the new IDs saga continues

 So a few posts back we mentioned the power failure in all of Spain and Portugal. We were in the waiting room of the policia nacional at the Plaza España. It was a Monday. We were re-appointed for Wednesday and we had two tasks to accomplish with the gestor Valerie. 1. Get our fingerprints and photos done for new ID cards (to be issued in a month) and 2. get a paper called a "regreso" so that we could leave the country and return despite not having our new ID cards as they would not be issued before we left and they must be picked up in person because they use your fingerprint as the mechanism to verify you match your ID card. 

So off we went to meet Valerie and we completed the first appointment very quickly. We had to go to another office to get the paperwork filed for the "regreso" and - unfortunately their computers were still not operational post power outage. So Valerie took all the paperwork did a power of attorney on the spot. And went off to find out if she could get the first step of this process completed. Somehow she got the process done at the post office. 

So Thursday was a national holiday (May Day) and Friday we went off with the new papers to see the guy at Table 6 at the Policia Nacional to get a printed document of "regreso". And then things began to fall apart. The taxi strike that morning had us arriving later than desired as the office closed for the weekend at 2 PM. We got there around 1PM and they guy insisted we were missing documents we had given Valerie on Wednesday and she had filed them in order for the other office to issue the documents that we had brought with us on Friday midday. 

So frantic calls to the lawyer resulted in them emailing the papers that hadn't made it in the Mr Table 6's file to a local copy shop - Phil ran over there and got them printed (we are talking like 50 pages of full copies of our passports each!) At 1:55 I went back to Table 6 to tell him my husband was on his way back with the documents - he knew we were leaving the country on Sunday. He was having none of it. He said it's 2 PM and WE ARE CLOSED. Phil had told me to cry so I did my best hysterical crying and Phil walked in literally at 2:01! He still said no way but the lawyer got on the phone with him and with a colleague of his and also with his boss and - bottom line - at 2:40 we walked out with the documents. 

Again - I will remind you cab strike that day- so we decided it was now time to learn the tram system (which was NOT working the day of the power failure)  and that was how we got home - the tram to Plaza Nueva and steps from there to our building. Below - photos of the location of the Policia Nacional Office of the Extranjero.

The below photo is the part of the Plaza where the actual office is located - about halfway Left to Right about four arched colonnades in from the tower. 

so that was our Friday adventure!

power failure

So our last guest for the 2024-2025 season arrived Sunday morning.  We went to dinner at La Cayetana. 

So the next morning we went off to our fingerprint adnphot appointment for our ID cards to be made up now that our visa has been renewed for the next two year cycle.  We took a cab and met with the gestor Valerie. we went into the waiting room and were given a number. while waiting the power went out. Valerie got a call from the lawyer that there was a power failure all over Spain and Portugal and France. ARRRGGGHHH - we were so close. Just waiting to see someone to finish the paperwork that we need to leave the country next Sunday. Finally the police got everyone cleared from the waiting room by making appointments for them.  We were there about two hours total and went out to find the streets clogged with traffic (no signals) and no cabs available (who would want to sit in traffic anyway.)

So we bit the bullet as they say and started to walk home slowly slowly. It was 85* and sunny and sort of humid. Sidewalks were packed with people as all transit methods except buses were out of  service- no trains, no trams (stopped literally in the middle of the street.)  We were totally fried when we got home an hour later. But the apartment wasn't too hot (we had unfortunately turned off the AC before we left) because it was still cool from earlier in the day. 

We had plans for a merienda with Janet & Mike (people we met just last week) but there was no cell service for phone or texts and no internet - as - no electricity. luckily our phones were well charged and so we could read and play games - Phil worked on Duolingo. We texted Janet & Mike who live on the east side of town beyond Alfalfa. But we didn't hear from them.  Our power came back on around 5:40 almost exactly five hours without anyway to cook, and wanting to limit forays into the fridge etc. 

We saw that our texts were going through to various  folks out of the country but not Janey & Mike who were without power for much longer than we were.  around nine we went to dinner where we had reserved (Manolo Mayo) only to find the restaurant dark. Many had closed after X hours. We saw that MING was open and headed there (beating a rush of lots of others who were happy to find a place to eat at all.  When we walked home around 11:30 the street lights were out on Mateo Aleman so obviously things were not back to normal roughly 12 hours after the failure.

some of the things we had to eat at MING

so on we go- tonight Oscar won't be with us- watching a "football" match with his buddies. So our Wednesday meal will be the last one for this visit. Fingers seriously crossed on our appointment tomorrow and the resulting success of the fingerprints and photos for the new ID cards. Stay tuned...