It was a lovely beginning and then, BAM

This lovely lady is Consuelo Mellado, who is the Spanish woman from Madrid who translated my book, The Girl Immigrant into its Spanish version, Historia de una niña emigrante in 2016. We chatted near the Mercado de San Miguel over coffee and Tortilla Española, a Spanish omelet.  The day was beautiful and here in Madrid, she told me and Caroline it is the special day of Paloma, celebrating the Day of Ascension.  Several women walked through the plaza dressed in clothing (costumes) to honor the day.

We spoke for nearly two hours jumping between English and broken Spanish, but managed to work out our conversations very well.  It was a delight to meet her again and introduce her to Caroline.

We walked across the busy Plaza Mayor, that teemed with tourists as we dodged around open air cafes and vendor stalls. Once back at our apartment on Calle Postas, Consuelo left us and we came upstairs to plan our day.  But, neither of us slept well last night, so Caroline laid down and I decided to find a good place to catch a taxi to the train station in the morning.

Within minutes, my stomach was feeling sick, so I returned and slipped inside quietly so I would not wake up Caroline.  And then...BAM.  Food poisoning.  Both of us.  VERY Ill.  For hours.  So, this is short today.

Tomorrow: On to Barcelona.