Hola, Madrid

Reservations have been made and I'm off to Madrid on June 6th for two nights. Hopefully, I'll meet up with Davy Jones, ace photographer. Also hopefully, K-Lo, top entrepreneur and marketing wizzard for Krips, a new type of snack, will be sneaking in from Paris for the beano.Should be a blast.

On the other hand......it may result in a solo trip, featuring yours truly. This is because, being males, we only loosely agreed to meet up in this Spanish town, at an approximate time (..."June-ish..") and have only sporadically discussed the issue since. And certainly not in any great depth. Thus the detailed planning that Red Haired Boffins and Grasshoppers plough into any trip, even to the supermarket, has not made itself apparent. This is a boys expedition, a bit like Scott's treck to the Pole. For example, I have no idea why I am going to Madrid, other than that it seemed like a good idea after a few pints. I have not conducted any research into any sights of interest, not planned any detailed (or wildly speculative) budget, do'nt know what the weather might be like, and am clueless as to whether there may be any major festivals enacting in the city at the time of my arrival. I have no suitable apparel, a weak smattering of Spanish, and have'nt even applied for the time off from work yet. I only just found out that my passport expires the day after I get back. In reality, the only planning I have done for the trip is book the flight, and I intend it to stay that way.

It could be Heaven or it could be Hell. But that, sometimes, is the point, and the pleasure, of travelling. This is what I dreamed of when I read "In Patagonia".