The Turtles of Atocha...

We made our third trip to Atocha train station this weekend. And though it was not our main purpose for going...we did stop, once again, to see the turtles. The kids never get tired of it!

Inside the Atocha train station in the middle of Madrid, is a lush tropical garden. It is really beautiful! You can walk right down the middle of it, day or night. The even have little street lamps to light the way if you're strolling through after dark.

It is an unexpected little oasis, complete with a pond full of over 50 turtles! They are so funny to watch. Little ones sitting on the backs of big ones, all fighting for their place on the rocks. They are either trying very hard to get out of the water and up on the rocks, often tipping over backwards and landing right back in the water. In such cases, you'll hear a collective "awe" from the crowd that it always gathered to watch these prehistoric looking little creatures.

They often look as if they are playing a game of freeze tag, with necks and legs and tails held out at odd angles, perfectly still. If slow and steady really does win the race, as the story goes, then these little turtles are winners, hands down! Hasta luego...