VENTE PA´MADRID

Greetings from Madrid, our first stop on what should prove to be a very long vacation! Well, we made it in safely at 7:00am on Wednesday morning after not having slept on the plane, as planned. As it turns out, the recline button on the US Airways jet planes is really just a cruel joke. We tried every combination of postures that two bodies can assume and had no luck. Even years of yoga training seemed fruitless! All in all, not a bad trip. Arriving in Madrid on the first day, we immediately headed to the hostal after a short Metro (tube) ride. As it would turn out, the line that we needed was down for repair so it required us to be flexible and look for alternatives. Kudos to the people of Madrid, as they are incredibly friendly and helpful!

Madrid is an incredible city. Part new, part old and constantly bustling! On our first real night of sleep, Wednesday night, I must tell you that the only time there seemed to be absolute silence was around four a.m. Other than that, this city and its people are in constant motion. The architecture is incredible, no surprise. The people of Madrid have the uncanny ability to meld the old and the new in seemless and flawless fashion. I must advise you, though, that I believe that the codes that apply to elevators and showers need some review as they all seem to be undersized. Our hostal is pretty nice, at least clean. After a short battle with the manager, Idalis straightened out our bill and saw that justice was served.

We originally considered buying a Metro pass, but have done pretty well and have seen a lot by foot. It is so nice to be able to walk amongst such incredible history. It has made me better understand the type of community planning and construction that I have been witness to in South and Central America, as this is where it originated. Around every corner is a new surprise, be it a street full of jovial patrons or a block tightly crowded with incredible buildings, walkways and a smattering of stores and cafes. It has made every meal a complete adventure and history lesson rolled into one.

I mentioned to Idalis, though maybe it is far too early to do so on this blog, that I see one of the lessons of our travels being to understand the contrast of mankind. It is amazing how you can see such incredible art and architecture, created by the hand of man, and then around a new corner witness atrocities of human kind, such as poverty, strife and violence. Not that we witnessed any violence first hand. However, the Spanish have a long history of war (guerra) and colonization. Just an illustration of extremes as expressed by a single culture.

Tapas and raciones are the systems of focd delivery as is the ´menu de dia´. The food is spicy and strong in flavor, similar to the inhabitants. Though Idalis swore that she would be drinking wine the entire time we were to spend in Spain, she has been confined to beer, by choice. However, that will change this afternoon when we stop to picnic in the Parque Retiro, where we will dine on jamon, queso and vino shortly after planting our flag in `Retired Park`! As I wrap up this post, we will proceed to investigate the cheapest transportation option to carry us to Porto, Portugal, a city that Idalis has heard a lot of gocd things about and one that we cannot wait to explore. Please continue to stay tuned and know that we are alive and kicking in Spain! Hasta luego, vale!