Around the World in Sailboats

I was supposed to meet my new friends of Vaughan Town for dinner at 9pm across town. It was only 4.4km from my hotel and since Spaniards eat late, there were plenty of people on the streets. I wasn't afraid, except today was the world's gathering of protesters against the greed of Wall Street and the plight of the unemployed and downtrodden.

I left at 8pm and as soon as I stepped out of the door I was surprised to see hundreds of people walking peacefully up and down my very own street. Plaza de Cibeles, where the organizers of the event had designated a meeting place was at least 2 blocks away, but people were spilling all around the neighborhood.

I was relieved to see parents pushing baby carts and young people standing in the middle of the street, well dressed and decked out, just talking and having a good time.

I walked as fast as I could to get away from the crowd, but found myself actually slowing down and enjoying the view of hundreds of young people walking by as if taking a stroll through the park. There were women walking alone, couples holding hands and stopping to kiss or hug, some were laughing out loud and a few men were screaming something I couldn't understand.

As I moved away from the crowd I found myself walking along older women, hand in hand chatting about the weather and their s hopping experiences at El Corte Ingles, a local upscale department store.

I felt safe. In less than half hour I found my friend, but the other two were missing. Not a problem, we went to have dinner at a restaurant nearby and had a great time.

My fears of getting caught in a violent demonstration, like the ones happening this very day in Rome, were quashed. I took a taxi back to my hotel.