I'm losing one of my best buddies and it makes me terribly sad, even moreso now that there's a set departure date. You'll be missed, Steve, to say the least.

Below is the earliest photo I have of Mister Steve Robinson, taken in June 2006. I now don't recall if this was our first meeting but it may well have been. It was one of the many "Party with MadridMan" gatherings, this one at "Restaurante La Puebla". Steve's on the right, stately as always, looking all "Roger Moore" and, of course, 5 years younger too.



We had another, earlier Party with MadridMan, scheduled for March 2006, but got canceled. It was in that message board thread where Mister Steve Robinson made his first posting on 24 February 2006:



Steve and I hit it off immediately and that June 2006 day was the (possibly?) first of dozens of meetings over the next 5 years. Together, we've visited El Escorial, Valle de los Caídos, Aranjuez, and Chinchón. He has been to the MadridMan home in Madrid several times and also went with me to attend a "MadridMan Family Thanksgiving" in Switzerland one year as well.

More than the trips outside of Madrid, I did most of my "Madrid discovery" with Steve. We would walk and walk, before and after our long lunches of new and exotic Spanish foods (exotic at the time to us), unveiling an otherwise unknown Madrid. We constantly exchanged points-of-view of the city, the people, and the culture. He truly loves Madrid as much as I do - despite having his pocket picked twice.

We went to bullfights and then to the local bullfight bar for Rabo de toro, chopitos, and Rueda white wine where the barman knew us by sight, always shook our hands over the crowded bar and asked if we wanted "the usual". There, like in so many Madrid bars over the years, we stood the only non-Spaniards, and Steve and I felt truly special to be among them, truly blessed.

Steve and I also attended SO MANY flamenco performances, concerts (flamenco and otherwise), and ate so much good Spanish food and drank even more good Spanish wine. And, like any photographer, the person in most of my "people photos" is Steve - and I have dozens upon dozens of them - since I, the photographer, am rarely in my own photos.

I know Steve really found himself in Madrid and for that I only played a small role. He told me stories of things he'd done, people he'd met, and places he'd seen. I met several of his friends whom are now my friends.

Whenever message board members would come to Madrid and want to meet me I always asked Steve to go too because his presence makes things more interesting.

As for his devoted, incredibly useful participation on our humble ALL SPAIN Message Board, well, there has been no other. We can never begin to thank him. On more than one occasion, people thought HE was this "MadridMan" guy instead of me, presumably because he posted more than I did! His insight and experience has helped an untold number of travelers.

Time to "put down the pen" as I'm getting rather misty-eyed, but I could no doubt write for hours about my good friend Steve Robinson.

You won't be forgotten, buddy, and you will be missed dearly.

Your friend, always, MadridMan