Before leaving Milan, I traded some books for new ones. I really didn't want to part with them, so, John, you should be proud. I also had to get one more serving of gelato from Grom (all organic, natural), and it definitely satisfied. To save money, I took public transportation to and from the airports. Interestingly (at least I think so), I took a private train from Milan center to its airport at Malpensa, and, once in Madrid, I took three different metro lines to finally get into the city center. Hah. It felt like a maze. I'm very glad I researched it before leaving Milan.
Once arriving in Puerta del Sol (one of the main squares), my hotel was a five minute walk; nice and close to everything. Checked in with no problem, unpacked completely, and put on some warm clothes. It is colder here than my other stops.. I am now wishing I would have bought that leather jacket and those leather gloves in Florence. Oh well, it just gives me an excuse to sleep later tomorrow.
Madrid is very different from the US.. At least in that bedtime is usually past midnight. The experts say that it is common to see a family with small children strolling down the streets past midnight, and that sometimes a portion of the people seen walking in the morning actually just left the bars. I tried to get on the later schedule tonight by not having dinner until ten. I had a salad with lettuce and tomatoes, a fried steak and french fries or papas fritas. [I already miss Italy's tomatoes, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar...]
After this satisfying meal (for only 9€), I walked from north of Puerta del Sol to Plaza Mayor and found a nice coffee shop. I'm not sure if I have been writing about this, but I have throughly enjoyed Italy's coffee. So much that I usually have some with breakfast, in the afternoon and after dinner. And I rarely even drink it in the US. Not wanting to spoil my taste for coffee, I decided to have a decaffeinated tea to soothe my throat. It warmed me up nicely. Now I am back at the hotel, ready to sleep off the rest of this cold and have a big day of site seeing tomorrow!
Views of Puerta del Sol:
my room. and el baño.
view from my room.
Thanks for the updates I have been receiving!
For everyone else:
Matt got a job in Chattanooga!!! His finals are next week so he is studying hard. He graduates on May 14 and they are moving on the 15th. Anna has a lot of preparing to do! They have already found a townhouse (in the "creative district"), and she and Chelsea have started to plan a road trip to DC (nine hours from Chatt).
Chelsea chopped her hair off. Can I see a picture, please?! Alex has (or had) a meeting for work in Gautier today, so Che is tagging along and making a vacation of it. They are staying at the Hard Rock. What a hard life.. :) Now that Chelsea isn't in classes, she will have the summer to do her research (pig heart valves) and take a few beach trips.
Alex defended her thesis today, and it went very well. Her graduation is coming up very soon, so she is trying to enjoy her last week of college. She applied for some internships in DC and heard back from one that they want to interview her!! What if we could become roomies.. AAH!
Tim is coming to Spain! I think I will get to visit with him when he gets in on Thursday morning! Happy early birthday, Uncle Tim!
The fam have been working on the Lennep's landscaping. Desi sent me some pics yesterday and I hardly recognized the place. Y'all are too good.
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