This morning: sitting in a bus watching the urban scenery pass by, I spotted a 40-something gent on a Segway. He glided patiently along behind a couple who walked at an excessively leisurely pace. I saw him gaze around, removing his gloves, then the bus was past and he was out of view.
I've seen more Segways in the last three months and change here than I've seen in the States in however long Segways have been on the market there. One day this last October, sitting in la Plaza de España, a covey of Segways drifted past, three males coasting slowly around the long promenade between the plaza's two fountains. (What does one call a group of Segways in the wild anyway? A herd? A pack? A bunch?) This morning's El País ran a brief story about the use of Segways by the police in a local town center. They're not exactly an everyday item here in Madrid's city center -- not yet anyway -- but have become common enough now that people seem to take them in stride.
This morning's sighting happened on the way to meet with a friend in a café. That person never showed, hasn't answered phone messages, leaving me wondering if I should be concerned. I waited a while there, getting contentedly caffeinated, then made the return trip home, people with shopping bags everywhere, a sign that the January sales are in high gear.
Stopped in front of a shop window along the way, checking out garments on display. A 50ish male with a shoulder bag noted that, slowed and glanced in the window, shrugged and began talking to himself as he moved on, apparently discussing (with himself) what he'd seen. Not exactly, I gathered, to his taste. La de da.
The holiday season came to a close this weekend -- I'd expected life to be back to normal yesterday. Not the case, turned out. The local world needed one more day to pull itself together. The neighborhood was quiet yesterday morning, few people about, most places of business closed. Like a second Sunday, the streets slowly growing busier around midday, people about in search of places to eat, have a beer, hang out. Regular life has quietly asserted itself today in low-key fashion, as the days carry us steadily toward mid-January.
Life: it moves steadily on.
-- runswithscissors is feeling minty fresh
España, te quiero.
rws 7:54 AM [+]
Comments:
A couple of years ago, a guy decided to ride across America on a Segway. He and his buddies made a documentary called "10 mph". He actually made it. Not a bad flick for a rainy day.
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