The previous evening, before leaving for Grazalema, I had discovered a snag. In the office of the hotel where we were staying was a sign stating that the hotel was currently unable to process credit card payments and to "please arrange a bank transfer or pay in cash." I was pretty miffed at this, and Michelle was, too. I really didn't remember if that sign was in there when we registered; I didn't think it was. Now, they had undergone some hard times for sure, withstanding a major flood the previous fall, but this was an inconvenience, for sure. What it meant is I would have to pull as much cash as I could from the bank in Benaojàn (thankfully close by), and hope it would cover the bill. Frankly, I mistakenly thought that since we booked through hotels.com, that the bill was already paid. I found out that was not the case. And, after reading up on the situation a bit, I saw this was a common practice among smaller hotels in Europe. Kinda pissed us both off, but there wasn't much I could do. So, Sunday I had pulled out my maximum (around $362 - €300 with conversion), and I had enough to pay our bill. We left so early Monday morning, nobody was up yet, so I left the cash under some papers in the office with a note to please email me that they received the money. (They did, later that day.) And then, we went by the bank again before leaving to pull more money (thankfully, it was already the next day back home, and I could get some more). Minor irritation, and I wouldn't receive any rewards back from my credit card, but oh well.....
So, Michelle and I headed back on the road to Madrid. I spotted and followed the band vehicle, and we even made a common food stop along the way. After the looooong six hours, I pulled into the Madrid airport and made it to the rental car return. A woman checking in the cars instantly noticed the scratched side of the car from the night in Villaluenga del Rosario, but I was covered fully, so that wasn't an issue. Another whew.
The rest of the band arrived after we were already checked in; we waited in the airport exit. A few more minutes, and we were hooked up with the MVP of the tour, Mr. Bechito "Flover" Martinez. He was to be our driver, equipment hustler, translator, and everything valuable for the next few weeks. The Sprinter van we had was larger than the Transit van we were accustomed to on these European runs; there was plenty of room for folks, and certainly room for Michelle, too.
The ride to Zaragoza was around three hours, and we had just enough time to unload in the club (which was a basement bar, fomerly a prison in the 15th century!) and then check into our hotel, which was only a couple of blocks away. The rest of the band was staying adjacent to the club in some club housing.
We had a nice couple of sets, the HMTrio first, followed by the Hickoids. The audience area was nicely stocked with seating, making this primarily a "sit-down" show for the audience. Also, this was the trio's first appearance in Spain, and Patrick (Harvey) was particularly stoked. The Hickoids set went well, but the crowd was, by then, smaller. It was a Monday night, after all, but the seating arrangement, I think, had something to do with it. The HMT is perfect for a seated audience; the Hickoids not so much so. But there were still fun moments...
After the gig, we went to eat a bunch of tapas at a pretty good joint and then went walking around (although it was getting a bit chilly and windy for ol' shorts-wearer here), checking out some of the architecture and statuary around. (Zaragoza is the birthplace of Francisco Goya.)
And then....Michelle and I headed back to our hotel for some rest and to prep for her departure from the group the next day. Waaaaaaahhhhh!!!
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