All good things must come to an end, and it is time to head for home. To be honest, we’re both ready for it. You can only live in a hotel for so long, and I think we stayed in 14 or 15 places on this three-week trip. I felt like the first time we went to Madrid, we weren’t in a great location and it was a struggle to find places like nearby restaurants. This time, in Barrio de las Letras (the Literary Quarter) we were in the thick of things. I don’t know if we could have picked a better location. We closed it out by walking to El Rastro, the Sunday flea market that is one of Europe’s largest open-air markets. You could buy just about anything there; I think I had to talk Paula out of purchasing an antique or two, because I could just see the headline: “Two Americans caught smuggling in Spanish antiquities.”

We spent a good two hours wandering El Rastro. It was, to be honest, a lot more fun than I thought it would be. And I thought it was going to be fun! We bought quite a few things, but we have the room. And then … we saw The Store. Near the end of one of the El Rastro streets, we saw “Taste of America.” You better believe I had to check this out. As we got closer, I saw the American flags on one side of the store. And then we saw the food. “I see Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.” Paula said. “And mustard!” That wasn’t all. There was Jello and Kool-Aid, salsa and “Mexican spices!” Stove Top Stuffing. There was Cholula and Tapatio sauce, which, to be honest, we could have used at times. The store was somewhat crowded as well; I was the only one taking pictures.

It made us wonder what would be in a “Taste of Spain” in America. And what the Spanish would think about it. After that, it was a couple more meals before sleep; the most notable feature the chocolate cake dessert with Pop Rocks for icing at lunch.

What’s next? A short taxi to the airport followed by a long flight home. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll be in Modesto before midnight on Monday. I have a couple more blog posts to write, because why not? We should be at Concert in the Park on Thursday, at our normal spot near the light pole on Park. Stop by, I hear Paula’s making Tinto de Verano.

-Will