Postscript.

It is 10 pm and I am lying on the floor because the frame of my cot is giving me a dislocated vertebrae.  From where I sit I can see the sky with enough light in the air to make out the color of the clouds.  I will miss a few things about this northern latitude.    

They looked like Roman columns on the map

I appreciated Madrid for it's unadulterated feeling towards toursits like myself.  It possessed the royal culture that Barcelona lacked.  Also, I felt the city could exist just fine without mobs of tourists emptying their pockets on crappy tapas and cheap hookers.  It tolerated us but did not care if and when we left.

   The botanic gardens wasn't anything amazing, but it was a nice place to take an afternoon stroll.  Although, I did manage to find one thing of significance.  When I was a kid my mother tried to instill an appreciation for gardening in me.  I wish I could say that I was a good pupil.  One day she brought home the most interesting plant I have ever seen.  A mimosa pudica.  My brother and I killed it quickly.  But the Real Jardin Botánico de Madrid had a mimosa pudica the size of a tree.  Against my better judgement I touched the leaves.

Due to time constraints we kept moving, although I am sure I could have spent much more time in Madrid.  During our time in Spain we had much discussion on the "future" and what we expected over the next several months.   We came to a general consensus that owning a set of dinner plates is an achievable goal.  Better to ease out of our gap life slowly.  

Elevation

And so we said our goodbyes and pressed on to seek the fortune that we knew was looking for us.