Madrid: International Women's Forum

400 women from 27 countries are gathering to discuss a range of policy issues that effect us all across the globe.
It is a humbling experience to be with women leaders from every corner of the globe-including the poltical leaders of Spain, who opened the conference (President of the Government of Madrid, for example).

Our opening reception was at the "country place" (aka palace) of the Spanish royal family that has been in the clan since the 1700s. the "english" style formal gardens were composed of carefully cut hedges around fully blooming white roses. Jack joined us (along with maybe 20 other male spouses) to mingle, see the beautiful sunset and hear from some of the dignitaries. the most fun was visiting with women from all walks of life addressing similar issues: how are we going to retire and stay fully engaged with life? How will our daughters have children and careers when child care is so expensive? How do we assure that the next generation is even more represented in the opportunities we have begun to create in our generation?
While I have only been a member of the International Women's Forum for a few years, I found that I saw familiar faces from meetings I have attended in Toronto and Santa Fe, Including a friend of Tony's from LA, Paula Holt, who is a theatre producer, the woman who was president of the Forum in LA had wore a Lakers' championship ring, a woman I had met in Toronto who was part of the Iraq provisional government and had missed losing her life in an assassination attempt by a few seconds (just before I last met her) and she is still her and alive!

Before that jack and I checked into the Palace hotel (beautiful) and went on a bus tour of the city for a couple of hours to get perspective. Madrid, at 4 Million people, is quite a bit larger than the other cities we visited and has less soul. It is a huge city with the complexities of every other large city. there are communities which seemed more attractive and accessible, but the downtown area was overwhelming to me.

Tomorrow, Jack will visit the naval museum while I am meeting and then we will go to the Prado together on a private tour and I will go to dinner with l0 women at a private meeting.