So I booked a flight at the last minute, fridaymorning while the concert at las Ventas was Saturday night, the day after. Wednesday I tried to book but something went wrong with payment... then I thought should I go or not? was it a sign?

Originally I thought it would only be 30 minutes of Mrs. Estefan singing and maybe it was a bit much to travel all the way to Madrid for...

But I could hear the rhythms and song going: levántense y gocen que la vida es corta. Get up and enjoy because live is short. And I thought "don't be such a coward GO". So I booked the flight, and there I went on my own to Madrid. Fortunately just having been there 1 month ago I knew my way around a bit at least in the metro and centre.

After meeting up with the English at the airport we went to their hotel to freshen up and then to las Ventas. We waited the whole afternoon outside in the heat. Met up with people from the Conga List (from the Netherlands, Denmark and England) and sat with the Spanish fan club. At 19:30? the doors finally opened and we ran inside We only had like 3 rows of people in front of us.

After some Spanish band I didn't know, too bad it wasn't my favorite Estopa!... Gloria and MSM came out and played for what seemed to be forever,... 1,5 hours maybe more. It was a blast. Almost all Spanish, old and new. I danced almost the entire evening.

Then we had to assemble at the left of the stage for the meet and greet. The whole Spanish fanclub must have been invited, there were like 150 people or something!!! We stood almost at the back of the line, thinking we might have a little more time then to speak with her, but it was 2am when it was our turn, and we were making pictures and greeting her by groups by that time to speed things up. She was very enthusiastic when she saw us (well.. my English palls ) and greeted us with hugs and kisses. "2 kisses because we are in Spain now" She told me. I said "yes"and smiled. I hardly said anything, probably flabbergasted that she seemed, because she said that, to remember me.

We made pictures and we all gave cards and letters and she thanked us for coming all that way over, at 2 am in the morning - thanking us ...!!! I was already so happy they didn't cut the meet and greet short much earlier that night…and she thanked us for coming!

Then one of the other palls and a friend and her little girl had their meet and pics and she handed me the stuff to hold for a sec for Gloria to sign afterwards. Telling security guys I couldn't leave yet because I had her stuff and Gloria needed to sign I stood behind some crewpeeps and then gave it to her while Gloria and she were looking where her book was mission acomplished and off I was...

So I slept at my palls hotelroom on a self made bed, fortunately no-one in the hotel seemed to care or notice and the next morning I left for the airport at 10:00 am. Where at he same time Gloria was, because she was flying to America, only in a little different airplane and entrance I presume.

So a short visit to Madrid, not seen much of the city, but spoke more Spanish than in the four days when I was there last month, asking for the way and ordering water and sandwiches... And this time I was on cloud 9 for days...

Wondering where to go now? I think go and give her the hug i've been wanting to give ever since the accident (when I was 12 and lready a big fan) and put all my love and respect for her in it, in America then I guess... if Holland is 3 kisses, Spain is 2 kisses, then America is the place for hugs :-) ...