Madrid

I have successfully and safely landed in Madrid, Spain! I'm immersed in the culture and the language and already I'm a little overwhelmed. I couldn't check into my hostel until 2:00 pm and I arrived into the city, by bus from the airport, at 10:30 am. After getting lost for two hours and going in circles, I finally found my home for the next two days. The streets remind me a lot of New York City.

The hostel let me put my luggage in a safe and secure storage until I checked in. That was awfully nice of them, my suitcase was heavy and my arms hated me by the end of those two hours. However, I still couldn't relax and sleep yet. I went and got something to eat, walked the streets, passed la Puerta del Sol (which was beautiful and so busy) and studied some people. I feel that the first week I'm here I'm going to study people, figure out how to function appropriately in society. Then maybe I won't stick out like a sore thumb. Everyone knew I was American. Some of the looks I got as my hooves clomped the cobblestones...

It's a whole different world over here. People dress so elegantly. I can't wait for my Spanish to be good enough to have a solid conversation. I'm currently a little apprehensive at the moment and a little too overwhelmed to confront complete strangers in another language and make a fool of myself. I'm not so worried about the fool part because I'm always one of those... At 2:00 pm I came back to the hostel, got my key, unlocked my luggage and went to my room. It was so clean. If you ever find yourself in Madrid and are looking for a good hostel, Room 007 is quality. The staff are nice, the rooms are clean, the sheets and beds are comfortable (or maybe I'm just biased because I was so tired when I first laid down), and they have activities organized for the current residents. They have dance classes, tours of the city, and every night as a group they bar hop at local bars. Since my location is excellent that will have to be something I try. This hostel is a four minutes walk to Puerta del Sol. It's amazing. The ratings for this place are nothing but good. I highly recommend.


As soon as I got in my room I took a nice cold shower (my legs were swollen from the flight) and napped. Oh lanta, did I nap. Nine hours of napping. I woke up and now I'm all out of whack. IT'S THAT STUPID JET LAG! Now I'm wide awake and it's ten o'cock at night. I'm going to attempt to read and that might put me to sleep. But it's hard because just outside my open window is a roofless restaurant and they have live music now. There is a woman with a beautiful voice serenading me out of bed to look out the window and listen to her covers of The Foo Fighters, REM, and Fleetwood Mac. This place, I have a feeling, will be a magical journey.

Tomorrow I'm going to adventure to a large historical park nearby and see some of the sites that Madrid has to offer. Don't worry, I'll bring my camera to document.