Arrival To Madrid

We arrived in Madrid around 10:00 local time Saturday morning on September 11th. The flight over was not too bad except for being a little uncomfortable for the tall people of the world. We met a very nice and pretty young woman, Eugenia, in the Atlanta airport during our layover. She is from Buenos Aires and is a teacher in the university. We really enjoyed talking with her and learning a little about the culture in Argentina. We shared e-mails and are keeping in touch. I was hoping to see her again and meet her boyfriend in Madrid when they come back this way but I will be gone by then. Hopefully Robyn will be able to see them when she comes back. We also hope to maybe see Eugenia in South America one day when we visit there. We also met another nice and pretty young lady, Carolina, from Mexico City who sat next to us on the plane. We also have her contact information so we can keep in touch.

We got to our hotel and learned from the driver that there was a festival in town that night called "Noche en Blanco" or "Night in White", that only happens once a year. We were very excited to be so lucky to get here just in time for the festival. We met up with Robyn's friend, James, at the hotel and he gave us the scoop on how some things worked here. We had lunch, rested a while and then took the Metro (subway) to Puerta del Sol where the festival was being held. On the way, we came across a young lady who was blindfolded and being led around by her friends. We assumed it was a bachorolette outing but they were having fun whatever it was. It seemed like all of Madrid was going to the festival as the subway was packed. It was hard to get on the trains but we made it and met Joey and Vickie in the square. Robyn works with Joey and Vickie, his wife, is tagging along on the trip like me. The festival is a music and arts festival and is spread out over a very large area. All the museums are open for free but the lines were long so we stuck to seeing street acts. We walked for what seemed like 5 miles taking in the festival and the beautiful scenery and architecture of the city. The festival went on until 4:00 in the morning but we left around 12:30 after getting a bite to eat in one of the hundreds of restaurants.

We slept in the next morning until 10:00 AM and then went to the hotel restaurant for a magnificent breakfast buffet. There were amazing juices, fruits, pastries, meats, eggs etc. It was delicious. We took it easy the rest of the day so Robyn would be rested and organized for work the next day. We already had a lead on an apartment in Puerta del Sol that is a 2 bedroom and large for this area. After Robyn headed out for her first day of work here, I called the real estate agent and she said her protege could meet me in an hour to view the apartment. She was going to e-mail me his phone number and the address of the apartment. After I hung up with her, the internet went down in our room. I didn't write her phone number down so I could not call her back without seeing the e-mail. I started to panick because I had to be at the apartment in less than an hour. I went to the front desk and explained my problem (in spanish because there are not many english speaking people here) and he had a hard time believing it just went down but gave me a code so I could access the internet in the lobby. I rushed back to the room, got my computer, and ran back to the lobby, and got the e-mail with all the information I needed. It was now 20 minutes before I was supposed to be in Puerta del Sol which is not too close to here. I got a taxi outside the hotel and took off for Puerta de la Sol. The driver did not speak english so I had to converse as best I could in spanish. We got along well and he dropped me at the bottom of a one way street and said this was my street. I got out not knowing how to find an address on a building nor even knowing what the address really was from the info I had received. I was told Espoz y Mina 15,3 was the address. I do not have a phone so I could not call my contact and he had no idea what I looked like. I made my way up the street looking for any clue to help me. I stopped in a shop and asked a man where the apartment was and he told me it was further up the street. I went up further and finally noticed a number on the building. It hit me how the address worked so I went to the building with 15 on it and stood at the door. Tiago, my contact walked up to me and introduced himself. I was very relieved. We went to the third floor, (which is the 3 in the address) and walked inside. It was very nice and would fill our needs nicely. After saying adios to Tiago, I decided to do some exploring since I was here. This of course is the same area we had been in for the festival so I was a little familiar with it. However, I decided to go a different direction than we went the other night. I was amazed at how many people were out on the sidewalks and streets. It's like New York except instead of skyscrapers there were these amazing old buildings with incredible architecture. I walked up a street full of shops and restaurants and asked a pretty young security lady where to get a map of the area. She directed me up the hill and to the left to a plaza about 5 minutes away. I actually got there without getting lost and found the tourist information booth. I got a map and a guide book and the lady pointed out some things to see. Since I want to see the Prado museum with Robyn, I decided to head the other direction to see the Almudena Cathedral. On the way there, I passed the Calle Mayor which is a palace that is home to the State Council and the military headquarters. There was a female soldier guarding one of the entrances with her AK-47 and a mean look on her face. I wanted a picture of her but I thought I should wait until I was on the other side of the street. The Cathedral was just down the street so I made my way inside. It was much more amazing and beautiful than my pictures show. The paintings, sculptures, etc could be in a museum. It is still an active church so Robyn and I are planning to attend mass on Sunday. It should be an amazing experience as well as painful because the kneelers have no padding. I left and made my way back so I could get my picture of the soldier. I didn't feel much safer taking her picture from the other side of the street but she didn't shoot at me so that was good. I made my way to the Plaza Mayor which is a square with a statue of Phillip III on horseback in the middle of the square. There were a multitude of cafes in the square as well as a miriad of street performers. Some played music, some were dressed in costumes like the invisible man. I was tired and hot from walking with my heavy laptop case in hand, so I decided to eat some lunch and take a break. I ate paella which had shrimp, chicken, oysters, and calimary among other things. It was a large serving for only 5 euros which is not bad in such a big city. It was delicious and made me feel better but I decided to take the Metro back to the hotel. We would be living in this area very soon so I can explore more without a heavy laptop in tow.

Robyn got home from her first day at work and we went across the street, at the recommendation of the concierge, to a really nice restaurant. The staff were extremely nice to us and the food was the best we have had so far. Robyn had sea bass and I had meatballs. They started our meal with a cold soup like gespacho and croquettes. I could have eaten a large bowl of that soup it was so good and a dozen of the croquettes. After we paid for our meal, the owner I think, came up and talked with us in spanish because no one spoke english in this restaurant. She was helping us with trying to learn how to say some of the items on the menu since they had given us an english version. Then they brought us this light dessert with truffles and a sweet crispy treat with almonds baked on it for free. They even filled up our wine glasses again so we would have something to drink while we ate the dessert. It was a wonderful experience but it was late and time for bed. I was in charge of packing our bags the next day and getting them to the apartment in Puerta del Sol the next afternoon. It will be a busy day but I am a lot more confident now with my spanish even though I still have a whole lot more to learn.

Adios amigos!!!