Post 4 (11/8/25)  TAIL END OF MADRID

My last full day in Madrid was Saturday. I had a bit of a lazy morning, and sleeping in was a welcome respite from all the activity so far. Breakfast is a half hour later on the weekend, so I took advantage of the 11:30 closing time and went at about 11. I had been meaning to share this video from the day before showing the very cool ceiling of the restaurant.

And now I invite you to check out the buffet!

My plan on this day was to spend some (quality) time at the sauna Octopus, which is the one my research revealed is where the older guys go. They open at 10am, so I figured on giving them a couple hours to get going and I'd show up after my late breakfast. Previously, I had always walked to the north on Hortaleza Street, but on this occasion, the parallel street to the west (Calle de Fuencarral) took me directly to my destination. I quickly realized that it was a major shopping street, and it was CROWDED on this Saturday, I mean like walk-slowly-cause-the-crowd-is-gonna-hold-you-back crowded. haha No problem, I just danced along to the music in my Airpods... I found this one store whose name cracked me up a bit:

I enjoyed my time at Octopus. When I arrived, there were literally only TWO guys there! haha I have always said this about how crowded a bathhouse is: You only need there to be one guy if it's the right guy. And the place can be packed, but if there's no one for you, there might as well be no one. Alas, neither of these two guys was "for me". So I enjoyed a nice shower, a sauna, a steam, and some meandering around the cavernous facilities. I certainly would never think of capturing photo nor video in a sauna, but now that I think about it, I guess I could have while it was still empty. Maybe next time. So as the day wore on, more and more guys showed up. I never really did find anyone with whom I was attracted enough to do anything physical. That being said, I did have some great conversations, all in Spanish I might add, which certainly helps with deepening my language prowess. One guy named Juan was particularly friendly and chatty. Of course he was into me, but understood that at 71, he was just a bit too young for me. It's been liberating for me in life to completely own my gerontophilia and reveal it soon off-the-bat with people so they can know this about me and when applicable help guide me in the direction of encountering the elderly guys who pique my interest, or in this case, understand that they will be rejected out-of-hand for their lack of years lived. I felt very comfortable with him, as we sat in the bar/lounge area, chatted, and he gentle massaged me a bit, which was pleasant. I also made friendly with the employee at the entrance named Manual, who was actually from Ecuador. He had been in Madrid for 8 years, and yet not gone ANYWHERE else in Spain! I was waxing enthusiastically about a few places like Torremolinos and Sitges, to which he showed an interest. Who knows, maybe I will have inspired him to get out and live a little. Finally a little after 4pm, I conceded defeat on my mission, got dressed, and slipped out. I did not consider it a failure, however. It was just a more social experience than a sexual one...

On the walk back, I crossed over at one point to the street on which I usually walk (Hortaleza), and decided to have an acaî bowl as my only other meal that day besides breakfast. The staff in there were super friendly, and wanted to check out my Blue Rocker videos. They were duly impressed! haha I did manage to capture a little footage of that meal:

Once filled up on healthy grub, I ambled along toward my hotel. I encountered a shop with mainly DC clothing and shoes, and the periwinkle blue of a few items caught my eye immediately! I vowed not to shop too much on this trip as I packed quite full in the first place. Perhaps this was a mistake, as I have always loved shopping while on vacation. Then again, perhaps it was a subtle way of reminding myself that I have enough in my wardrobe and should leave it at what I've got at present... Anyway, once I tried on this gorgeous sweatshirt, I simply couldn't resist! The picture doesn't quite do the color justice, but you get the general idea. And it came in handy given how cold it was in Madrid on this November visit.

After regrouping myself at my hotel I decided to go back to the Hot bar, which is only a 5 minute (or less) walk from my hotel. It was pretty well packed and had some NICE guys in there. I saw my friends from the previous visit, and chatted them up. I engaged pleasantly with the bartender (Miguel), and tried a new drink: Malibu rum and ginger ale. I highly recommend it! After getting a good night's sleep the night before, realizing it was aided by the alcohol consumption, I have been a bit more open to drinking than previously in my life. The first guy I approached in the bar was Ernesto from Costa Rica. He said that he was in Madrid on an "extended vacation" which has lasted about A YEAR so far! We were quite significantly mutually attracted, and he led me to the downstairs area, which you must understand is like a sex club at this bar. In fact this seems to be a thing here in Spain: they have sex right there in the bars! Being a bit shy about performing this way in the "public eye", I had to resist his advances of going all the way, although was certainly open to kissing and heavy petting. So I tried to drag him back to my nearby hotel, but he had a dinner date with his niece in 1/2 an hour. So I suggested we meet back at the bar after his dinner. He left soon after, and I sat near the DJ. I chatted him up and told him I used to DJ too. We had a nice visit, and I enjoyed his music. After a bit, a very cute older guy came and sat next to me. His name was Luis and he lives a bit south of Madrid, beyond the metro line, to which one must take a regular train. Well, as your worst fears might suggest, I was again dragged down to the lower level, which was fortunately not well attended at that point at all. OK, so I fooled around with him a little, although certainly nothing too extreme. Even when I go to a bathhouse, I always fool around in the privacy of one of the lockable cabins, and never in the public areas. So this open room below the bar just does not fall within my comfort zone. So that was that. He put him number in my Whatsapp, and I sent him a note to establish a thread. I am typing this on Tuesday in Maspalomas, and as yet he has not even read it.

And then on my way back to the hotel...

Earlier I had noticed an amusing phenomenon while crossing the massively busy street near my hotel. This is a major tourist (and locals) center in the heart of Madrid. The traffic signal for the cars lasts quite a while, so many people accumulate awaiting the crossing. When the pedestrian light finally turns green,  huge mobs on either side approach one another in a frenzy. It reminded me of the "wall of death" at hardcore shows. I wished I had taken a video a bit earlier when it was truly insane, but this one gives you a hint at the concept:

So I went back to the bar at 10:30 for my date to meet back up with Ernesto and made this video to show you the scene I discovered upon arrival:

I decided rather than get in the queue, I would just hang out on the street and await his return outside. I paced up and down a bit and kept watch for him. I encountered a group of young guys enjoying take out from the pizza shop across the little street, and had a great conversation with them. They are in Madrid for a masters program on sustainable business. They all spoke English, and were an interesting international mix from Egypt, Philippines, Guatemala, and France! It was a bit of an inspiration to see them taking seriously our future and recognizing that since our current global business model is likely not too sustainable someone needs to be working toward an alternative. After this exchange, it hit me how much I was enjoying my time in this very cool city, so I made this to reflect upon that:

So Ernesto never did show up, and despite that fact I did have a really nice time just hanging out on the street. Before I gave up and went back to sleep through my last night in Madrid in order to restore for my travel day on Sunday I encountered THIS! LOL

And next up, I will transfer over to Gran Canaria, the primary destination for this trip...