The democracy of the long distance walker

 The people have spoken! Well, with a turn out of 5%, a figure even Parish Council By-elections would be ashamed of, the hivemind has delivered its verdict, and split the next area of interest four ways.  Just as Brecht put a happy ending in the Threepenny Opera because, as he noted, we can’t afford to offend the audience and because democracy is giving the people what they want, and giving it to them good and hard, we are going to…..

Rome, then Brno, then Berlin and ending up in Oslo.

Google suggests we should go to Barcelona and then get a boat. We shall go to Barcelona but we are not shipping it but wandering our way across country - with some wiggling around the borders.

So let us begin. 

We are going to go out of town. 6.6km has a certain similarity in it, shops at ground level, flats above. Slowly we will wander along the paths; the height of the apartments will go down, the buildings will get newer and eventually we will hit a bit of bland municipal architecture.  Let us pop into places en route.

The Goya are of Madrid will be represented by the Salon Luis & Tachi, which is on the Calle de Goya.  https://luisytachi.com/reservar  Four days ago Ariadna went the full five stars.  ‘I've had my highlights and styling done at this salon several times, and I couldn't be happier. ❤️  The service is exceptional. Eva at reception is lovely and always greets you with incredible kindness. Eva, who does my color, does a magnificent job and is also super friendly and approachable. And Miriam manages to style my hair spectacularly every time. ✨ I 100% recommend this salon for its professionalism, service, friendliness, and above all, because they make every visit a truly relaxing and enjoyable experience. ‘

We will skim passed the southern borders of the Parque Maria Eva Duarte de Peron.  A little over 6000 people give it 4.1 stars.  Google feels the most relevant review was from six months ago. Emily said ‘A lovely good sized park in a beautiful neighborhood. Dog area, plenty of beaches, paths to run and walk, trees and green areas. I also love the old fountains’

We are passing the Plaza de Toros. As we have already examined the subject lets do a bit of history.  References can be found across the Middle Ages When Alfonso VII of Leon y Castile married Berengaria of Barcelona, bulls were fought,  A monograph from 1777 asserts El Cid lanced bulls, but it wouldn’t it.  It was watched by the Almohad Caliphs in 12th century Andalucia  The whole thing went professional in the 1720s and so it spread. I wonder when it got to Northern Spain. They have it now in  Gijon saw an anti-fight protest this August.

Almost 42,000 people give this neo-Mudejar style cathedral of bullfighting a 4.5 average review.  13 hours ago Agus felt it was ‘Spectacular from any angle. A work of art. You can attend the bullfights, simply visit, or in the summer enjoy a delicious terrace. They also host many other events, such as concerts, motorcycle shows, private events, fashion shows, movies... ‘

Unas Oriental 3 is a beauty salon. It has 101 reviews. It averages 2.9 stars.  We need to know more.  Let us go good. Two months ago Emanuela felt it had a ‘Excellent service! The lady who helped me was very polite, kind, and a perfectionist. I loved the treatment, the variety of colors was beautiful, and my nails looked fabulous—the manicure was excellent. I will definitely be back! My mother, who gets her nails done regularly, recommended it, and she was right. ‘  Lola said, three weeks ago, ‘I went two days ago for a regular manicure, and this is what my nails looked like a few minutes after leaving the salon, even though I was under the nail dryer for 30 minutes. The polish never dried, even hours after I left. ‘  Ha Jo said, last week, ‘Had a great lunch, quickly served and tasty. Friendly service and quick reactions. Recommend to all for getting nice food. Thank you ‘

We end near La Casa del Disco. A 4.8 starred music shop with almost 900 reviews. https://www.lacasadeldisco.es/  Yesterday Bo Liche wrote ‘I bought a CD online and it arrived perfectly packaged and on the advertised date. Thank you very much. ‘  The owner replied ‘We're glad everything arrived perfectly. Now enjoy your purchase. Thank you so much for trusting us.’

So we end day one on the road to Oslo.