for foolish Americans who can easily be parted from their dollars.  Keeps you on your toes!  

Needless to say after that very filling and expensive round of tapas, we were done for, so we grabbed coffee and dessert at a little bar right near our hotel, where the locals were friendly and boisterous: 

Today we will visit the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum (which is actually right across the street from our hotel and can be seen from our window) 

After that we have no big plans so we will just see what comes up.  I think I will avoid seafood today.

Jim S., reporting from Madrid

The Palace Hotel, where we moved yesterday, is kind of the quintessential European old-world luxury hotel.  The lobby looks like a hotel you might see in an old Hitchcock movie: very ornate, marble and crystal everywhere.  In short, it could scarcely be more different than our prior perch, the Hotel Silken Puerta de America.  The main advantage (other than living in the lap of luxury) is the fantastic central location. We are literally across the street from the Prado, one of the great museums of the world. And many of the city's sights are within easy walking distance.  My favorite thing to do when travelling is walking around, so we really love the hotel's location.  

When we last left you we were departing the Hotel Silken and heading to the Palace.  We had a short cab ride along the Castellana, a beautiful broad boulevard lined with government buildings, luxury apartments and embassies.  We came upon a large group of police vans and asked our cab driver what had happened.  He said there was a demonstration by restaurant and bar owners protesting the new law (effective 1/1/11) prohibiting smoking in bars and restaurants.  You have to understand that smoking is a really big deal in Spain. It seems like everyone smokes. So it's taking some effort to get used to the new law.  I remember we had similar protests when smoking was outlawed in California bars and restaurants. Although I am personally not very fond of much of the government regulation imposed upon us, I have to say that the law outlawing smoking in bars and restaurants was a really great thing for California, and I expect it will be an even better thing for Spain, once they get used to it.  Do you remember how awful it used to be if you went out to a bar and came home smelling like an ashtray?  (Seems like a very long time ago now.)  Our cab driver was firmly in the "For Smoking" camp, so I more or less agreed with him that it was a shocking abridgment of the people's rights.  (Don't ever get into an argument with a cab driver if you can help it; sometimes you have to (like when they are driving you around in circles for no good reason)).  

Check-in at the Palace went without a hitch.  We were given what is referred to as a "Deluxe" room, and it is very nice indeed. We had a small problem with the A/C not working but they came and fixed it as soon as we reported it, and all was well. There was a welcoming bowl of fruit and a note from the housekeeper asking us to let her know if there is anything they can do for us.  And they comped the Internet access, which is a nice benefit, since it costs something like 16 euros a day.  I don't know why it bugs me to pay for Internet access, but it does. 

We decided to go see the Reina Sophia Museum, which is the home of the Guernica by Picasso. The painting is huge and very significant to the Spanish people as it depicts the bombing of the town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.  No photographs are allowed, but strangely you are allowed to take a photo from the next room, so I did: 

In most other parts of the museum photography is allowed, so we took quite a few photos of various works of modern art. I'm not sure why or what we will do with them but I did have fun shooting photos of some of these famous works of art.  We arrived at a certain gallery and I continued to shoot (as I had been doing without incident) when I was accosted by a guard who scolded "NO FOTOS!" She was going to make me remove the photo from my camera, but just then someone else took a picture of the same thing, and she ran off to stop them. So I skidaddled out of there.  I still don't know what I took a picture of but I may as well show you, since it was so hard-won: 

Cath says this work is called Triadic Ballet, by Oskar Schlemmer.  Somehow she knows this type of thing.  

I get serious "museum feet" after about two hours in any museum, so that's always my signal to move on.  We walked back towards the Palace and enjoyed seeing the Madrilenos out in the late afternoon walking about.  Madrid is a very "liveable" city, in that it isn't too tall, and not all that crowded, but it does have a style and sophistication that is really appealing.  

When we got back to the Palace I took a "siesta" (really I think that's Mexican but I took one anyway) while Cath enjoyed the free Internet access on the iPad.  The iPad is really a tremendous device; great for web surfing and email.   

Around 9:00 p.m. we went to dinner. That's a bit early but acceptable around here.  Our friends Carol and Jim Spowart had recommended we go to a restaurant called "La Ancha" which is right next to the Spanish Congress.  Apparently it's really popular with the political types.  When we arrived at 9:00 there was just a few people there. By 10:00 it was filling up nicely.  We left at 10:30 p.m. and the diners will still arriving.  Here is a shot of La Ancha's sign: 

We really enjoyed our dinner. Since we were eating three meals every day during the Ford Focus portion of our tour, we felt we could light up a bit on the calories, so we didn't at lunch yesterday. We arrived hungry and weren't disappointed.  First up was "gambas al ajillo" which is small very tender shrimp cooked in olive oil and garlic.  The flavor was amazing.  Cath then got some Artic Cod  with a stew of tomatoes and peppers on top.  I got merluza (hake) cooked with chipirones en su tinto (baby squid in its own ink). Then torta de queso (cheesecake) for dessert. The owner treated us to some type of digestif after dinner (think Galleano) which was a perfect end to our meal.  We walked off our dinner a bit  and headed home for bed. 

There you have it.  I don't have as much to write about now but I still seem to have written a lot.  Several of you have written to tell me you are enjoying these daily missives so I hope they won't get boring. Only a few more to suffer through anyway.  Today we are going to take a long walk and maybe buy something.  

Hasta la proxima!  

Jim S., reporting from Madrid

P.S. You may recall we said that each floor of the Hotel Silken was done by a different architect. Yesterday before we checked out we went and visited each floor and took a picture. If you'd like to see the other floors you can go here.  There are ten floors in all.  I really do think ours (the 4th floor) was the best one of all.  

Yesterday we went spent some class time going over the details of the Ford Focus that we will be given to drive around for six weeks when we return to the U.S.  The car has quite a sophisticated electronics package so there was quite a bit to learn.  Among other things it is capable of locating a parking spot and  parallel parking on its own!  I know a few people who could use that feature.  Then we spent some time learning about the technical details of our post-trip videos that we will be producing.  I am going to have to beg Jane to help out on that part.  

After we finished our class time we boarded buses for Toledo, which is a medieval city located about 40 miles from Madrid. It was actually the capital of Spain before Madrid.  Built high on a hill with beautiful views of the Tagus River, it is quite a stunning place, especially on a beautiful day. Luckily the weather cooperated and we had a very sunny, crisp cold day to enjoy the city. We visited the cathedral (which was about 20 degrees cooler inside than it was outside, due to the very thick stone walls).  The sacristy of the church is like a mini-Prado. The walls are lined with paintings by El Grecos, Caravaggio, Velasquez, etc.  Unfortunately no photos were allowed inside the church.  However I did get a nice shot of the river and bridge: 

After a great walk around Toledo we boarded our buses and headed back to our hotel in Madrid.  As we drove back to Madrid I was reminded of the last time I had been to Toledo, with my sister Sheila. We rented a car and drove to Toledo, and decided to take a country road on the way home. It was a very narrow and winding road. As we were coming around a blind corner there appeared a car speeding in the other direction right in the middle of the road. I swerved to the right; he swerved the other way, and our driver side rear view mirrors hit each other, breaking ours off (and is too I am sure). He didn't stop and neither did we. That was a scary moment.  Awaking from my reverie I was pleased to be in an air conditioned bus on a three lane highway.  

Upon our return from Toledo we took a  short rest and then down to the bar for what we thought would be our last visit (see below). Then we boarded small buses and headed off to dinner. Our group (which is rather large) was broken up into smaller groups and taken to various restaurants which we chose when we first arrived here.  Cath and I had chosen a place called Taberna Bilbao, more or less at random, among a list of six places offered to us.  Well, I can tell you that we chose well.  We were served a series of tapas type dishes that were among the most delicious I have ever had.  First we got jamon serrano, (Spanish cured ham), then a very delicious green salad, then some croquettes filled with molten cheese, then some deep fried fish in a crispy coating, then salt cod in a tomato sauce, then short ribs in a different tomato sauce, then a series of cheeses (are you full yet?), then a pear poached in red wine, then a baked custard. And I'm sure I am leaving out a course or two.  We were really in hog heaven.  Here is a shot of our group at the table: 

When we left we complimented the owner on the great food and asked her to take a photo with us: 

As we left the restaurant we were a bit behind our group (busy taking pictures and yakking) and we retraced the route we took when he arrived, taking a right turn out the door of the restaurant. But unbeknownst to us our guide had moved the bus to another street, so our group followed the guide to the left.  We kept walking along, and since there were a lot of people in the street we just assumed that our group was among them.  When we arrived back to where we had been dropped off, of course there was no one there.  So there we were, standing in the middle of "La Latina" (the old and twisty part of town) with no idea where we were, or how to get home.  (As I mentioned, I don't even have any Euros).  We wandered around a bit, thinking we might see our group.  No one showed up. Finally we began walking back toward the way we came, and there was our tour guide, coming to retrieve us.  He explained about the change of bus location, and took us back to our group.  We were very relieved that we didn't have to rely on our own wiles to make it back to the hotel.  

Since it was our last night together as a group everyone decided we'd better head to the bar for one last beverage together.  We spent an hour or so chatting about the great meal, the great experiences we'd had together, and how we all wished it didn't have to end so soon.  Finally we gave up, said or goodbyes, and went to bed.  

Now that our Ford Focus portion of the trip is done I doubt if I will have as much to write about. But a few people have written to say they have enjoyed reading about our travels so I will write again if anything of interest happens.  And in my experience, when you are traveling, something interesting happens just about every day. That's one of the great reasons to go travelling. 

Cath and I will be checking out of the hotel this morning, and moving into the center of town to the Westin Palace Hotel.  We think it will be fun to be a little closer to the heart of things for a few days.  But we will certainly miss this very unusual hotel, and the three sentinel bears guarding the front door.  

Jim S., reporting from Madrid

The bad news is that our video didn't win an award. However, the winning video was so good that we didn't feel cheated at all. The winner depicted a family completely in a car, with the driver (presumably the dad) trying to make conversation with everyone in the car, but unable to because they are all so wired into their personal devices (iPods, iPads, etc). He finally brings everyone together with some very catchy beats from the great Ford Focus stereo. The thing is, this video was practically like a professionally done video, all story boarded and shot really well, and edited really well.  Since we only had about 40 minutes to do the whole exercise I have to take my hat off to the producers. They really knew their way around iMovie! I hear there will be links to all of the videos at some point so if we get one I will send it to you and you can have a look at the movie for yourself  And you can see our opus as well maybe.  

After the awards were given out a flamenco dancer and guitarist performed. They were really impressive. Here's a photo for you: 

They say that it's impossible to dance flamenco properly unless you are of gypsy descent. I don't know if our dancer was gypsy, but she was very good indeed.  She brought one of our more outgoing winners, Tyler, onto the floor for a duet, which was not quite as successful artistically but pretty amusing: 

Here we are with the guest dancer himself: 

After flamenco a DJ started spinning records and we all got a chance to visit with each other and talk over the day's events. Servers walked through the crowd carrying trays of tapas (Spanish Serrano ham, lobster, cheeses, even desserts later on). It was a perfect way to dine, giving everyone a chance to mingle and visit.  I did tweak one of our hosts, Christian, by telling him that I was getting so full on hors d'oeuvres  that I wasn't sure if I'd have room for dinner; he had to let me know this was dinner. The party went very late into the night. Cath and I decided to go downstairs to the bar and enjoy a nightcap there. I got a not that great picture of the bar so here it is: 

We finally gave up around 1:00 a.m. and got to bed, which was a good thing because we needed to be sharp for our class this morning where we are going to learn tips on how to use our new equipment to make interesting videos when we get home.  Then we are off to Toledo, an ancient and very beautiful city which is about an hour away from here by bus.  We will check in with you later and let you know how that went.  

Hasta luego.  

Jim S., reporting from Spain.  

It's the afternoon of Day 2 of our trip.  When we last signed off from you we were about to descend to lobby to attend the big welcome dinner for all of the program participants.  I left my camera in the room so I don't have any visuals for you this morning. I'll try not to let that happen again.  Imagine a large white banquet room with exquisite lighting and five very long tables covered in white tablecloths and chairs covered in white slipcovers. Now fill it up with about 150 excited contest winners, Internet bloggers, and program staff, and feed them delicious Spanish food and wine. It all added up to a very nice start to our trip.,  The program organizers have done a very nice job of making us feel very special and very welcome.  During dinner they came around to several of the video contest winners and asked them about the charities they are supporting.  Cath and I got a chance to tell a bit about The Wooden Floor and we were able to hear about many of the other charities that were selected.  It is kind of humbling to be in the presence of some of these folks.  One fellow from Saltillo Mexico told about his charity, Los Viejitos, that cares for elderly Mexican people who have no family. Another was doing micro-finance lending to farmers in Nicaragua.  It's really interesting to hear about the great charities that people are supporting.  Kudos to Ford for bringing such a varied and interesting group of people on this trip.  Everyone we've met has been very warm and engaging.  

After dinner the winners were asked to go upstairs to the "Blue Hub" for a special surprise. So off we went and we did get quite a surprise.  A swag bag filled with electronics to help us create content from our trip. We got an iPad, a tiny Canon digital camera, a Flip video camera, and lots of accoutrements.   Very generous of Ford to provide us with such nice equipment.  I think they are trying to guilt us into making good videos!  And it will probably work.  We have our secret weapon Jane at home so she will no doubt be getting busy with the iPad and iMovie when we return to the States.  

We were tired but too excited to go to bed so we went down to the hotel bar (also an architectural marvel, of course) and enjoyed a last glass of Spanish vino blanco while we watched everyone enjoying their new toys. 

We did finally get to bed and didn't sleep too well (our bodies were saying "It's the middle of the day; get up you lazy louts!) but had to pull ourselves out of bed at 6:30 a.m. to get ready for today's big event: the Focus Global Test Drive.  After a really delicious breakfast buffet (where we tried to remind ourselves that we shouldn't consume an entire day's worth of calories in one sitting) we were loaded onto three buses and taken to INTA, which is more or less NASA spelled in Spanish.  We had to go through an extensive security search before being let onto the property. When that was finished we headed in and were shepherded into a building that looked something like a submarine.  We were divided into four teams (White, Blue, Yellow, and Green) and then briefed on the day's activities: there would be four separate events: green driving (driving to save gas), skill driving (slalom course and knocking a giant soccer ball into a huge net with the nose of the car), speed driving, and making a video.  All four events were a blast. Everyone seemed to agree that the speed driving was the most fun.  We were assigned a professional race driver who accompanied us and gave us tips on how to drive faster. We were accompanied by an Argentinian driver named Giordy, who was quite the taskmaster but also really instructive.  His most memorable line to me after the first lap was: "Believe me when I tell you to accelerate."  OK, I believed, and I went faster, and I didn't crash. So that seemed to be a big success.  Cath performed marvelously and got a rave review from Giordy.  Here is a photo of us with our instructor

Our video was supposed to showcase the amazing technical features of the car (which includes a wi-fi hotspot) so we made up a vignette about how our team was lost and couldn't find its way, and asks for directions from a Spaniard who speaks no English (yours truly, in one of my most memorable roles) and uses the mobile hotspot to dial up Google Translate.  We felt it was a pretty funny video, so we will see if the judges agree. The winners will be announced at dinner this evening.  

Here's a photo of the cars we drove today: 

All in all today was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  I can't imagine what it must have cost Ford to put this event on but believe me it wasn't cheap.  Getting this large a group of people moved around smoothly and efficiently is a pretty complicated task, and Ford pulled it of brilliantly. 

With the day done around 4:30 p.m., we were all pretty tired and ready for a short break before dinner. So we headed back to our hotel and took a very brief nap before being awakened by a call from daughter Jane (first we've heard from her, despite numerous emails and text messages from us to her). Jane was happy to hear about the iPad, and glad she didn't have to suffer through a bathroom with glass walls.  I'm with her on both counts.  

It's almost time to head upstairs for our awards ceremony and dinner, so I will sign off now. I will take my camera tonight and send you some photos of the festivities tomorrow.  Tomorrow's schedule includes video making classes in the morning and a trip to Toledo in the afternoon.  The fun just never seems to stop around here!  

Jim S., reporting from Madrid  

As it turns out each floor of the hotel was designed by a different architect. I haven't seen the  other floors yet but our floor is arresting to say the least. Here is a photo of the hallway leading to our room:   You may be wondering if this is right side up. It is. Everyone in this floor is issued wrist bands to prevent sea sickness as you navigate the hallways.  

  Things get even more interesting when you enter the room.  Our bathroom is separated from the main portion of the room only by a glass wall, which brings new meaning to the term family togetherness.  I don't think Jane would have approved of these accommodations at all had she accompanied us on this trip as originally planned.  

In a few minutes we go down upstairs to the fifth floor where our "Blue Room Hub" which is the central meeting place for our group.  There will be a welcome dinner at 6:00 p.m.  I understand that the hotel management was not very happy about serving dinner at 6, since the Spanish eat dinner around 10 p.m. I believe they ended up characterizing the meal "heavy tapas" which seems to suit everyone.  

More later,  

Jim S,, reporting from Madrid, Espana